Bridging the gap

[Dennis McGuckin]

My first experience with a dentist was just before I went to sea.Turns out he had leaned his'trade' in a Jap POW camp.
I heard that from his son, who was in the Scouts with me.
How he ever managed to get a licence to practice in England I will never know.
He pulled one tooth.
That night I woke up with blood all over the bed.
I had hemorrhaged.
Had to be taken to hospital.
Needless to say. I never went back to him.
As it turns out. Still have all of my teeth, bar the one.

[Rodney Mills]

Just found this thread Richard. Sorry to hear about your troubles, but pleased to read you are on the mend, still you had better leave the toffee alone.

[John Arton]

As a young 15 year old with a full set of gleaming white nashers Blue Star (my deceased Dad's company) offered me a "taster" trip around the coast. Liverpool-Avonmouth-Dunkerque-Hamburg-London-Liverpool. This was to see if I wanted to have a sea going career (they did offer me a cadetship with them but it entailed going to Southampton which at that time was a fee paying Nautical College, the fees being paid by the families of the students who sat there O levels at the College)
The trip involved sailing on two vessels, the California Star and then transferring to the Queensland Star in London. It was organised by the Marine Super in Liverpool (Captain leMain?, still have his letter somewhere, he was a good friend of my father having served his apprenticeship with him). Whilst in London the Chief Officer gave me the job of escorting about 10 of the Chinese crew to the dentist. Blue Star had booked a dental surgery for the day for all the crew to be treated in. The C/O gave me two half crowns, directions to the surgery along with all the necessary paperwork. Amongst those going for treatment was the 2nd steward who quite literally only had one tooth and spoke no English at all. Off we set in a crocodile trail with me trying to keep them all together. This being my first ever time away from home as well as my first ever time in London I had absolutely no idea where we were or where we were meant to be going but the Chinese crew knew where to go so I basically just allowed them to lead. On arrival at the surgery (slightly late I admit) two dentists set to work, filling, extracting and fixing up teeth of the crew.
By the time it came to the last one to be treated, the second steward, the dentist said that they could extract his one remaining tooth but he would have to return the next day for impressions to be made for his false teeth.
I had tried to make them all stay at the surgery once each one had had their treatment but no avail so of the 10 or so I set off with I returned with just one and a load of reports.
I was in the C/O's cabin giving him the reports when the Chinese bosun came bursting in with a huge knife threatening to kill me, Once it was managed to calm him down it appeared that the 2nd Steward had got the wrong end of the stick telling the bosun that I had told the dentist not to bother giving him false teeth, though I had tried to explain to him that he was to return the next day for impressions to be made he thought I was saying no false teeth. Eventually it was all sorted out with the C/O explaining to the 2nd steward using the bosun to translate, what the score was.
After it all got sorted out with "velly solly's" all round, I gave the C/O his two half crowns back saying the dentist did not require any payment. This is when I was told "dumbo, did you not listen to the instructions I gave you, that money was for the train fare from the station to the stop nearest to the surgery."
What a day that was. After that the Chinese bosun had it in for me continually waving his knife at me. One of the jobs I had been given was to lock up and unlock the booby hatch's access's to the cargo holds every day after completion of the days work and before the stevedores turned up the next day and if I was so much of two minutes late out would come the knife.
rgds
JA

[happy daze john in oz]

Sent to see a dentist in Cape Town as I had a swollen face and the second steward and ships doc said the tooth had to go.

Into the dentists and a bloody big Yarpy barsteward tells me to sit in the chair while he gives me a needle. No sooner am I out in the waiting room and he calls me back long before the needle began to take effect. Out in one hit and blood all over my mouth.
By the time I got back to the ship the needle was beginning to work.

Richard, Big fights between Australians an South Africans in Cape Town during WW2 when Aussies sent there for R&R, maybe that is why he gave you a hard time.

[Doc Vernon]

bloody big Yarpy barstewards

They made them tough John that's why! LOL
And don't you know its derogatory to call then that! Yarpie!! LOL (joke)
What the heck hey mate! Like using the term Limey or whatever!
I love it!

[Doc Vernon]

Been there done all that too,they love the sight of Blood looks like ??
Remember the old Black Maria John! Head first in a flying flatout position! Massive headache the next Morning with Black Coffee and a piece of dry bread

[Richard Quartermaine]

Holy Mackerel, John that was a close shave. Heard about it some time later, must've been a fantastic shindig. Next times there I used me dad's cockney accent.

The tooth's gone this morning, had to be sawn off the bridge first. The molar that the hospital dental clinic gave me a voucher for was wrong one next to the offending one. Still, it seems to be sorted. After five weeks!!!
If it's not I think I might try the toffee lark, Rodney and a pair of plyers.

Richard

[j.sabourn]

If you want to get drunk in a hurry, try a glass of port in your beer, used to be called a torpedo. Too late in the day for me to do now, so will just stick with the whiskey now and again. If you do try a torpedo stand by for a 3 day hangover and don't drive. JS

[happy daze john in oz]

If you want to get drunk in a hurry, try a glass of port in your beer, used to be called a torpedo. Too late in the day for me to do now, so will just stick with the whiskey now and again. If you do try a torpedo stand by for a 3 day hangover and don't drive. JS

Any port in a storm but never heard of it in beer, waste of good port if you ask me.

[j.sabourn]

Instead of port and lemon its port and beer Yeeeeeeow. JS