Signing on a ship

That describes it exactly as I remember, I was passenger ship and there could be 100+ signing on at the same time even 200 on an overseas crew change. As for what you took with you I suppose that was down to your job, being a cook I carried my working knives and several sets of Chefs whites. From experience I know Trawler crew would be rquired to take their mattress roll also.

As far as I remember I never signed anything and never had a discharge book, just went into Fyffes office in 1973 asked if they had any jobs, was sent to a local taylor for uniform and given a plane ticket LHR to Panama along with the phone number of the local agent.
I may have signed a form with bank account details so they could pay me but that was about it.

From memory signing on with UCL was to see the second steward and hope he was in a good mood.
One voyage he told me I was a very suitable person to work as officers steward as my dad had been a pig farmer.
Nice bludger he was.