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23rd October 2010, 03:10 PM
#41
Clan Keith (continued)...
Found more documents(below)
Gulliver
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24th October 2010, 10:35 AM
#42
Clan Keith
Thanks for the articles
Regards
David
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27th October 2010, 07:41 AM
#43
Malachi O'Kane - Purser - Clan Macnab
R 703613 Don Gardner, ex Purser Chief Steward Clan Line
Having secured the rank of Assistant Purser/Chief Steward and having served a probationary period of sailing coastal waters as such on a number of Clan Line vessels there followed a short introduction course for Chief Stewards in Liverpool. I then received instructions to join the Clan Macnab at Ellesmere Port bound for Glasgow prior to sailing deep-sea to South Africa. This is where I was to meet a wonderful character by the name of Malachi O’Kane.
Fondly known as Mally by all who came to know him, he was Clan Macnab’s Purser - and my future mentor - and had been her Purser since her maiden voyage some five years before. With a dynamic Irish personality it was a joy and immense privilege to sail with him. To Mally I owe so much.
This man was as Irish as you can get, in every respect. He was a staunch and proud Orange-man. His cabin was festooned with hats from every corner of the globe from Sombrero’s to Tibetan Monks head-ware and he was often referred to as Mally-the-Hatter. Idiosyncratic he certainly was, the bulkheads of our office were like those of his cabin but in place of hats these were covered with anecdotes and parables, collected over many years. Wonderful little sayings that one could fill a book with which were constantly pointed out to me to match each and every occurrence. He had a big heart and I worshipped and adored him. He in return looked upon me as his personal prodigy and his pride in me knew no bounds.
Throughout my time as his assistant we kept identical sets of books and records, I couldn’t have had a better tutor. Understandably there was always a plethora of vendors eager to secure your custom at each and every port; Needless to say the vendor’s were most keen to retain their firm’s name on the short list of the British and Commonwealth Shipping Corporation, and would usually go to great lengths to placate the goodwill of the Purser. Three consecutive complaints from any ship of the fleet would result in a replacement vendor. In some of the more well-known ports a single Chandler might be ones only choice but this in no way diminished the Purser’s authority.
It was not always such plain sailing there were pitfalls that one could fall into if not properly prepared and this is where Mally was so masterful. After I had been sailing with him for a few months he would exposed me to the dangers and pitfalls and even go so far as to let me not only take the bait but would delay my rescue until the very last second. But recue me he would.
One of his favourite ploys was to absent himself from the Purser’s Office on arrival at a given port, leaving me to undertake all the arrival procedures from receiving the Port Health Authority clearance, Customs and Excise and Immigration together with the victualling of the ship. He first did this to me in Mombasa with absolutely no warning, suddenly appearing in his shore-side civilian clothes complete with Deerstalker hat and pipe. I nearly died. He sat on the day-bed and refused blankly to utter a word other that to insist that I as the Purser had the floor; or the deck as on this occasion.
Mally’s name was synonymous with the Clan Macnab and as such he was know in almost every port that the Clan Line ever visited throughout the globe. On many occasions, again without warning he would retire to his cabin on arrival, instructing me to lie about his absence. The one excuse I always absolutely refused to voice was that poor Mally had died on the voyage and that his body had been jettisoned overboard. The other reasons to explain his absence were usually no less absurd.
All this subterfuge did however leave me a free hand to make some frightful mistakes. Mally’s philosophy being that there is no better teacher than a bad mistake. For example I was overseeing the loading of stores in Hong Kong and in those days the eggs were delivered in great oriental stone jars packed in straw. I was at the gangplank checking everything that came on and more especially the empty crates and jars that went off. To this day I am really not sure how they did it but having signed for everything as being present and correct I was amazed to find a great empty egg jar onboard and not a sign of an egg. Mally had been watching from the deck above unbeknown to me and watched the switch with his usual nonchalance as a coolie sidetracked my attention for just a moment as two others swopped places. The full jar of eggs heading back down the gangplank whilst the empty jar went back onboard. However I did not discover our loss until much later whilst were enjoying Gin and Tonic sundowners, when Mally questioned whether I thought we had sufficient eggs for the next part of the voyage and perhaps I should check again before we sailed at noon on the morrow. By this time I could recognise that Irish twinkle in his eye and knew for certain that I had boobed yet again. We took on more egg the following morning and I was left to stew for best part of a month trying to think of a way to cover my tracks. There was always a complicated formula and I seem to recall that on this occasion Mally had secured a second invoice unbeknown to me that indicated that we had taken on extra vegetables of various types which successfully negated the extra egg invoice.
