Christmas day

[Louis the fly]

The sea was black silk with quick flashes of white from the bow wave, a gentle breeze in the still night. Three minutes after midnight the lookout walked from the focsle to the aft accommodation, his watch over. On the bridge and engine room watch changes were also taking place. Another day had began. Christmas day.
In five hours time the cook would be starting the hardest day of his trip helped by the second cook and baker with the galley boy preparing vegetables and washing large steel pots.
Around the world in different time zones, from the heat of Australia and the Gulf to the arctic conditions of Norway and Russia more British seamen would be experiencing a similar start to celebrations.
These were men who had followed a different path in life from the majority of their age group back home. They were invisible to the general public, no one saw how they lived and worked. Shoppers never thought how the oranges and grapes arrived in their supermarkets or the beef from Argentina and lamb from New Zealand.
Happy Christmas to all who are left from our once great Merchant fleet.

[j.sabourn]

Shades of Kipling there Louis ,”Have you ever stood on the Bridge at Midnight, ? Not the the Bridge of a babbling stream but the Bridge of an old tramp steamer heavily laden and broad abeam” Goes on for further verses until the final “ If you have you won’t doubt my story ,the story I’m trying to tell of men who leave love home, and comfort for a glorified bleeding Hell” I said Kipling but probably was Masefield ?.Cheers JS…………

[Mike Hall]

I remember my Christmas in the Merchant navy.

Pantry boy in Auckland New Zealand on the Tyrone.1958
Pantry boy in Rosario Argentina on the Swan River.1959
Galley boy at sea on the Royston Grange.1960
Second cook in Antwerp Belgium on the Aramaic.1961

Happy Christmas to you all.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

I had a few Xmases at sea, 49 and 50 and 51 on the Trevose 52 on the British Fern, 53 on the Harperly, 54 on the Baron Kilmarnock, 55 on the British Builder, Then seven blank years on USS Comp on the NZ coast, yea
A Happy New Year to everyone on site
Des