A sparkle to the Eye

[j.sabourn]

Would a mice suit do Des. ? JS

[happy daze john in oz]

No worries about the four legged variety, it was the two legged ones we had to worry about.
Most wore a jacket with Customs written on it.
Had to be members of the rat family, how else would they have been able to crawl into such small holes to find contriband.

[j.sabourn]

#10 Ref. To the pointy end on the ratguard Des.it was always nigh on impossible to put a rope ratguard on a wire backspring. We used to wrap a piece of burlap around a section of the wire and cover it with grease. The poor old rat may have slipped off the wire or not, but at the very least it would have muddled his mind to the extent he didnt know if he was coming or going. It may then have decided to use the gangway , and if the white painted bit perturbed him , could have used the rope handrails instead . Cheers JS

[happy daze john in oz]

Then of course on ships of a Korean or Vietnamese nationality the rats would run for their lives.
Such a delicacy in some countries.

[j.sabourn]

Then of course you come into the Port Health system of carrying disease which the poor old Rat gets the blame for, and is more than likely the rat carries in the form of its own passengers the ever present fleas. The De Ratification certificate was and is still I think renewable every 6 months by an inspection by the rat catchers for want of a better word. Think during my time at sea never saw more than 3 fumigations of ships, and yet plenty of rats of all types on most , both 2 and 4 legged plus tail. JS

[Malcolm Lawrence]

You have reminded me of the Fyffes Banana boats, there rat guards were 8 foot diameter, to stop the locals in Ecuador paying us night time visits.

[j.sabourn]

Did you pull the gangway up as well ? JS

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Thinking back, London was were I saw the most rats, at night when coming back on board; they used to stand there looking at you as if you were trespassing on their property.
Des

[happy daze john in oz]

No Des, that was all the local drunks just coming out of the pubs.

[cappy]

in madrass 1959 a crowd of us came back down the jetty one SOS was flaked out on the ground ....a rat the size of a cat was sitting on his chest licking the lips of the drunk one ....as we approached it turned to face us...somebody moved forward and shouted .....it sat up and bared its teeth.....all the so called hard cases jumped back ...with various expletives ....one said give it a effin kick ....you give it an effin kick ......any way it just slowly turned roundand walked away ...happy days india 59......british tanker company .....cappy