Shipping Federation Office, Dock Street

[Chris Champion]

Hi,

Can you help?

My father served in the Merchant Navy and told me he often signed on at the Shipping Federation Office in Dock Street, London, which was adjacent to the Seaman's Home.

I have attached a photo of a building which is still standing opposite the old Seaman's Home. Is this the SFO my father talks about?

Any information, pictures etc will be greatly appreciated.

Chris Champion


I have deleted your personal Email Chris,as its not a wise thing to have on any site!
If anyone has any info they can contact you through the Site Email or Private Message
Thanks

[Captain Kong]

Just wait a while Chris, There are some lads on here who used that Dock Street Office, you will get a reply soon , keep on looking in. and also any information of your Dad, as some may have known him.
I was always at Liverpool so do not it
Cheers
Brian

[E.Martin]

Seamans Home opposite Dock St Pool was called RED Ensign Club,otherwise known as Alcatraz.
When staying there before sleeping you always made sure that the your room door was
securely locked.

[cappy]

Seamans Home opposite Dock St Pool was called RED Ensign Club,otherwise known as Alcatraz.
When staying there before sleeping you always made sure that the your room door was
securely locked.

######not like the mission of the helping hand in adwlaide then where you were told in the dormitory ...dontput anyting in your tin locker .....put it under your mattres or keep it on .....it was a place of lost hope ...all in the last stages of alcoholism ......throwing up all night.....and just shiting in there bunks .....it was the only place i could find to kip it cost nothing ...i had been informed if i did not find a place to kip i would be arrested on ...being a vagrant.....it was like trying to kip in a zoo 2 were dead the next morning and some thrown out for smuggling penfolds .....you were seached for booze before you got in and had emty your pockets to show you had no money ......nearly as bad as runcimans lol cappy

[j.sabourn]

#4... Just shows how laws have changed over the years Cappy. Hundreds in nearly every city in Australia sleeping rough, never arrested. Mostly youngsters as well. Makes you wonder a wealthy country like Australia can give billions away to foreigners, support thousands of illegal entrants to country, and cant accomodate their own. Most politicians are very poor at arithmetic, and while most think they are doing a good job, the proof is always the bottom line. Not how may they are helping abroad, but how many of their own citizens are they keeping off the streets. The first thing I acknowledge this government for is keeping the borders of Australia protected more securely, I dont give two hoots for the bleeding hearts wanting to let every Tom Dick and Harry in. They make the most noise but do not represent the majority, an empty can makes the most noise and thats what they are, empty of all normal intelligence. The same here as UK, the parties in opposition are not interested in pulling the country out of any financial crisis put there by an overspending and vote buying political partys of the past, it is literally politicians wanting that seat of power where they can once again do what they please. I once said on this network many years ago on first joining, whats the difference between a politican and a Dictator, and was put down probably as a Radical. I once again say who would you choose a bunch of overpaid, overmanned, no morals, self gratifying bunch of so called democratic politicians, or a benevolent Dictator. I see very little differences to choose from. Cheers John S

---------- Post added at 01:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:13 AM ----------

Ref. to previous post the UK is going to finish up with a dictator in any case, what you are experiencing now in relation to new laws, is only the groundwork being put in for future prosterity. What a hundered years ago was attempted in the course of 2 world wars, will be very shortly achieved under the dubious heading of a united Europe. Unfortuaanetly will not be do as I do, but do as I say. Cheers JS

---------- Post added at 01:50 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:26 AM ----------

Ref.Dock Street crews ... always seemed to get them from Dock Street when was a crew change abroad espcially on the continent. Maybe they were the central Federation Headquarters and got the first requests for new crews. JS

[Doc Vernon]

Not exactly what you want I know Chris
However this Link contains a lot of info on the subject and Pics too!
Cheers

http://www.stgite.org.uk/floatingchurch.html

Spent a few times in that Seamans Hotel LOL


An interesting Article here too!
http://merchantnavy0.tripod.com/stories4-1.html

[cappy]

john must agree with a lot you say ......changes are happening so quick it is hard to keep up ........the changes in oz in the structure of cities and the old time ozzie seem to have gone .....a lot of the one st towns that to me were the backbone of oz are in the distant past .......i have said in the past in my young days you could arrive in a country and it had its own character ...now every city in the world is the same ......ie coka cola ...mcdonalds and a poulation so cosmopolitan it could be any other city ......individuality is none exsitent and lost......the cities all have ghettos of not only black but different nationalities of black ....all speaking different languages plus europeans of different countries i dont lke what has happened to my country .it will never be as it was again being a brit or oz or kiwi or yank means nothing ...sad we are now no ones in our own countries ..regards cappy

[Doc Vernon]

Here here! That is so true even when I went back home a few Years ago,so much had changed,wasn't the same old lovely place I remember in the early 50's
Progress sometimes has its downfalls!
Oh for the life we had back them!
Cheers

Having said all that must admit that there are still many quint old little Villiages all over the World that still have kept their charms!

Blackheath here where I live is just one such place!
Hasn't changed a bit since we first came here one day in the May of 1981.
No wonder it gets so crowded on Weekends!
Everyone travels for Miles to see it!

Just one of the lovely attractions about three minutes from our House!
http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/...visual&index=2

Capture Our Local High Street still the same.jpg

[Stan Carter]

So long ago now, but the door and windows look about right, it was a case of get in and out as quick as possible.
regards,stan

[happy daze john in oz]

Those now sleeping rough, be it in Oz or UK, did at some time live in a normal home with some parents or other. Why do they now live this way very often begging in the streets as well. Are they the dregs of society or is it a case of them simply not wanting to be part of the sosciety we supposedly call normal today? The gov here is to cut foreign aid by about 15% as part of a budget balancing exercise but when you see some of the countries we give to it begs the question, why them?
The true blue dinky di Aussie stillexists but only in the bush regions, the towns now are full of the me, me brigade very many of whom do not give a rats ass as to the welfare of others. The world is turning but sadly not for the better.