RegisterCard

[j.sabourn]

Ha s anyone still got this card OHMS Official paid. To the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen,Cardiff.
Face side I moved on………..
I have now changed my name to……………..
Signature ……
Reverse side Keep this card Safely
Full name……..
Address………..
Place of Birth……….
Signature………

The small print I can’t read today, but can imagine what it says.

Mine is stamped and signed 25 April 1955 South Shields Mercantle Marine Office .

Query ….I wonder if the Post Office would today accept as legitimate mail , and if my change of address has been numerous over the years
Would be fine liable for not keeping the national service authorities aware of my movements ???? JS
One way to find out would be to run the gauntlet and everyone now who has kept as a memento would today post off. JS

[Des Jenkins]

Hi John
I have mine and it is in the best of order, It was stamped on the 25 of Sept 1955 And the address is
The Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen Llantrisant Rd, Llandaff Cardiff.
It was your Natinol Service card, if you stopped going to sea you would have been called up for National Service, Like I was, which I received in Capetown on the way to emigrating to NZ.
Des

[j.sabourn]

That’s the one Des. I would quite willingly have done the national service as wanted to go in the navy in any case as a boy seaman. I couldn’t get into Dartmouth because I wasn’t a foreign speaker as such and couldn’t do ballroom dance , obvious obstacles to keep the plebs out. But in 1955 already had over 2 years seatime in so was pretty fluent in bar room Spanish and could do that Spanish dance going backwards under the pole about 10 inches in height if Charlie Harry behaved himself. Often wondered if that would be acceptable at that time. Cheers JS…..ps mine is stamped 25 April 1955. I was 3 months over 18 then. You would have been well over , they must have thought you were escaping their net ? JS.

[j.sabourn]

The dancing I was thinking of has just comes baclk to me was the Limbo. Can just see me doing it today. Would have to take lessons from Ivan ! Cheers JS

[John Cassels]

Anyone remember this beauty from the old BOT , " Authority to grant certificate " ?.

[j.sabourn]

My last one John states the Minister of Transport in exercise of his powers under the Merchant Shipping Acts and
all other powers , grants you this certificate of competency .Signed by the Minister of Transport and dated 4 February 1964.
Signed by looks like R Brant Registrar General looks like . Signed by RC Chilver looks like .A deputy secretary of the MOT .

Needless to,say I was using it before I ever got the actual piece of cardboard as received the pink slip saying had passed in December 1963 , but was away back to sea and the date on cert.is I think when it was handed over . Cheers JS.

[John Cassels]

My last cert.was signed by a certain J .Archer , name rings a bell for one of his other atributes but then againj that was over 50 years ago. When we start
to reminice like this John then we really must be getting to the ancient stage ... Masters FG 52 years ago !.

[j.sabourn]

Apart from going master at a much later date as tried to keep out of that position as considered in those days that a masters job was reserved for a much senior person and was a reward for long and faithful service and part of his retirement bonus. I was twice asked and did so replace the master twice for short periods of time , once in South Korea where the master who was actually in retirement just went home booked himself a flight and just left me a note. I agreed with the owners to take the ship to Japan only on the stipulation there was a new one flown out for our arrival think it was Chiba. The other one was bringing the ship back from Dakar with the master as damaged super cargo. Various offers from Hong Kong but was young enough to turn down.was in my late 40s early 50s when saw the young spunk trumpets coming in and not willing to step back an just take a
passing word very occasionally of how to do the job that my attitude changed dramatically. But at an earlier time I considered a masters job was sit back and accept the kudos of a life time at sea.
myself I preferred the job as mate where had the finger on the pulse of the ship and not just a figurehead. Cheers JS.

[Des Jenkins]

Hi John.
Just think you may now be among the swashbucklers drinking pink gins and haw hawing away in some private Club in London, then if you had fallen over would have landed on foot thick carpet, and saying things like Gosh: that was bad old chap.
Des

[j.sabourn]

Funnily enough Des you must have second sight as fell off the shopping bus last Thursday being let off at the front door, the driver who was a relief one ,and one of the passengers helped me to ,my blood stains hands and face and into the house , the relief driver giving me a clean handkerchief to stick on my acceptable grazes. I have just come back from the office as don’t know his name or what unit he is in , so dropped off his now clean handkerchief plus 3 new ones thanking him for his assistance. I went when down at the centre to put our names down for this thursaday shopping bus and see there isn’t one there yet, so hope the the sight of me on his first trip on that run hadn’t put him off , and they now have to look for another volunteer. Either that or I maybe barred from the bus ,too much excitement for all these old people. Cheers JS….