Shore passes

[Tony Morcom]

Hi shipmates, one for our most senior shipmates who were in The U.S.A. or Canada wartime , on convoys or not .Do you still have your shore pass?

Not quite the same Louis but I do have my late uncle's US ID card issued in November 1943.It seems this must have been issued in addition to the shore pass.

JackIdentityCard.jpg

[j.sabourn]

Ref. shore passes in Japan. Does anyone remember the the Class A or B bars. Believe the class B bars were off limits to U.S. forces. We therefore, to keep clear of the yanks used to use. When the shore patrols used to come round they thought they had got a cop until they saw your shore pass. One time there was a British Warship in and their total shore patrol consist of 4 matelots, coming into the bar we were at and seeing we were British they closed and battened down the door and stayed there the rest of the evening with us, not wanting any confrontation with US patrols. Cheers John Sabourn.

[Louis the Amigo]

Hi shipmates, Thank you Tony, Why I asked about shore pass or I.D. pass for the U.S.A. or Canada was that I was told that any merchant seaman who was in those countrys in Wartime, was granted a green card by the government . too live and work in the U.S.A. I dont know if this is true or not ?

[Peter Trodden]

No one has mentioned the palaver ships crews had to go thru in Red China. All hands lined up on the after deck with your ID-Card in hand,then approach a makeshift table when your name and number(from the ships articals) was called,they then checked your ID against your Dis,Book. This took a long time but our Chinese crew were kept on deck for hours in very cold weather,all this time we had armed soldiers near by and others moving thru every part of the ship. No need of a shore pass, if you went ashore it was in a group and you were escorted to the "Workers Palace of Leisure" for a film show.
Peter. Blue Flu, 1955.

[Capt Bill Davies]

Peter,

The problems in Red China were not, as I'm sure you will remember, limited to shore passes. On arrival in the first port on that coast usually, Shanghai or Hsingkiang, all the toilets were closed with the exception of one. Clearance was not give to the ship until all on board had had emptied their bowels in this one toilet. Needless to say it was in your own interest to get in their early as 'that pyramid' got quite high after 30 odd people had been.

I'm off the Churchstoke for the papers after that!

Bill

[Ivan Cloherty]

No one has mentioned the palaver ships crews had to go thru in Red China. All hands lined up on the after deck with your ID-Card in hand,then approach a makeshift table when your name and number(from the ships articals) was called,they then checked your ID against your Dis,Book. This took a long time but our Chinese crew were kept on deck for hours in very cold weather,all this time we had armed soldiers near by and others moving thru every part of the ship. No need of a shore pass, if you went ashore it was in a group and you were escorted to the "Workers Palace of Leisure" for a film show.
Peter. Blue Flu, 1955.

Hi Peter, think I mentioned this on an earlier post, or it arose in another subject, did the OZ-China-Canada triangle for two years in late 50's early 60's and experience what you say, except ALL crew were stood on deck upon arrival and departure whilst ship searched by armed guards, very hot summers and way below zero winter temperatures, if they saw anyone suffering, for instance catering and engineering staff who were ill equipped with heavy weather gear they enjoyed prolonging the search. We tried helping the aforementioned departments with loan of gear to go on deck but some were too proud (or something else) to accept it and suffered for it, macho man in jeans and tee shirt stood in minus 10-15c for two hours sorted the men from the boys, and some never learnt. No shore passes as you say, but was issued with a card to allow me to go ashore to read the draught morning, noon and night and was accommpanied by an armed guard at all times and had to show the pass on leaving the gangway and rejoining the gangway even though I had an armed guard with me, always handed it upside down and they never turned it the right way up whilst scrutinising it. Tried taking a short cut once over the bulwarks when ship was level with the quay, got a severe prodding with a rifle butt and dressing down from the commandant and made to apologise to the guard for upsetting him, upsetting him!! I had the bruises for weeks. Lots of stories about Red China and the system, I only wished a lot of Commie shore wallas back in the UK could have experienced the system they wouldn't have regarded communism as Utopia thereafter.

[Keith Tindell]

I think i posted before, but when my ID card got in a bad way, had to renew it at Prescott St, cannot remember exactly where, but with the photographer. My discharge number r689823, when i held the numbers on a card in front of my chest, i did not notice the number had been incorrectly entered, hence r686823. i was to sail all over the world in the next 4 years, and this was never picked up. I can only imagine what trouble i could have been in, regards KT

[Tony Frost]

I remember whilst in Murmansk in winter time (Ore-Carrier) they put a steel grid over the hatch and dropped the cargo thought it from a hight.When asked why? in case some-one was hiding in the grab(Locals).You had a young guard that could not speak English(with gun) at the foot of the gangway to collect/give out passes in exchange for your Discharge book,whilst queuing up at the foot of the gang-way some one fell in the dock when they got him out half frozen to death the guard would not let him on board until he give him his pass.Lucky he was grasping his pass when they got him out.(easier to get into Russia than the States)

[Capt Bill Davies]

A small aside on this thread but but worthy of inclusion in a generic sense. Hygiene issues implemented by Port Medical Authorities. How many can recall standing in line awaiting inoculation against some local perceived threat. ALL WITH THE SAME NEEDLE!!!

Bill

[j.sabourn]

Bill, When had to go for Aids tests before entering Australia as a migrant, had to go for tests, my immediate thoughts went back to the standing in line with the same needle. That was going to be my excuse if anything found. Would like to know if all these illegals entering the country go through the same strict health checks. Regards John Sabourn