Your photo in your discharge book

[John Arton]

In 73 (I think) we all had to apply for a new discharge book as the conduct sections had been removed.
By that time, in order to look more like my heroes of the time, Robert Plant, Roger Doltrey, Jethro Tull etc. I had long hair and had grown a Zapata like moustache. All this thinking that it would enhance my chances with the girls...as if!
So my discharge book had this awful photo of me long haired and moustachioed. A few years later sense prevailed, off came the moustache and the hair got trimmed to a neat cut.
This gave me no end of trouble joining ships in the Netherlands where before the advent of joining letters, to prove to the Dutch Immigration at Schiphol (who could be quite nasty) that you were a seaman joining a ship, you showed your discharge book in addition to the passport.
With two different I.D. documents purporting to be of the same person but where the photos differed widely to that view of the person standing in front of him,this often gave me grief.
I believe now that it is a requirement to have an up to date photo of yourself on any I.D. On my photo driving licence I had to send a new photo every 10 years I believe.
So those of you contemplating growing (or removing) beards or having No.1's all over haircuts, remember to check your passport photo, otherwise you may run into a jobsworth Immigration Officer or Copper who does not recognise the person standing in front of them to the photo in the I.D.
rgds
JA

[Ivan Cloherty]

There is someone else's photo in my discharge book, he's young with wavy hair and no beard, a proper impostor, bears no resemblance to me

[John Gill]

Looks like you've been a victim of identity theft Ivan- happens to me a lot.
gilly

[Captain Kong]

I had a lot of trouble once at Los Angeles Airport in 1975, when I flew out to join a tanker.
On my Discharge book photo I had a full set beard, Magnificent it was. I later had to shave it off as the wife at the time complained about it. The immigration there accused me of not being me as I looked completely different without it. They took another photo of me and one of them sketched in a beard and then decided that I was me. But do not come here again unless you have a photo of the real you.
Fortunately it was before all the Security scares.
Cheers
Brian

[Richard Quartermaine]

They used to say that kissing a girl without a mustache was like eating an egg without salt. I tried to grow one but it was like a cricket team - 11 on each side. Maybe its the kissee that is supposed to have the mustache?
Richard

[Lou Barron]

I cannot remember a photo in my old discharge book we had the ID with the photo in it .As regards to the drivers licence we have to go every two years after 80 year old and a new photo is taken

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John.
I don't know who the bloke in my discharge book is, looks like some criminal, they told us not to smaile so I must have sulked.
Reminds me of when we flew across to Aus from NZ in 1972, my wife had an English passport with the kids on it; I only had my discharge book, the immigration bloke asked for my passport I said that my discharge book was it, he said how do I know you haven't just arrived in NZ and then hopped across here, I said the kids where born in NZ, he said oh! that's ok then and let us through.
Cheers Des

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[happy daze john in oz]

I have a copy of my discharge book photo and each morning I show it to the guy in the mirror telling him that if you work hard at it you too can look like me.

[Doc Vernon]

My old Discharge Book Pic looks like a Gangster (quite possibly LOL) the other one on my Seamans Green ID looks like a I just got caught and was getting ready to be put away! haha!
Cheers

[Louis the Amigo]

Hi shipmates, looking at my british seamans card My youngest son is in the photo a few years ago. Not me!!!!