Drink

[Captain Kong]

When I was on the EGYPTIAN in 1953, we loaded a barrel in Famagusta to take to Leith, One of the Sailors tapped it, it was grog, so we all had some mixed with BoT Lime Juice, not bad, in Leith the Mate came down to the mess room, Whose been tapping the Barrel in No, 4 hatch.?? no one we all said.
The Mate says, It contains the body of a China man who is being transhipped to China, All hands were nearly sick,
I think you have learned your lesson , he says.
That is how they did it in those days, not many flights that took coffins, China Men always had to go back to China when they died, and the best way to get back was in a barrel of alcohol,
Brian.

[John Gill]

Well Kong. I once did a standby on a Blue Funnel boat, would that qualify me a final voyage in a grog barrel to Anfield Cemetery?

[Red Lead Ted]

I had an uncle who was a sad alcoholic, Not that it stopped him having 8 kids he did try his best to get of the stuff, He went into a drying out clinic after 3 weeks of therapy he was a new man he was introduced to a mentor Syd he was a recovering alcoholic who had been sober for 12 months, So the thinking behind it was if my uncle ever had the urge to go on a bender ring Syd, And Syd would remind him of the good work he had put in and if he couldn't deter him Syd was prepared to come out in his car and talk him out of his actions, Well one night my uncle was in the bar of the seaforth castle pub shall i or should i ring Syd, He rang Syd explained his situation STAY exactly where you are and don't order a drink i am on my way Syd said. Cut a long story short both my uncle and Syd fell out of the boozer about 11.30pm Blind drunk i used to have some laughs with him, God bless him needless to say Syd gave up mentoring shortly after Terry.

[j.sabourn]

#165... Reminds me of when in Gibraltar one time. May have put this on before so just ignore if have. Met this matelot ashore he was not an alcoholic just an ex p#ss head. He was expounding to me how he had been promoted to Coxswain on a mine hunter.. I assume the coxn. rank on small warships was the leading hand or Bosun. So I suggested a drink to celebrate. I last saw him in the High Street in Gib. Walking over the bonnets of cars going around their various business. A couple of jack tars came on board the following day to give me the story and to thank me for supposedly getting their coxn back to normal as apparently his promotion had gone to his head and he was Mr efficiency himself much to the dislike of others. He had been picked up by the jauntys ( Naval Police) and at the captains table the following day been demoted back to ordinary seaman. However his shipmates said thanks for getting him back to normal. Never did see him again to see how he felt about it, the Falklands war happened around this time , so maybe he finished up there as punishment I hope not. He had been one of the ex naval party crew on the vessel I was on. JS...

[Des Taff Jenkins]

On A trip from Melbourne to Fiji we had number two hold up to the beams with boxes of cans of Fosters, the mate had forgotten to lock the mast house door, how no one was caught as every evening there was a continuous stream of men carrying cases of Fosters down to the Mess room midships, I swear when we got to Fiji there were track marks in the deck paint.
Des