Tattoos

[Louis the fly]

I have a few tattoos, legacies from my young and foolish early years at sea, two of them I didn't know I had until waking up from a good run ashore.
In those days it mainly only seamen who were tattooed , now they are a fashion item with young people following the celebrities , some with most of their bodies covered with ink. As with all fashions they will fall out of favour to be replaced by something new , there will be deep regrets from many that they ever walked into a tattoo shop.
A young bride will not look so glamorous walking down the aisle with snakes and dragons on her arms. This is one fashion they will have live with for the rest of their lives.

[Doc Vernon]

Yes Louis
I too have a few Tats from the reckless days LOL
some which I wish I never had done,but then there are others that are OK.

But as you mention nowdays its all the fashion and although I have seen some really lovely Tats on some Ladies,there are those that have far too much showing and again as you say those have to live wit them for a very long time!

However I hear there are ways now that will cover the Tats when not required for a time but of course not all the time!

Fashion gone mad!
Cheers

[Jim Brady]

For those of you who went to Gravesend in the catering dept. may remember the words of our instructor Mr.Plumb who instilled into us that "tattoos don't make a seaman".
Regards.
Jim.B.

[j.sabourn]

Don't know what others views are as some seem to think they are a thing of beauty, my personal feelings are don't particularly see the point of them, especially on a woman which today every second young lady seems to be sporting one very visible in most cases, to me are off putting, and ugly. Especially when one gets older and they just go into one big blog of wrinkled blue skin. maybe OK for some but not my cup of tea. JWS

[Richard Quartermaine]

If it is ever mentioned in the family I say, "They're not really that expensive when you consider that they carry a lifetime guarantee".
Richard

[j.sabourn]

One should ask the survivors of Dachau and other Nazi Death Camps what one thinks of them. sure they are not enamoured with having to bear the stigma of numbers tattooed on their skin for the rest of their lives. JWS

[Richard Quartermaine]

Removal has its health dangers. Mr (or Mrs) Google has enough gigabytes of space allocated to the subject that there are many unhappy canvases out there.
Richard

[Captain Kong]

I just have one small one on my upper right arm.
an anchor surrounded with oak leaves a crown on top and the words India , New Zealand on a ribbon underneath. very similar to the old Senior Service ciggy packet.
I was a first trip Deck Boy in Madras, when a little Indian fella came on board and wanted to stow away to Vizagapatam our next port. He was a tattooist and all the Sailors would get a free tattoo if we stowed him away, he said the gangs were after him to kill him.
He tattooed everyone and the Sailors made me have one.
I had to feed him for three days until we got there then he disappeared.
Cheers
Brian

- - - Updated - - -

In the early 50s in Liverpool the most famous tattooist was Sailor Bill.

I have seen some strange ones.
Young ladies with" Pay as you enter" Tattooed on the thigh,
Mild and Bitter tattooed one on each breast. .
I saw one fella who had a Fox Hunt tattooed on his back and the tail of a Fox disappearing into his tail pipe.
In Hong Kong in 1959 we got an America Sailor drunk until he collapsed, then dragged him into a Tattooits and we all paid to have the Union Jack tattooed on his back, We left him asleep in an alleyway.

[Louis the fly]

Two of the funniest I have seen, an Irishman had a sailing ship tattooed on his arm, underneath was written Homeward . He chickened out on the Bound.
Another guy had footprints tattooed around his belly button and the words Navel Patrol.

[Gulliver]

Inks.....no,not for me either.

Tattoo Tail.jpg