Merchant Seamen

[happy daze john in oz]

When we signed articles it was always two years unless it was a Running Agreement so if you were catering it meant a seven day week for as long as you were away.Deck and engine would have the weekend off in port or maybe get a "job and Finish" on the funnel and the remainder of the day off,no such thing for the catering dept.if you went adrift and had a day off you paid dearly for it.Also the deck and engine day workers were off of a weekends at sea unless there was any overtime going.John sometime you also had someone who could cut hair,he did'nt get a ciggy issue as his charge for a haircut was usually two packets of fags.
Regards.
Jim.B.

Yes JIm seven days some with more than 24 hours it felt like at times. But on some regular lines such as Cape Mail we did get a couple of half days off when there were either none or very few bloods on board. Always got one in Durban and sometimes Two in Cape Town.

[happy daze john in oz]

The worst accommodation I had was on the old BEECHFIELD, one of Savages, [ what a good name for a Company],
Sailors and Firemen in an open focsle, underneath the Chain Locker, no ports and a coal bogey throwing smoke, and ash around. Access was by a verticle ladder, bunks no towells , no sheets, just a manky mattress covered in coal dust and ash and a filthy blanket. I lasted one month.No bathroom, to go to the Toilet we had to wait till we got to Belfast or Derry and then leg it to the Mission.
EEH it were tough in the old days.
Brian .....still recovering.

Now Brian, are you saying you had to bring your own straw for the matress? How did you hang on so long for a crap????

[j.sabourn]

Ref. ponging. We lived in a council house and had a bathroom, a luxury to some. My Aunt had no bathroom just an outside toilet in the backyard. She used to come to our house whenever possible to use the bathroom. If we were out she had to use the Public Baths. A lot of us grew up without the silverspoon bit. Re. your 1940 trawler bit was on 4 or 5 of these vessels built about the same time if not before, they were being utilized for other reasons. Five weeks at a time was long enough to be out, no one showered after leaving as didnt have the fresh water capacity. They were however good sea ships, never had to run for shelter, although a few were lost whilst on these vessels but think they were fishing during storm conditions. Cheers John Sabourn.

[j.sabourn]

Know Gulliver is going to pick me up on wording. Should read a few of this type of vessel were lost whilst fishing in storm conditions. Cheers John Sabourn

[Ivan Cloherty]

Ref. ponging. We lived in a council house and had a bathroom, a luxury to some. My Aunt had no bathroom just an outside toilet in the backyard. She used to come to our house whenever possible to use the bathroom. If we were out she had to use the Public Baths. A lot of us grew up without the silverspoon bit. Re. your 1940 trawler bit was on 4 or 5 of these vessels built about the same time if not before, they were being utilized for other reasons. Five weeks at a time was long enough to be out, no one showered after leaving as didnt have the fresh water capacity. They were however good sea ships, never had to run for shelter, although a few were lost whilst on these vessels but think they were fishing during storm conditions. Cheers John Sabourn.

I also sailed on deep water trawlers in the early 1950's the oldest being built in 1914, accommodation was a laugh as were sanitary arrangements. First trip had to sleep under the messroom table on the deck until I was allowed to hotbunk when fishing. Never had chance to run for shelter, when fishing in the White Sea or Barents Sea there is no where to run to! and good weather in those areas was a rarity, out for three or four weeks at a time with no washing, might sound like a young boys dream, but it wasn't (the washing I mean). Last day before entering the Humber, down the engine room with a bucket of cold water, insert a drain pipe from a gennie to heat the water and have a good scrub down and go home to mum smelling not too bad, although she always wrinkled her nose.

As for ponging when younger, it never happened, during the war having been bombed out three times we lived in a condemned cottage on the Yorkshire Dales, no gas, no electric, no running water, just a yard pump (later a stand pipe) and read by paraffin lamp, listened to the radio which had acid glass accummulators with a two mile walk to get them charged; but we were always clean and there were always pans of hot water on the stove, as mother used to say, no excuse for being dirty. Never lived with electric, gas or running water until I was twelve and a half when we moved to Hull, but it never did me any harm (well that's what the men in the white coats told me!)

[j.sabourn]

Ivan most of us have had to live with the harsher realities of life. The present generation thinks we are exaggerating. However no one wants to go back to those conditions. Which annoys me when I see these economic so called refugees coming into a country probably having the same or even better conditions than we had at one time, expecting all the benefits of a luxurious lifestyle for no input to the same, served to them by the so called do gooders most of whom I would bet were born with a silver spoon in their mouths in any case. Its about time people got real and showed a bit of national interest in their own country and looked after their own first and foremost. Sick of seeing library pictures of some alien being covered in robes hugging a young kid. Its getting as bad as the pictures of the much photographed penguin covered in oil. Cheers John Sabourn

[cappy]

lived in shields with my granny in the 5os andin 64 still had outside dunny
she was marrie to a old time hardcase captain loyds medal mbe emile robin award
got used to it wouldnt like it now regards cappy

[Ivan Cloherty]

Ivan most of us have had to live with the harsher realities of life. ...............

Although really nothing to do with MN so I apologise for an apparent hijack but it fits in with John's above

I had an accident (small) in Tenerife last year and in the local hospital was a notice in various languages which read "We do NOT speak any foreign languages, if you do NOT speak Spanish, please employ your own interpreter, otherwise we cannot treat you"

compare the foregoing to a letter my wife received advising her of treatment it contained the following :- "If you are unable to read this letter or the enclosed leaflet because English is not your first language,please ask someome who speaks English to telephone the Freephone helpline on 0800 707 6060 for further information and help"

This is written in Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Farsi, Gujarati, Hindi, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Somali, Turkish, and Urdu

All these interpreters and translators are employed at high cost by the NHS, the money would be better spent on patient care. If the Spanish can get away with their Notices whilst being a member of the EEC , why cannot we do the same as a member of the EEC, or are "Uman rites" solely a province of our beknighted country

[Captain Kong]

Hi Ivan, regarding languages in hospitals, it also applies in Wales.
My son was the leading Consultant in the hospital in Cardiff.
Every examination of a patient and every report had to be translated into the Welsh language, This was expensive and time wasting, a double report, diagnosis and treatment had to be done, he was losing time with Patients this was causing a longer waiting list. but could not do a thing about it. There are more Somali speakers in Cardiff than Welsh only speakers.
He left and went to the South of England as it was too frustrating to satisfy the Welsh Language people. It was their loss.
Cheers
Brian.

[Tony Wilding]

What annoys me is when you have to fill a form in at a Hospital or Doctors, it asks what Ethnic group do you belong to, i allways put Homo Sapien, have been asked many times, whats that ? once i used the Latin for Gorilla, the Doctor was not amused, he understood it, still have not done my Census Form, too late now, a woman came round twice and said i could be fined, told her to go ahead. am a rebel at heart, hate red tape, once years ago on a Income Tax Return. it said any other Dependants, so i wrote all my Pets Names , never got any money for them, we go out of our way in the UK To help Foreigners, they still want to abuse us, expect us to accept there alien ways of living. wont change now. the rot has gone too far,