On the train homeward bound

[john walker]

it seems so many years ago that I actually paid off anywhere in the U.K.as most of my ships became fly out and fly home jobs that it is difficult to remember the year but it must have been about 72/73 that I left a ship called the Queensgarth in Glasgow. We had berthed the evening before and had been paid off that morning leaving the ship just after lunch. My self and a friend called Leo made for the station left luggage office to deposit our gear and to exchange our travel warrants for tickets on the overnight train to London we also purchased a twin sleeper berth as it was freezing . After watching an afternoon movie and enjoying a few drinks and a decent meal we returned to the station to retrieve our luggage and eventually board the train. We both had docking bottles so spoke to the barmen who were both ex M.N. to ask for some ice and coke which were duly supplied (After a tip passed hands) We also asked them if they had time and fancied a tot or two off rum they were welcome to join us. Anyway over the next couple of hours they took it in turns to help us drink both docking bottles. They told us this was quite common for seamen to board the train for London and to offer them a tot while they were working. They were both ex Cunard and it was enjoyable to swap yarns with strangers. After retiring to bed it is nice to be woken in the morning with a nice cup of tea, after a quick wash and shave it was time to go and have a good old B. R. English breakfast and by the time you have eaten that the train is just arriving in London. I always thought that it was a very civilised way of being paid off and travelling home.

[j.sabourn]

#11. John wasn’t the Queensgarth another ore carrier like the Knightsgarth ? If so about the longest between docking bottles would be 6 weeks. My first ore carrier we carried a proper Chippy from Middlesbrough who was on the ship a couple of years. He took a docking bottle home every trip. As luck would have it the customs copped on to it, his house was raided and a couple of dozen bottles of spirits still with the seal unbroken was found. HM customs do not need a search warrant like the police would have to have. For those unaware a docking bottle was only supposed to be legal if the seal was broken and for his own personal use. He lost his stash and was heavily
fined. A docking bottle was only a concession that could be withdrawn at the customs discretion . Cheers JS

[Keith Tindell]

As a lowly AB, never got a docking bottle, and never heard of one, best we hoped for was a few cigs over the 200, and they were pretty tight on that.

[j.sabourn]

The docking bottle was bought out the ships bond and was manifested as part bottle. It was anyone’s choice to buy if over 18. Unless of course you had a masters bond and he masquaraded as a martinet .If remember correctly your customs allowances were listed on the old manifests. I am referring to ships crews. Tourism and airports are advertised as. Full bottles and for the tourist trade , although advertised as duty free dont be taking in, they are GST or VAT free a big difference . JS

[Tony Taylor]

The docking bottle was bought out the ships bond and was manifested as part bottle. It was anyone’s choice to buy if over 18. Unless of course you had a masters bond and he masquaraded as a martinet .If remember correctly your customs allowances were listed on the old manifests. I am referring to ships crews. Tourism and airports are advertised as. Full bottles and for the tourist trade , although advertised as duty free dont be taking in, they are GST or VAT free a big difference . JS

Not profit free either, I still recall many times by cabin crew if I wanted duty free at £6/bottle when I had a docking bottle in my case that cost £1.50 from the bond.

[cappy]

The docking bottle was bought out the ships bond and was manifested as part bottle. It was anyone’s choice to buy if over 18. Unless of course you had a masters bond and he masquaraded as a martinet .If remember correctly your customs allowances were listed on the old manifests. I am referring to ships crews. Tourism and airports are advertised as. Full bottles and for the tourist trade , although advertised as duty free dont be taking in, they are GST or VAT free a big difference . JS

Did a few trips on the ore carriers john .......always took a docking bottle for capt ernie small liked brandy ......never had a prob ...the ore carriers were the start of better conditions for seamen ....plenty ovies ....soojeying the same allyways over again ...steak twice a week .....plenty everything all the eggs you wanted ......and short but foriegn trips ....bobbys job .....got engaged on the strength of them happy days .....all single accom......alll new vessels...........R683532 CAPPY

[Des Taff Jenkins]

John.
Either your chippy was naïve or not a good chippie, I would have had a cabinet with a secret cupboard, everyone knew how shitty those Customs blokes were. With apologies to the one on site.
Des

[j.sabourn]

Just put a post up about platform tickets but seems to have disappeared. Anyhow was a common form of conveyance at one time ,can remember once travelling Newcastle to Liverpool this bloke came up to me on the train and admitted he was travelling on a penny platform ticket. It was interesting to note when the ticket inspector was announced the occupancy of the trains bathrooms were occupied. However the one who opened up and admitted travelling for a penny got away with it and I had a pint with him in the Legs of Man before travelling on my way. When he opened his wallet to pay for his round noticed it was well supplied with paper notes , maybe he just didn’t believe in paying on British Rail. JS......

[happy daze john in oz]

From memory docking bottle with UCL was nothing more than half a bottle of Scotch from ships bond, along with 200 smokes.

[john walker]

#11. John wasn’t the Queensgarth another ore carrier like the Knightsgarth ? If so about the longest between docking bottles would be 6 weeks. My first ore carrier we carried a proper Chippy from Middlesbrough who was on the ship a couple of years. He took a docking bottle home every trip. As luck would have it the customs copped on to it, his house was raided and a couple of dozen bottles of spirits still with the seal unbroken was found. HM customs do not need a search warrant like the police would have to have. For those unaware a docking bottle was only supposed to be legal if the seal was broken and for his own personal use. He lost his stash and was heavily
fined. A docking bottle was only a concession that could be withdrawn at the customs discretion . Cheers JS

Yes John there was one other sister ship, which was called the knightsgarth All owned by Cory Maritime. I joined her in I think Bremen and she loaded there for discharge in Chicago. Then onto River Rouge in Detroit to load swarf for Spain. Then round to Rotterdam for dry dock over Xmas. Down to Monrovia to load iron ore for Glasgow. the whole trip was a bit less than 4 months. It was the second iron ore wagon that I was on. I always promised myself after the first, that I would never sign on another one again. On the first one we had spent the entire winter running between Sweden and Finland, which was bl**dy freezing. this was the same in Europe and even colder in the great lakes. Those iron ore wagons seemed to me to either be in extremely cold climes or God forsaken parts of Africa.