Costs at Merchant navy outfitters

#31 The most useless item was the seachest on the list. My mother went all round the second hand shops to find a cabin trunk. Apart from porterage lugging this appendage on British Rail there was no where to conveniently stow on ship. With 4 in a cabin with no room to swing a cat. It very soon joined many more such items such as long Johns treasure chest on the sea bed. Was replaced with a canvas sea bag and stowed folded in a drawer which fortuanetley had. The two white boiler suits bought with much scraping of money to adhere to the list soon found a buyer with one of the junior engineers. Never wore the southwester which was on the list. Made me look like the advert at the time on a pilchard tin. Cheers JS.

Most of what is written has been for officer gear - what about steward uniforms? I worked for P&O from 1960-65 had the same old uniform (whites) and blues for colder climes. Does any one know when this high collar white jacket was introduced to P&O?

Wasn’t that the same or similar to number 10s buttoned right up to the neck . The blue version of it was called a patrol jacket , sailed with a second mate who would wear nothing else,except of course his trousers. Saved on all the Dhobeying I suppose . JS

What about seamen;s outfits then, straight to the forecastle to see what the ragbag held.
Des

You’d have to be quick Des to beat Ivan especially if there was a dance on at the Mission, he was always the best dressed . JS

Thanks for that post. Two weeks ago was down in Glasgow and was racking my brains as to the name of the shop where I got my uniform. It was Paisleys but now the brain is thinking that there was another shop as well that sold uniforms, but no name springs to mind or even where it was. When I think of the list of all the things for deck cadets that we had to take away with us, even down to oilskins, it’s no wonder we had to take two cases. Needless to say that was only on my first trip.

I got a uniform from Paisleys which was subsidised by Denholms, they also gave you two white boilersuits a year, or it may have been two every six months I can't remember which you obtained them from Paisley's don't go looking for it the shop is long gone and there is a hotel on the site. All I took to sea for a first trip J/E was a blue uniform, white shirts and shorts, a pair of work boots and a couple of boilersuits along with my civvy gear. I was warned by some of the guys I served my time with shoreside not to take a cap as I would would never wear it and they were correct. In the 14 years I was at sea I think I wore the blue jacket twice, in fact I stopped taking it to sea with me. I still have it with 3/E braid on it, can't bring myself to throw it out.

#37 Robbie I think shop you are thinking of is Malcom Tailors and outfitters in Argyle street. If I remember was under the Highland man’s umbrella.
doug

Going to sea with the Canadian Pacific as a deck cadet and having been outfitted by greenbergs, the most user item was a cummerbund, what did they think, was a first trip cadet going to be dining with the passengers on one of the Empress ship's plus I didn't even know what the bleddy thing was for.
Rgds,
J.A

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by John Arton

Going to sea with the Canadian Pacific as a deck cadet and having been outfitted by greenbergs, the most user item was a cummerbund, what did they think, was a first trip cadet going to be dining with the passengers on one of the Empress ship's plus I didn't even know what the bleddy thing was for.
Rgds,
J.A

---

Hi John. I was on a tanker and a cummerbund was on the list of articles required. The only time I wore it was when dressed half blues and whites. I can't remember the term used, I think it was Red Sea Rig !!

Bill.