Walports Books and Bars

[j.sabourn]

3 Items have fond memories of and cant remember ever seeing in latter years. The walport films which most British Shipowners put on their vessels cant remember how many there were to a box but usually went down very well and most off duty personel used to watch, these could be exchanged with other British ships and arriving in port was usually someones job to make a ship visit to see if an exchange was possible. Books the seafarers education used to put a library on board and could be exchanged the same as the films. Bars on ships got the blame for lots of things which in most cases was incorrect. When I first went to sea the ships were all dry. Think it was in the 60"s when bars were allowed. In all the cases where they fell down was in over policing. Putting bar hours on a ship was never going to work, and on most ships I was on there was no such limitations put on by the master. They were self policed with their own rules. Closing a bar at 2200 hrs. when you have watchkeepers coming off at midnight and 0400 hrs. is never going to work. Shipping is a 24 hours a day job and different people work to different time clocks. I seldom saw any drink on board a ship misused, in the few occassions it was it was dealt with by the bar committee. Now of course the full circle has been accomplished and are back to dry ships. As someone mentioned in another post they should have the Houses of Parliament dry also. I have been as a visitor to police clubs and suchlike and all have their bars. However seamen were hit as usual on the excuse of insobriety, in truth they are no worse than anyone else, in fact they can probably hold their liquor aq damn sight better than some of the w.....s making the anti drink legislation. Cheers John Sabourn

[Doc Vernon]

Hi
Cant say that i remember about those Walport Films,but then i myself didnt watch any Films during my time at Sea! So cannot dispute it,at all!
The Bar side of course i do recall and it must have started a bit before the 60's J as i joined the UCL in 1958 and they had the Bars on board then.i presume that you are referring to the Pig and Whistle??

Yes as you say most of the Lads could have a few and it was on the whole very well looked after,although i did see a few incidents where some went a bit too far haha! Me included!

Oh well that was liofe i suppose!
Cheers J

http://www.walport.com/public/

http://www.headlandmedia.com/walporteob/

[Tony Geeves]

Yes, I remember the Walport Films. In the tropics we'd stretch a bed sheet betwwen the Sampson posts (if it was calm enough) and the sparkey or a cadet woukd operate the projector. Sometimes a sqall would come out of nowhere and rip the sheet in half' I never did see "Gone with the Wind!" And in pre bar days, we were issued with four cans of Tennents a day. On sign on day it was a mad scramble to find anyone who did not drink and get them to draw their ration, paid for, of course. Regards T.G.

[leratty]

Heavens to Betsy the Walport films what terrific memories I can still recall doing exactly what Tony said & watching the very first Bond film, Dr No between Panama & Curacao + the reaction from everyone to Ursula Undress coming out of the sea in that bikini. Amazing after all these years (: ah good start to a day I am hearing her voice singing that "Underneath the coconut tree" song. Richard

[happy daze john in oz]

Recall being in the middle of the Indian ocean watching such a movie on the open deck. The sheet was so thin you could watch it from either side, amd ony TWO cans per day to make matters worse we had no non drinkers on board.

[DeepSea]

Walport films, three to a box, usually laoded two boxes. All movies started witha safety film. Sometimes had the same films for months if no British ships had visited the same port.

Dry ships. Blame the Herald of Free Enterprise tragedy.

[Captain Kong]

Also the EXXON VALDES, DISTASTER stopped all the bars on ESSO Tankers with breathalizer kits being used.
Cheers
Brian

[Tony Geeves]

My first job after signing on the Matco Thames was to haul a breathalizer up to the bridge, it was then that I realised my sea time was up. Mind you, I still did seven trips in her as the bar was still operating! Month on, month off, 84 hour week, bloody awful. Regards T.G.

[Ivan Cloherty]

My first job after signing on the Matco Thames was to haul a breathalizer up to the bridge, it was then that I realised my sea time was up. Mind you, I still did seven trips in her as the bar was still operating! Month on, month off, 84 hour week, bloody awful. Regards T.G.

Sounds better than 5 months on and 7 days off and 84 plus hours a week Tony, or 22 months on and 2 months off with a 70 plus hour week, or was it said tongue in cheek

[Ron B Manderson]

In Brocklebanks we got 13 film cans a year.
Usualy two films in each can.
If another ship was in post you changed with them and sent it back before the ship sailed.

We did this with a city boat in Trinco and the apperntice collected the films just before they sailed.
The Battle of Britian. Trouble was he dropped the last reel in the water and never told anyone about it.
So there they were waiting for the end that was not there.
Out poor sparks had to tell them the ending Via morse.
Poor lad.
Ron the batcave