The jobs we did before and after our Sea life .

[Mike Newell]

Paper boy,
plastics factory goffer and machine operator
Sparks, MN
Scaffolders labourer and fixer
Brickies labourer
Plasterers labourer Road tarring labourer and driver
Electricians mate Plumbers mate
Demolition labourer
Tipper driver
Machine operator in fur fabric factory
Minicab driver
Salesman in radio/tv shop Storeman and driver in garage
Shipping clerk in readymix concrete co.
Self employed erecting conservatories
Site liaison rep. Readymixed concrete
Self employed General building
Retired and running a holiday letting business with the Mrs

These are all the right jobs, but not necessarily in the right order!!

[Dennis McGuckin]

Hell Mike, Not much that you didn't do.
Makes my experience look insignificant by comparison..
Have a few jobs around here you could help with. if you could pop over?[No wages, but lots of wine.]

Baker/confectioner apprenticeship.
Merchant Navy..
Car Assembly line [Coventry]
Emigrated to Canada.
Saw mill.
Tire salesman.
Gas Jockey [one week-fisty cuffs with the boss]
Dug out my apprentice papers,
Back to baking.
Retired at age 52.[shoulder disability]
Taught skiing for 20 years after that.. Quit last year.
Full time husband, father and Grandpa.
Now a Snow Bird [Canadian expression for someone who spends the winter down south in the sun.]
Den.

[Rodney Mills]

Date age Position Company Location

1951 14 Hoop-la stall attendant Kursal Southend on Sea, England
(played hookey from school)
1952 15 drill operator Machine shop Southend on Sea, England
1952 15 brick maker * Shoeburyness Brickfields Essex, England 1952-53 15 fry cook * * Regency Grill Bar Southend
1953-58 16-20 Galley boy-2nd asst. cook M.N. Port Line, Burries & Markes,
Union-Castlle Line.
!958 20 Cook Lord Simco Hotel Toronto, Canada
1958 20 Cook Park Plaza Hotel Toronto, Canada
1958-59 21 Stock Broker's clerk Burns Bros & Denton Toronto, Canada
1959- 62 25 Gaudemanger-Sous Chef Marathon Hotel Marathon, Ont. Canada
1962 25 Banquet cook-Saucier Ambassador Hotel Los Angeles, CA. U.S.A.
1962 2 Exec. Chef Wonderlodge Hotel Bakersfield, CA. U.S.A.
1964-66 28 Exec. Chef Hacienda Hotel Fresno, C.A. U.S.A.
1966-68 31 Exec. Chef Hacienda Hotel Los Angeles, U.S.A.
1968-71 33 Exec, Chef Los Angeles Country Club L. A. U.S.A.
1970-76 38 Director of Food & Bev. International Hotel L.A. Airport. L.A. U.S.A.
(became Hyatt Hotel)
1976-79 42 Managing Director Boatel Iran (U.S. Co.) Tehran, Iran
1979-80 43 Senior V.P. Operations International Boatel Companies. Manhatten, N.Y.C. U.S.A
1980-85 47 President and C.E.O. International Boatel Companies. Manhatten, N.Y.C U.S.A.

1985-? 47 Retired and still loving it. South Carolina, U.S.A.

* Hardest job I ever had, thought manual labor was a Mexican General.
** Fryed 2.5 TONS of chips on Coronation Day for 1s 6p an hour, 14 hour shift,no overtime.

[alf corbyn]

forgot to mention.after retirement, got a nice little number as an escort driver(no john not ford).
tdrive girl to client she gives massage??? then gives me £25.00, then on to the next one twas a hard life. sorry it stopped haha alf

[Roger Dyer]

ENGLAND , 1953..VanOffsider(employed by an uncle) delivering confectionery in the London and Home Counties area
1953..Fairground worker ('Coconut Shy' - 'Hoopla Stall - Merry-Go-Round), Brentwood, Essex.
1954..Paper Boy (W.H.Smith & Son) based at Shenfield Railway Station, Essex.
1955 to 1956..Training Ship 'Arethusa', Upnor, Rochester, Kent.
1956..Builder's Labourer, Rayleigh, Essex.
1956..General Hand in Sausage Making Factory (Hardings Ltd), Rayleigh, Essex.
1957(May) - 1966(Jan).. Deck-Boy to A.B. in M.N.(Port Line, G.S.N.C., United Baltic Corp.,MacAndrews,
Buries Marks, etc.) For a few months during 1964 was employed as a Labourer in a bottle making
factory (Standard Bottle Co.), Bounds Green, North London.
1966..Bus Conductor (London Transport) Wood Green Garage, North London. - "Hold very tight please, ding! ding!"

1966 (Nov.)..Emigrated with family to AUSTRALIA.

