Soap Drama

[Evan Lewis]

Apologies Glan & All for Posting earlier reply out of sequence.

[Captain Kong]

On my first trip on a Greek owned ship, NEF, the Commodore Grant, one issue of blue sheets, dhobi them yourself when they started to crack, no towells, bring your own, and a slice of brown soap cut and measured from a long bar, by the Chief Steward for bathing and dhobiing, mugs when they got broken were empty connie onnie tins. I had to take my own knife fork and spoon.
We lived in poverty on that one.
.
.
My second ship was one of Savages, the BEECHFIELD, NOTHING, no washroom or showers, had to go to the mission for all toiletries. no sheets, pillows or towells, an open focsle, with just a filthy matress covered in coal dust and ash, ideal for crashing out on, fully booted and spurred, after coming off watch, feeding the furnaces and dumping ashes and back down below again in three and a half hours. I lasted four weeks.
Sounds like some of you guys were spoilt, Lifebouy soap, Doh!
Happy days
Brian.

[Willie Saunders]

As you probably know, Captain, in Esso, we had an issue of 1 bar of Lux toilet soap per week. Luxury indeed ! Pun intended.

[Captain Kong]

That is right Willie, Esso was better than most hotels I have stayed in, they were the best.
Cheers
Brian.

[happy daze john in oz]

We had a soap catastrophe in our house today came home and the wife said they were not showing today's episode of Coranation Street.

[j.sabourn]

Bill same thing applies to the counterpanes on the bunks. I spent a lot of years in British tramps. Every ship had the same blue type counterpane with same pattern, you see the replica of such in hospitals. I reckon the shipowners must have got a job lot from some hospital, just hope it wasnt one that treat tropical diseases or may I say worse. Regards John Sabourn.

[Tony Wilding]

had a few good nights ashore in spain in Francos time with 6 bars of lifebuoy, a packet of blue DAZ worked wonders.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John.
Those blue counterpans were on all the ships I was on, and if memory serves me right also on the Union Comp in NZ.
I remember the long two bars of soap more of a brown colour with a heavily embossed loggo. The tin of cut up soap in the tin for washing up was always on the tramps, on the tankers it was teepol.
Cheers Des

[happy daze john in oz]

had a few good nights ashore in spain in Francos time with 6 bars of lifebuoy, a packet of blue DAZ worked wonders.

The mind boggles at just what you could do with 6 lifebuoys, and just what wonders a bit of blue Daz will do for you.

[j.sabourn]

Think Cindy had more seatime in than quite a few on the ore carriers. John Sabourn

Saw her ashore one day in Narvik, there were only 2 ore carriers in port, always kept an open mind which one she had been on. Maybe she changed over for the passage back to UK. She was very good during seamans strike in late 60s as remember seeing her in Port Talbot buying everyone drinks. Regards John Sabourn.