Danger pay

[Dennis McGuckin]

On our news today.
The Canadian Government are reducing danger pay to troops in Afghanistan, as much of the danger is past.
I never knew that troops got danger pay!
When you sign up for the military don't you expect to serve in dangerous areas?
I don't recall getting anything extra while in the Suez or Cyprus conflicts.
Maybe Lou could tell me if the boys in the convoys got extra pay.
Just curious.
Den.

[Stan Carter]

dennis, good to have you back on, when my son was in the canadian forces, he did two tours in bosnia when they were going through their problems. each time during his six months tour he recieved danger pay, or maybe a different term was used for it. plus they got two long weekends in split and half way through the tour a three week break anywhere they wished. he had his wife flown to germany, by the canadian forces and he joined her there. by all accounts he made good money from those tours.
regards, stan.

[Ivan Cloherty]

During the 1956 Suez conflict MN crews in convoy got 6 old pence in the Pound on NMB rates of pay, I recall it was after passing Gibraltar until passing Gibraltar homeward bound. Apprentices on Indentures got nothing, but then again on £8 a month it wouldn't have amounted to a whole tin of beans anyway.

[Red Lead Ted]

We supplied troops during the suez crisis M.V.Eucadia. We recieved danger pay, Also recieved it for being caught up in the India /Pakistan war 1971 What i can remember very well is the mate informing us to keep a record of the exact time and date we were deemed entering a war zone which we were informed of the lookout was doubled, And the same as we sailed out of it. Because there was no way you were getting paid any more than the Shipping company had to. I had a rant on another site a few years ago with the son of the shipowner,s of the M.V.Harmatten H@G HARRISONS of London she was a right off 9th december 1971 by a stray missile of the Pakistan coast. I was doing some research after finding the ships lecy a certain Robin Marsh,{RIP} The ship was towed into the port of Karachi on 26th december 1971 as we were alongside, Quite a few British seaman lost there lives and many more never went back to sea again. This Shipowner,s son had a good whinge on the site and poored his heart out after answering the telephone in the companies office only to be told of the newsback in 1971. I had a lot of information on what followed and asked him did the company set up a fund with the hulls insurance for the survivors and those who lost loved ones. OH Yes he replied my father looked after them very well. I new the truth and told him in no uncertain way, Your shipping company landed the dead and wounded ashore gave them £100 each and a plane ticket home no trust fund was ever set up which i got from the horses mouth { HER CREW} those that survived, Needless to say he never posted on any Merchant Seamans forum again there is no place on Seamans forums for shippowners. If they had there way we would have lived on the rations in the articles we signed forever Regards lads Terry.

[Charlie Hannah]

We used to get it on the Oz coast running to the gulf Day for a day two for one from Strait of Hormus!On a Shell tanker payed off after three years on her multiple trips had just on 11 months leave, made up of trip leave long service leave and war Zone allowance.

[Doc Vernon]

Just some imteresting reading here!
Cheers

The Merchant Seamen's War

[happy daze john in oz]

There was a politician on radio here the other week spaeking about the wars in general. He was concerned that some soldiers had been killed and said they should not be sent into dangerous areas! Silly me I though soldiers were meant to fight.
Someone then rang in and siad,
'If you do not want to get hurt, killed or sent to a war zone then do not join any military force'.
Sounf advice I thought.

[Captain Kong]

I got war zone money on the old GEORGIC., We had landed Australian troops in Penang then we went across the Butterworth on the mainland of Malaya to unload two thousand tons of ammunition, The small party of OZZY troops were down the hatches and we were driving the winches to land it on barges,
The Australian troops were kept in Penang until the following year instead of going to Butterworth which was in the war zone, because Australian elections were coming up and they did not want any body bags returning spoiling the governments election results.
We got Two shillings and six pence a day, = three pints of Wrexham Lager for seven days.
Then we went to Viet Nam to pick up the survivors of the French Foreign Legion after their defeat at Dien Bien Phu, running lifeboats ashore to pick them up out of the water, we got another half crown a day for three days, = 9 pints of Wrexham Lager.
So we were happy with that.
Brian.

[Louis the Amigo]

Hi shipmates, war zone pay? never had any of that, must have been in a few war zones !!! But I have a question for Dennis Mc Cuckin "did the Canadian government give a reward /bounty to all merchant seaman who were on they ships {convoys} in the 2nd world war?

[robpage]

I was pretty sure that the Sealink guys in the Falklands conflict got three times their Sealink salary and conditions , which would have worked out with the days in lieu of lost days off etc , as a very nice package ,