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Thread: Just gossip

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    Default Just gossip

    Ivan to keep Hazel Stringers post free for the information she is looking for ref. Wartime map references, where someone believe may have a lead on.
    You didn’t do the one on HMS Calliope on the Tyne did you. .? I harp on about the 5 guineas for a reason. I should have remembered it was 1962 because we finally reached Smiths Drydock in North Shields after being in collision in the Plate. Climbing over the dry dock wall at 2300 hrs I jumped from the top of the wall not realising that the other side the ground was further away and twisted both my ankles. Got a taxi home and was on crutches the next day. Even though I was on contract the company wanted me to claim the accident dole and said they would make up the difference, I refused so they sent me on the course on crutches. I don’t know if they knew about the 5 guineas or not but I didn’t tell them , it was made by the Admiralty in any case and had nothing to do with them. You’ll have to try the last tango in Paris , when they pass quarantine. Cheers JS.
    Last edited by j.sabourn; 22nd March 2020 at 11:47 AM.

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    Default Re: Just gossip

    Did all my courses at Hull and Plymouth, learnt dancing in Havana with Dolores, but you ain't hearing about that!

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    Default Re: Just gossip

    Was that before or after Castro,.? JS

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    Default Re: Just gossip

    Quote Originally Posted by j.sabourn View Post
    Was that before or after Castro,.? JS
    Well before, when Havana was Havana and Che Guevara hadn't even been heard of, I know what you're up to John, bit by bit you'll get the whole story. it ain't going to work mate. Suffice to say that after war torn Britain, clothing rationing and dull colours, Dolores was like something off a colourful movie billboard, and got enough of my cherries to open a fruit stall!. I'm stopping now as I cannot see the keyboard through the tears.

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    Default Re: Just gossip

    Tried answering and went all scew quift . Was saying there was a free brewery near Havana and got taken there by a Cuban Coastguard but that was another story , did print it out but must have got itself deleted. It was on this thread as well. JS
    Last edited by j.sabourn; 22nd March 2020 at 10:44 PM.

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    Default Re: Just gossip

    During the war clothing was at a premium no hosiery for the girls, so just painted their legs. Parachute silk was much sought after preferably. With a German at the end of. Wedding dresses and such like were made from such,
    However never saw a shortage of toilet rolls, maybe because they hadn’t been invented then. Newspapers were only a penny or so, the headlines were usually along the Headlines of loose lips sink ships . Being one of the favourites. The advent of US troops into Britain saw a lessening of the shortages , I remember standing by the Kingston bye pass as the US tanks and convoys rolled past on there way to the southern ports for the Invasion. The kids of that era grew up with any gum chum , it could also be used in the place of money. JS

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    Default Re: Just gossip

    Even as late as 1956 in Hamburg , a 50 packet of Woodbines was worth more than you could afford to sub on the ship. As for Buenos Aires in the 50s , the rate of exchange on ship was 49 pesos or whatever they were to the pound. ashore you had no bother getting 150 for an English pound note. For some reason a Scottish one was always slightly less, maybe the Linen Bank of Scotland didn’t sound right to the spivs. Sheepskin rugs used to be a good buy there. JS.

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    Default Re: Just gossip

    We used to sell Scottish 5 pound notes in Vancouver for a very nice profit. In Surabaya in the early 60's, a packet of cigarettes bought you a tri shaw for the whole evening. Our captain was very happy to tell us that although the official rate was 43 rupire to pound, the bank were happy to give him 150 rup per Pound. We all declined his offer as we could get 150 for 5 malaya dollars from the chief steward through contacts. So 4 of us would go ashore, get a tri shaw ti a particular restaurant have a big nosh, draw 500 rup from owner and go to a night club and back to ship and 1 of us would give chief steward an iou for 5 Malay dollars payable in Singapore.

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    Even in Australia the rates of exchange for an English pound was favourable. Under the old money still got 25/- Australian for one pound sterling. In Cairns used to take 3 weeks to load 10, 000 tons of sugar , had time to get a cheque cleared , today would take 3 hours to load the same. That song “ Back in the good old days when a dollar was a dollar” would have applied equally to a pound sterling . The continuation of that song was “ And pa courted ma every Saturday night” , he would have had more shekels in his pocket. Cheers JS
    Last edited by j.sabourn; 24th March 2020 at 07:04 AM.

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    Default Re: Just gossip

    As this post is as declared just gossip, probably the younger members on site may be able to bring me up in particular up to speed on a few answers.
    The international code of signals must have undergone some changes since I learned some I know and others are doubtful of.
    The changed ones to my knowledge was the Code flag A. What happened if anything to J , I am going to send a message by semaphore, as semaphore no longer exists.
    The ones which could also be used on the lamp were U. You are standing into danger, X to be used to address shore stations , P your lights are out or burning badly. Maybe a few more I have forgotten. Are there any changes ?
    With reference to the Collission regulations they were altered at various times I learned them by rote two times and the third time was no need for examination purposes. The original ones did not address seaplanes , the second ones did , as for the preliminary to such was changed to These Rules shall be followed by all vessels and seaplanes on the high seas It was also about this time that either Rule 9 or 15 had a whole page on Korean fishing vessels, this part of the rules being expunged. There were 32 Rules .
    How many are there Today ? JS

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