On another occasion he fed me to the Lions by leaving me in the hands of a particularly notorious Chandler in Calcutta who came onboard all smiles and pleasantries but indifferent to hear that Mally had been forced through ill-health to disembark at Bombay a week earlier – I should have spotted the signs - but Mally had given me no indication that I should be on my mettle so I was just a little overwhelmed with this chandler’s generosity, placing a car and driver at my disposal whilst in Calcutta as well as leaving a nice bulging brown envelope tucked in behind the office clock which disgorged a fistful of rupees. Again Mally smiled and informed me that this was general practice here in India. In appreciation I placed a large order for ship’s provision in addition to sending half of the ship’s linen ashore to a laundry of this man’s choosing. We were in port for a few days and were not expecting the stores or the laundry onboard until the morning of our scheduled departure. I was almost in blind panic as our sailing time approached but still there was no sign of stores or laundry. Mally it seemed was indifferent to my concerns, reminding me that I was in charge and as such must take full responsibility. Eventually with barely an hour to spare the provisions and laundry arrived on the lighter – we were as usual at anchor in the River Hooghly. The laundry was almost dirtier than when it went ashore and short by many items and the ships stores were of such poor quality as to be almost inedible. The Chandler himself was there demanding I sign for his services and became very belligerent when I protested at the appalling condition of everything he had delivered on board. I was threatened with exposure to my company and the Captain for readily accepting his bribes and I suddenly felt very frightened and vulnerable. That is until Mally made another of his miraculous re-appearances. He had obviously been prepared for all of this and the Chandler’s threats to me were nothing compared to what Mally, the Shipping Company and the Indian police had in store for this individual if he didn’t immediately make amends. This whole episode almost got out of hand as indeed the ship’s departure was delayed and in consequence we missed the all important tide. The agents and the Captain of course became involved but Mally was unrepentant and not a note of censure came to me. It seems that everybody apart from the villain of the piece backed Mally to the hilt. I felt that I had seriously let Mally down and desperately tried to apologise. All I got in response was his gentle Irish brogue ‘what’s your problem My Boy? You’ve learned something today haven’t you?’ The incident was never mentioned again.
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1st November 2010, 12:23 PM
#44
Mally O'Kane
Donald,
I sailed with Mally when I was 2nd Elect., in 1958 on the Clan Macintosh having just left the Clan Robertson
where each morning I could have two fried eggs at breakfast, when I asked for the same on the Macintosh
I was sent a note by Mally to say you only get one egg as all unconsumed food is the property of the
shipowner, I also remember when we had passangers onboard the dinner menu had items marked by him
that was only for the passangers and not for the officers, we all got together one night and every one
ordered up these items. Mally reported us to Captain I.C.Scott who backed his officers and told Mally
all food was to be the same for all. From what you say there must have been two Mally O'Kane's the
one you sailed with and the one I sailed with.
All the best
Norman Mackay
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4th November 2010, 04:26 PM
#45
old shipmate
joe,
HI ITS Maurice Gibson i remember you well,i think we were cadets together on the Macgillivray in 73 or possibly the Alpine orthe Macintos hin 74.Either way get in touch,i now live in Edinburgh and retired(early).I really still miss the sea and now have a house right at the harbur entrance(sad old git).
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5th November 2010, 09:16 AM
#46
Mally O'Kane
Hi Norman, Pleased someone remembered the old boy. I sailed wiht him throughout most of 1966 perhaps he had mellowed somewhat after your experiences. Sadly he died at his home in Magherfelt, N.Ireland in1969 from cancer leaving his scottish wfe Margaret. I will always have fond memories of them both
Don Gardner
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8th November 2010, 06:26 PM
#47
Clan MacDonald
I was fortunate to sail on the Clan MacDonald in 1965/66.That was one eck of a trip,10 months,Africa,round the Med,back to Africa then down to Australia (Albaney ,Perth Melbourne & Sydney).After Oz it was then onto India to change crew before going through the Sues Canal and into the Med once more.After doing the usual calls in the Med we set sail for home.We called at Gib. It was strange to see British Bobbies & teleohone boxes.I must admit that when we left Gib ,to a man,we were willing our ship to turn to starboard heading for home.Thankfuly we did. What a trip and what wonderfull memories.
Geoff Ward.
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11th November 2010, 11:27 PM
#48
I joined here tonight, as I was searching for information on the Clan Keith and your site came up on my search. My Great Grandfather was on the Clan Keith and was one of the lives lost. His name was Alexander Grant, and I was searching for information as my Mum was never really sure of what had happened to her beloved Grandfather as she was 12 when he died. I just want to thank Gulliver for the articles in The Times that he posted, despite numerous searches online, I never came across them.
Many thanks again
Alison
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13th December 2010, 11:36 AM
#49
Davy Dawson
Hi Charlie
I still say i met up with u in manchester docks.......ive looked up in my discharge book and was on the Graham and the Grant ............still supporting the blues
cheers davy
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21st January 2011, 04:17 PM
#50
john morgan
Hi Charlie,
my name is John Morgan and my dad Ernest was a chief engineer on the Clan Malcom,it would be lovely to hear from any of his old friends & colleagues
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