1967..Oil Refinery Worker (Shell Oil) Clyde Refinery, Sydney, N.S.W.
1967..Machine Operator (Acrow Ltd.), Lidcombe, Sydney, N.S.W.
1967 - 2000..Police Officer (N.S.W. Police) western suburbs of Sydney, N.S.W. Although, in those days, it was considered a 'no-no', at various times during this period I 'moonlighted' in the following jobs....Nursery Hand (vegetables and roses).....Builder's Labourer......Truck Driver.....and Courier Driver (sub-contracted to TNT, delivering pharmaceuticals to hospitals in the Sydney area).
2000..In retirement now and loving it, but occasionally have earned a dollar varnishing and anti-fouling pleasure craft, which means I'm either on or near the water, which suits me just fine.
-
...........best wishes to all, Roger.

[Gordon Turnbull]

Mine is pretty damn easy:

Paper boy at Causewayhead Post Office when I was 11
Comis Waiter in the Green room for the summer of '71
Merchant Navy from Jan '72 (catering boy)
Encyclopaedia salesman (it was pots and pans but you got free encyclopaedias!!!) in NSW in '73 till I got caught
Back to sea until '97(catering Boy and upwards)
Offshore till 2000 (Chef to Facilities Manager)
Back to sea till 2003 (Superintendant)
General Services Manager Bonny Island
Senior Operations Manager for Nigeria.
Camp and General Services manager, Escravos.

[Mick-A]

Hi VERNON
YOU SURE HAVE DONE A LOT IN YOU LIFE,
I TRAINED AS A MOTOR MEC LEFT AT 18
JOINED M/ NAVY DID ABOUT 7 YEARS
GOT HITCHTED CAME A SHORE [VERY HARD]
DROVE A LORRY FOR LONG TIME, LOVED IT
I WAS OFFERED A JOB AT MY OLD GAME AS
MOTOR MEC IN SMALL COUTRY GARAGE
THAT WAS VERY NICE GOT ALL TYPE OF WORK
UNTILL THE ACCOuTANT RAN OF WITH DOSH
GOT A GOOD MEC JOB WITH ESSEX POLICE
DID THAT FOR A LONG TIME.
MY LAST FALL TIME JOB WAS WITH THE HOME OFFICE
AS A RADIO MEC UNTILL I RETIRED
Iam STILL VERY BUSY DRIVING COUCHES, WORKING FOR
ST JOHN AMBULANCE, & TAKING MY BOAT OUT

DUCK & DIVE MATE
MICK - A

[Doc Vernon]

Hi Mick-A
WELL THANKS FOR THE REPLY TO THE POST,AND I AM SURE THAT THERE ARE STILL MANY WHO COULD GIVE THEIR LIFE ACCOUNTS!

Yes Mick, i have had a very varied life ,some really good and some really bad,but in all i dont think i would change much,as its given me a much broader outlook in this sometimes Weird but also Wonderfull World!

But no matter what anyone has done in their lives,it seems that many of us Ex MNavy Bods certainly have seen a bit of what life has to offer!
I think in the days we were at Sea etc,there just seemed to be so much more to do,and it was also i think a lot easier to obtain various Jobs!
Like me ,i seemed to be able to just walk out of one place into another with no troubles! And with only a Standard Six behind me as far as Education was concerned,learnt any Job as if i had done it for Years! Funy that as nowdays that doesnt seem to be the case!

But as siad before,except for the time i spent in the Merc, (should have stayed a lot longer) i wouldnt have done any different at all!
Cheers

[Pete Leonard (Bruno)]

Hi.Vernon
I agree with you that anyone who has been to sea can turn their hand to most things. I think it comes from not being able to alter things once you have sailed, and getting on with it. Even if you make a cock up of something you have time to learn and do it right next time.

I left school at 14 having failed my 11 plus.
Apprentice car mechanic.
Greengrocers assistant.
Bakers roundsman.
1949 NSTS Gravesend
1958 Last ship P&O Arcadia
Dispatch clerk in electronics factory.
Inspector in glass bottle factory.
Wholesale ice cream salesman
Area Sales manager for HP Sauce
Sales manager Ledbury Preserves
1972 Complete change into selling office refurbishment.
Retired early in 1997 (company went bust)
Unfortunately lost my wife in 2005, still miss her, but still managing to enjoy life here on the Norfolk Broads.
Cheers
Pete

[Jim Brady]

I'm proud to say I was in the same line of business for 40 years after leaving the sea,with only three different companies
Same wife 50 years.
Same house 40 years.
Same type of work 40 years.
Does that sound boring?I can assure you it was'nt,if your doing something that you are happy with stick with it.
Regards.
Jim.B.