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I've never seen any petty officers in uniform. The only ones I saw with a hat on were the baggage master on cargo/passenger boats, but they were always wearing number eights, as we did on watch. I suppose it was because they were mixing with the passengers most of the time?
The petty officers were always the Bosun, Bosuns mate, Lampy, chippy, Plumber, Cook, can't remember any others. I remember on my first trip on the Hornby Grange, I did half the trip as petty officers peggy.
Was the 2nd steward not classed as a PO?
Rodney here you are a photo of my wife's grandfather, Robert MacLaren, he was a chippy, (PO), on the Dunotter Castle during WW2. He tried to join the RN but ended up in the MN on a T124 contract and was on armed merchant cruisers, Dunotter Castle, for a couple of years and then on aircraft carriers for the rest of the War. I have quite a few photos of him and his mates in uniform. The uniform may have been just a war time thing, he also got too close to one of the guns and ended up deaf in one year. I have his discharge book, he was a great guy always telling stories of his wartime experiences, sadly passed he away a few years ago.
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I always like the fact the MN cap badge, (not company specific badges) is an unfouled anchor whereas the RN badge is a fouled anchor. Which is the best symbol of good seamanship??...
Was he from Lanarkshire! Born 1909. ?? What is his Book Number please!Quote:
Originally Posted by J Gowers
Cheers
Hi Doc yes he was born in 1909, in Glasgow. I have his origional birth certificate. On it his name is spelt McLaren but every other doc says MacLaren so he must have added the 'a' at sometime. Here is a scan of the front pages of his discharge book don't know why it has come out sidways as the copy I have is upright., I also have copies of his CR1 and a very kind person at the Guildhall gave me a list the ports of call of the Dunnotter Castle for the time he was on the ship.
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I can mind visiting Monnerys in Southampton in the mid 60's and they kitted me out top to tail. I told them I was an engineering cadet with NZS Co and about a week or so later the whole lot arrived at our home (in Devon) including boiler suits. How about that for customer service? Good quality gear as well including doeskin no 1's, though these never really fitted me properly - not Monnerys fault but mine for being a funny shape.
First set of Blues , Greenbergs, when I joined Ocean Fleets I was told to go to Holts Mutual , they had a Porto Cabin beside Odyssey works.
Had to get new Ocean Fleets buttons & Braid plus the cap badge , my mum could have seen me far enough when I asked her to stitch the new braid on.
I think it was locally known as Ali Baba's.
Having been accepted by Ellerman & Bucknall SS Co Ltd as a cadet the next thing to arrive was a comprehensive list of the various uniforms and other stuff I was required to obtain. It was very precise down to the number of underwear sets and socks (black and long white). Everything was itemised and I think the London outfitters must have thought Christmas had come early. There was a uniform for every occasion. The whites were very stylish, especially the shorts with long white socks and canvas shoes. Little did I realise at the time just how much this lot had cost my mother. And it did not stop there, Burton's Tables, other books and a few personal items had to fit in a new sea chest to get me to Govan docks one miserable day in October 1962. Having travelled on the sleeper from Kings Cross and after a breakfast of devilled eggs I joined the Cadet Ship, the SS City of Lucknow. This, my first voyage, turned out to be a 5 month round the world trip where every piece of uniform was worn including the 'bumfreezer' jacket for a great party thrown for us 25 'gentlemen' in Sydney. Such wonderful memories and 62 years later it's all (with later updates from HK and Bombay still there in the trunk somewhere in the loft.
Aged 16 and weighing 140 lbs I went to the famous but now extinct Johnson’s of Leith for my doeskin apprentice uniform and all the whites and working gear as required by James Nourse, a P&O subsidiary. After four years it no longer fitted so back to Johnson’s for my Third Mates uniform and two years later just changed the braid to Second Mate. Then went to Esso where uniform was only khaki trousers and white shirt.
My Second Mate uniform still hangs in the wardrobe as good as new if a little tighter.