Bibby Line ---Message

[Gulliver]

Just starting a Thread for Bibby Line-in case anyone wishes to make contact here with anyone.It.s a great site with some very knowledgeable guys and gals.Well administered/moderated ,too.Enjoy! My postings are obviously found under Gulliver.

[Kevin Hargin]

sailed in bibbys cheshire in the sixties rgds kev

[Kevin Hargin]

yes real ships catain hudson ch/off redman ch/eng reg peat had his wife with him for the 7 months a nice old couple

[steve hudson]

sailed on mv wiltshire many times, devonshire, staffordshire, hampshire, herefordshire and many more

[Gulliver]

Hi Steve!
I was Deck Cadet 69-72/3.with the Great Company!
Derbyshire,Staffordshire,Worcestershire,Shropshire and Dart America.Left for 'greener' oceans with overseas companies till 1990.
You were possibly a bit later? as your first four mentioned are L.P.G carriers.(The first one,Wiltshire,was rather off-limits to a mere Cadet-well,that's what we all thought! Your Herefordshire came out in 72.

Cheers! Davey

[Richard Stewart]

I was Deck cadet with BIbbys Dec 66 to about March 71 - then greener pastures my last trip was the one that Sheldrake crossed the Bar. Names spring to mind including Dave Clayton,Mate and then master, Bill folley, Bish Waller. JPR Flavin, a cadet whose Uncle was SITMAR captain. Tom Edge an old QM. capts Hudsons Gueney AE Young.....

Richard

[Gulliver]

I was Deck cadet with BIbbys Dec 66 to about March 71 - then greener pastures my last trip was the one that Sheldrake crossed the Bar. Names spring to mind including Dave Clayton,Mate and then master, Bill folley, Bish Waller. JPR Flavin, a cadet whose Uncle was SITMAR captain. Tom Edge an old QM. capts Hudsons Gueney AE Young.....

Richard

Hi Richard. I must have joined as you left.-2 of us Cadets-Bob Townsend and myself-I remember you all cleared off pretty quick as our (double) cabin was MT-apart from assorted items which I won't mention-you see ,even 40 years on our past always returns to haunt us!- you naughty boy!....

We joined in West(East?) Float,Birkenhead aboard the old Staffordshire(ex-Eastern Prince of 1950.).

I remember all the Bibby top-brass visiting ,as they used to do in those days(i.e.the Bowler Hat Brigade).
I think Capt(Commodore) Sheldrake died at sea,didn't he?.Anyway we met his widow and lovely daughter.
Capt.Maurice Mills(a gentleman ) took over command for the next voyage with Alan Lightfoot as C/O.
Eventful voyage followed-fire in the Jute Cargo in No 1 Hatch(the Old Man himself donned B.A.Set and went down to investigate-he wouldn't let anybody else go down,because he said he was the eldest!!).
Fire safely extinguished and on to Capetown(bunkers).
I remember we laid a wreath.-and had a service in Capt.Sheldrake's memory in the Indian Ocean
We were almost 2 months in Colombo (great!)for engine repairs/trials.Company decided cost of repairs uneconomic, so the Gingers boxed off a cylinder and we transshipped our Rangoon cargo and proceeded at 8 k to Hong Kong,running her up on the Breakers beach at Junk Bay. All boarded a BOAC 707 for a tiring 28 hour flight (these days it's about 12 hours!) to London,then onto Liverpool.Bye-bye 'Staffordshire'.

I can still hear those bloody steam winches,and hear that great 'creaking ' of all that timber panelling in the accommodation.
Thanks for evoking some lovely memories,Richard.
Cheers-Dave.

[Richard Stewart]

Hi Dave,
Thanks for the reply that stuff in the cabin could not have been mine and must have been planted there by someone else! thanks for up dating me on what happened next as I left Bibbys that trip and went on the Pool for a couple of years before joining Denholms. Good Luck to you maybe see at a reunion or something! By the way shipping magazine did an article on Bibbys this month don't know which one
Richard

[Gulliver]

Hi Rich-thanks for getting back.There's a few Bibby guys on site-but not our era. I can't imagine there being any reunions somehow(well,not heard of any).A bit surprising really.Other companies like LOF,BI,NZS have them.
See you live in Bridlington.Sailed with a professional 2nd mate from there. Name of Dave Matthews. This was in my last company Haverton Shipping,although funnily enough he had also done a spell on the Bibby Line 's Oxfordshire(last troop-carrier) in the 60's. He used to drive a taxi during his leaves! Great guy-typical Yorkie-called a spade a shovel.He got me out of many scrapes with the higher-ups,simply by turning the attention on him-and then back on them.We always won! Another great shipmate!

See you,mate.
Davey

[Stubbsy5050]

Hi,

Does anyone remember Captain Harry Pyle who lost his life in the Ocean Bridge explosion in 1971?

John S.