Is this you?

[robpage]

Very true doc , they were very diligent workers , unless they were having a lovers tiff

[happy daze john in oz]

Very true doc , they were very diligent workers , unless they were having a lovers tiff

A lovers tiff, mate it was like WW3 when some of them got stuck into it, the tiff that is nothing else of course.
But no doubt P&O, Cunard ans Blue Star had their share of them. They could, as Vernon said, be great workers and good fun.
Of course at that time it was taken very differently to today, the public opinion that is, and I wonder how they would have behaved iun todays society?

[Ivan Cloherty]

The Lavender Ladies were the Gay's on the Union Castle Liners,some of which were very pleasant ,and never offended any of the other Crew Members!
They were at most times very good workers,put on many good shows for the Crew and had many private parties in their quaters on board!
At times could really dress up in their various regalia,and some were hard to distinguish between Male and Females!
As said most loved their G&T ,a favourite drink at that time for the Ladies !
I myself thankfully never once had any troubles with anyone of them!
They mostly just kept to themselves,although of course as life has it there was always one or two that tried it on.
They were to me a pleasure to work with!
Cheers
Doc

Now THAT is what I call a diplomatic answer and fit for a lady, well done Doc!

Doc forgot to mention that the Gays were called Lavender Ladies, because the hulls of the Union Castle (U/C) liners at that time were painted what was officially called 'London Grey' on the tins but turned out to be a lavender/lilac colour when it dried, gave them a distinctive look and U/C never changed it. I reckon that the colour of the hull steered many straight stewards off course, as somehow it became a badge of honour!

[Doc Vernon]

Hi Ivan
Yes indeed mate i knew that,as i should have haha!
Thanks for the reply.
Cheers

[gray_marian]

Thank you Doc and Ivan for the information, delicately described!......I'm always willing to learn.

[Lou Barron]

I dont think you could call the very old Gloucester Castle a Lavender Lady it was painted a battle ship grey .Sometimes i was frightened to turn over in my bunk in case i put my elbow through the ships side .Can still remember watching her going down stern first on a even keel

[robpage]

I think when considering the Lavender ladies , you have to think about conditions ashore at the time , Homosexual acts were illegal ( as were they at sea ) and people were pursued and discriminated against because of their gender based preferences , I think a lot of homosexual men went to sea on the large liners , where a more liberal policy seemed to prevail , Out of a crew of several hundred I believe that 40% on some of the Union Castle ships were Homosexual or bisexual . Ashore they faced arrest and jail , and disgrace , at sea for whatever reason they got away with their activities . As I said earlier , they were often very intelligent men with a very strong work ethic . . To say the least , they made liners interesting , but the cat fights were worse than I have seen between any women .

[happy daze john in oz]

Yes Rob, but some of them were a very sad lot, they escaped to sea to get away from pursecution but, many were stuck with who they were unable to escape. I have seen some ashore crying in their beer in fear of retribution by the general community.
In society today they can come out without fear, but in those days many were fearfull of doing so. I am sure there were far more who never came out for various reasons fearful of what may happen to them. I knew of three who went over the side, the reasons we will never know.

[robpage]

I was awakened to the persecution after taking my Grandson to Bletchley Park , the home of those brilliant code breakers , there is a Tribute to their leader Dr Alan Turing , he committed suicide at the age of 41 after being arrested and outed as a homosexual , what a brilliant brain , what a loss , all because Homosexuallity was an evil sin , and he could not take the shame of exposure . I have very strong Christian , Biblical views , but believe that God forgives my sins , so I cannot judge other's sins . I cannot think what Turing would have gone on to develop though . SO behind the effeminate front , the cross dressing , the hand holding , and the irritating voices , as you say John , lay , often a sad , sorry person . Our intolerance probably killed hundreds of these guys in the last century , life taken by their own hand , because the World at large thought they were a figure of ridicule and revulsion

[alf corbyn]

I understood that a lot of the gays came from upper class families and were actually paid to stay away from home because of the shame. I did about ten trips on various union castle liners and on one; the Pretoria there were 145 gays. lovely people. they were mainly very well educated and great to talk with. they put on great shows for passengers and crew, and in many cases were ladies in voice and manner, especially if upset. they would cry just like any female. with regards the lavender colour, I was always told it was called"Frenchblue".