Gordon Jones Markhor1953 Mahanada`1955 Malakand 1956 Makalla 1956

[gordon jones]

Hi Keith and welcome to the "conversation". I didn't visit any stables in Calcutta, I didn't realise there were any. On reflection It was not my thing anyway. There was an open space in Cal. the name of which I cannot remember. Could it be the Maidan ? Ideally it should have been covered in grass but it was used by all the local indian lads to play cricket. The surface was a mixture of soil and cinders, very dark to look at. One evening a shipmate{ENG) and myself went to the "Maidan" and asked if we could join in the cricket!! Well the boys playing could not believe what they were seeing. We joined in for a while but the crowds watching got so big we decided it was wise to withdraw. Sahibs were not expected to to mix with the locals. When I see some of the Indian people in the UK I often wonder whether they could be the same boys on the Cricket pitch. Incedentally the fellow I was with has replied to this Thread, I wonder if he remembers? His name is McCallum and he still owes me a beer.

[Tom Martin]

Salam Sahib : I just started to look in on this site few days ago. I also agree with you on meeting Good shipmates in "Brock's ". Signed on as 5th engineer, for my very first sea voyage (ripe old age of 20 I am now 76 ) December 1955 on the S.S. Malabar (originally an old converted "sam boat" named Sam Dee built in USA ) in Tilbury dock, she had just returned from the far east. did the trip around the land with relief crew etc, ended up in Liverpool my original home port to begin loading for the next deep sea voyage , also the new deep sea staff and I signed on , still remember all of them Mr Douglas Ruddick Ch Eng (fondly known as the Duke of Bootle ), Eric ( Ben!! ) Lyon, 2nd Eng, Joe Hall 3rd Eng, Jim Templeton 4th Eng, Bill ( "have a Gin kid " ) Jenkins Ch Steward, Jack Peers , Chippy" alas cannot remember "Sparks". Malabar was a three legged recipe engine, two low pressure B and W boilers, we steamed along at an average of ten knots ( 10 1/2 with the galley door shut !! ) and a very HAPPY ( in addition to hard working, weren't they all back then ? ) ship including many HAPPY "hiccup !" hours with the bridge crew. Looking back to those days I have to say that my first voyage on the Malabar changed my life forever , I also feel that it applies to many other seafarers who stayed with the sea after ones first voyage. I signed off from Brock's ( could not handle the Calcutta temp's and did have a few scary moments health wise ) in March of 1957. My seagoing career continued for another seven years , 5 on cargo in cooler climes, and 3 on passenger liners Cunard and Canadian Pacific steamships, luxury PLUS !! . I still have many interests regarding th sea, eg; stamp collecting including TIN CAN mail collection, collecting R.M.S. Titanic memoriabelia, also have written and had published several articles for the Sea Breezes Magazine.Hope to hear back from you. Regards Tom Martin. Town of Windsor CT USA.
P. S. Did you ever sail wth Brian Ellis ? Chief Electrician in Brock's. I knew Brian and all his family , they lived in next road to me in Aintree Liverpool,and would see him on ocassion at our CYMS club when he was home on leave.

[Charlie Hannah]

Burra Salaams sahibs, I can't believe it....I gave up looking for Brocks Engineers some time ago and now all this!....

Kevin i was on a Harrison line ship, the SS.Historian sailing up the Hoogly,we were passing the Malakand when she swung on her anchor and took all our port plates out above the water line also took the port side lifeboats out.We spent six weeks in dry dock.Very little damage to the Malakand.That would have been Around Febuary 1955.

Made a mistake here, the name of the ship involved in the collision was the S.S. Matteran,not sure if the spelling is correct,but it wasn't the Malakand.

[Evan Lewis]

Have been reading and enjoying the Postings re. Brockle bank 's ships and experiences.

Obviously the familiar question ,and the response (if in the affirmative)between ships,could not have been too familiar to Brocklebanks Crew.
Or altenatively they were" having on" one of their shipmates ?

Story is in mid August 1949,aboard the Thistledale ,Fort -type cargo ship.

Anchored near Tilbury, one of their ships came close . We were stern to stern ,for some minutes.
Our Crowd ,relaxing on the Stern deck .watching the manouvering.

Standing on the After end of the other vessel were a number of crew , all in White Boiler Suits ,as it were.
When the call came from one of our A.b's ''ANY GEORDIE'S ABOARD?'
the response was 'Aye" ,Bit of shuffling went on
They produced this little ,White -boiler suited chap ,pushed him ahead of them with pride.

When the whole lot on our Stern gave the traditional response.



"WELL F ___. Him!

Funny how little incidents stick in ones mind.
No harm meant.!

