Tony, Bill Cameron will correct me if i am wrong ,But i think the first to strike was the Scottish tug boat men. Terry.
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### 31 , sorry Ted I was shore side in 1966, I was only involved in the 1960 strike and it started in May
Just watched that video that Keith put on, those suits, must have been the best dressed men in the UK. Memories of walking ashore all duded up and ready to party.
Des
Paid off Rothesay Castle Tilbury in May 66 and straight away on strike. I was coming up to 18th birthday, had money in my pocket and didn't have a care in the world. Blew all my money in first few days, never expecting it to last very long and ended up living off 'loans' from mum and gran. Was so happy when it finished and rejoined same ship at Southampton in July with promotion to A/S. Repaid my debts, paid off again, blew it all again- that's life - but what a great one it's been
#32.. Think the unofficial strike in 1960 I was home on leave probably up for a cert. The company I worked for had a ship up the Manchester Ship Canal at Salford, which they wanted shifting down to Bootle , and got in touch with all their company servants on leave to go and shift her. I suddenly developed a virus which I didn’t want to share with others l so informed them how sorry I was to let them down. On talking to some of my fellow company servants who had heeded the calls of help. They described the canal transit as hazardous and were throwing spuds back at their attackers on the canal banks. Don’t think they issued a campaign ribbon for this. JS
MV ILLYRIC Shaw Saville Line 1966.
What a beautiful ship she was signed on Liverpool, bound for Aussie and New Zealand, took her round the holy ghost last stop to load was Belfast NI. Strike called they paid us off and flew us back to East Midlands Airport on an old rickety DC10. What a bummer we were all looking forward to that trip aboard a magnificent cargo vessel.