past times @ sea.

[John F Collier]

Brian to add a bit more to it,the lad said he joined her at Barrow-In- Furness they were sent up from Liverpool.They were all sitting in a cafe' in BIF waiting for the ship to dock and from that moment before they had even boarded the ship the cook was picking on him.He loved playing with knives the cook, at times when he would threaten the kid the kid would run upto the chf/stwd only tobe chased away from the chf/stwd as he was terrified of him(the cook)The lad said one night he took him from his cabin to the rec/room where he had a number of knives on the table,choose your weapon and it's me and you.The poor lad was crying and terrified out of his skin but the worst part was that there was deck and engine ratings sitting there and nobody did anything,obviously all scared of this maniac of a cook.Apparently what happened was the cook and 2nd/cook were working in the galley late getting things ready for Christmas day,whatever happened the cook came off second best.The 2nd cook was taken ashore in Newport News,as it happened on the high seas he was sent to the UK for trial.It's ironic that the guy who loved knives and was always threatening people with the knife died by the knife.
Regards.
Jim.b.

Well they do say "if you live by the sword" JC

[John F Collier]

#36, Agree there Joe,1946, people were able to begin rebuilding there lives and the family allowance was introduced to help families with children, free milk for school kids, coalmines were nationalized the government was able to start building better homes than those that were destroyed in the war, I was born in1939 seven months before the war was declared, so we will
both have different childhood memories good and bad, but we will both cherish them as life is what you make of it. cheers JC

[Louis the Amigo]

Hi shipmates, Hi Captain kong, are you the male version of Miss marple? every where you go some one gets bumped off, or am I reading too many murder books? are you moon lighting as a detective in your free time? or are you Not saying?

[Captain Kong]

And there`s more, ........
Brian.

[Brian Charles Williams]

When on the` Port` ships deck golf was all the go, have to say it seems to have helped my putting in the real game !
Allowing for the roll of the ship when going for a long putt has held me in good stead for the `proper` game I`m sure !
I recall when with` Federal` a couple of the deck Mates had a clay pigeon set up which they would blast away while in the Indian Ocean. Brian W.

[Brian Charles Williams]

Ivan, I can recall that someone aboard one ship I was on had a Eddystone receiver ....think it may have been a 2nd. Steward.
As I remember when he switched it on it lite up like a Christmas tree !! I still recall though that good radio`s would particularly when in the middle of the Indian Ocean pick up radio stations that was playing middle Eastern music & `chatter` that was totally foreign to our ears ! Brian W.

[Brian Charles Williams]

The best place in those far off days were off the US coast, non stop music day & night making the home service & light BBC program seem very ordinary. I would note the music I liked usually by artists unknown to British listeners ,then when on leave I would get my record shop to order them in for me ....``Elvis who`` ? I can still hear the man say ! Got plenty of Donald Peers or Russ Conway !....All the best Brian W.

[Brian Charles Williams]

I recall the story of a Castle line steward who murdered a passenger he was `fraternising` with and pushed her body through a port. Remember the case ? Brian W.

[Brian Charles Williams]

With all the recollections that us ex MN blokes have could fill thousands of books.....but who would believe half these yarns ?
All have story's to tell , story`s the likes will never happen again . We were all so lucky to have I think the experiences we did have.
They say truth is sometimes stranger that fiction ........... Brian W.

[gray_marian]

#58, Brian, That particular story has been discussed on here, just can't remember which thread. Maybe Doc can locate