[Gulliver]

Made a mistake here, the name of the ship involved in the collision was the S.S. Matteran,not sure if the spelling is correct,but it wasn't the Malakand.

s.s.MATHERAN (3) (O.N. 168833) blt. 1942, 8,051 grt With T.J. Brocklebank throughout her life.
Broken Up Mihara, Japan 1.6.63
　
MATHERAN-CLYDEBUILT Site
　

　
　
And your vessel? s.s...HISTORIAN(3) (O.N. 180496) 7,219 grt a U.S built .Liberty(EC2) ship built 1943, named SAMAYE,bought 1947 by Queen Line Ltd & Cadogan S.S.Co Ltd,Glasgow renamed QUEEN VICTORIA.1948 Bought by Charente SS Co(T.&J Harrison,Liverpool) With them until 1962 when bought by Jayanti Sg.Co,Bombay and renamed PARVATI JAYANTI
22/2/68 Wrecked Azemmour ,Morocco & Broken Up Aviles ,Spain 14/4/68 .
　
　
　

[gordon jones]

Hi Tom, I have just received your "special" message asking whether I had received your original message and i didn't think I had. However I have been back to the site and sure enough there it was. I cannot understand why it is I missed it as it was not the last in the "links". I cannot tell you how delighted I was to find someone who was talking about someone I had known in my days with Brocks. I met Doug Rushton on my first trip. He was second Eng then and nick named the duke of Bootle because he did his best to hide his scouse accent but his "cultivated" voice would suddenly lapse into a " cha what der La!" Why he bothered I don't know because all the Engs. were as far as I recall scousers. One of his annoying features was his habit of always saying "I Know" to anything you told him, so if you went to call him at 4am when he was sound asleep, You would say "One Bell Sec" and his reply was without fail "I know"!!! He had a fund of monologues . One I recall was about two ladies having a Gin together and discussing what their husbands had been up to when they had come home on leave from the MN. Not drawing room stuff I hasten to add but I am intrigued as to whether he was still relating them all those years later. I can't say I recognise any of the other names you mention. The one chief Steward I remember,because I sailed on three trips with him, was cissy Lewis. I never did know his proper name. Will leave things there for know. Duty calls. Gordon Jones.

[Don McCallum]

Gordon Jones,

I will be down at your end of the country 3rd week in August, how about meeting up?

Don McCallum

[gordon jones]

As I recall it in 1956 the cost of a Beer on a Brock ship was one shilling (am I right?) So if you buy me the Beer you owe me from that time it is going to cost you at least £1.30. (southern England prices) However just think of the fun we can have talking about lifting turbines,
taking leads off big ends , keeping shakey clearences on winch bottom ends, keeping the gland steam going during manoeuvres etc etc.
Yes come along we can bore ourselves to death--- Mind that chain block!! Gordon.

[Don McCallum]

Further to my first reply I see you called the old firm Alisons and I called it Alinsons. I looked it up in the records and your name is correct.
Another beer I owe you ! I was thinking about the routines on the Brock Ships and I was trying to fathom out whether the Tail waller
oiled the steering engine during the watch. He must have done but I cannot remember the drill. Can you? Gordon J.
For a 107 year old your memory is good.!

The Tail Waller would seek permission from the engineer on watch to oil the steering gear.Once permission was given he would proceed down the tunnel oiling the shaft bearings
and would then climb the ladder into the after end and oil the steering gear

Cheers

Don McCallum

[Don McCallum]

Hi Kevin and all Brock Lovers everywhere. The cheherasard ( if that was its name) was in Cal. It was supposed to be a sort of meeting place for "locals" I dont think the MN types were encouraged too much.
What intrigues me about your last comment was the story of a Brock Boat sinking in the Hoogley. The reason I am interested is that I was
on the "old" Markhor when we were asked to go up a river which from memory was round the coast a bit from the Hoogly and ran, as it were parallel to it. The story was that we were going to "open" a new."port" When we arrived the only berth available was a Buoy in the middle of the river. The cargo was brought down the river in barges. Either side of the Buoy about 1 mile away was virgin jungle. The problem was a city Line boat had beaten us to it by a day and we had to swing round the hook on full watches,just as you describe. We were there 7 weeks. One day in order to break the boredom it was decided to take a lifeboat to the shore with a few Beers and a "picnic"
From memory the 2nd and 3rd mate and 3 engineers were in the boat.I was one of the Engineers. We got to the shore and were about to
get out when we saw a crocodile. We turned round and went back to the ship. It seems that the Crocs were those with the pointed snouts
and are vegetarians. But we didn't know that at the time !! To get back to the story how did the Brock boat trip over it's own anchor?
Also while your at it tell me was this swinging round the hook that you relate OUTSIDE the columbo harbour walls?

Hi Gordon,
Yes I rmember that trip well, you were the 5th and I was the junior 4th, I think? We left Calcutta and at the mouth of the Houghly we turned left into(as was then) East Parkistan and
tied up to a buoy still in the river out side Chelna. The reason we swung round the hook for 7 weeks was that the dockers were on strike. I also remember the lifeboat trip up the creek
and a wonderful meal at the Brock Agent's house with many exotic fruits.

Cheers

Don McCallum