Maybe it has been told of many times here but I started to remember how hard it was to keep in work when I started out, this mainly caused by the dock workers strikes. This made ships back up so all the crews who had taken leave now looked for a berth, but there were very few to share
out. I had to hitchhike from Ashford in kent then walk to the KGV pool and sign on, there you got sent to several shipping offices.
Any idea how large those docks were? When you managed to get to an office, you were made to feel as welcome as dog mess on shoes.
Many people in these times would have a problem believing this but we remember just how they behaved.
When I could go no further it was time to walk under the thames through the foot tunnel at Woolwich and make my way out to the A20 and start hitching for home. There were many acts of kindness and as long as you were neat and tidy lifts came in a variety of vehicles, then there were the lorry drivers who recognised you and they would get you to the right place to make it easier, good people.
Who remembers the smog? Being held up at the dock gates until a constable would attempt to lead you through the murk to your ship.
Then one such crocodile went into the dock and we no longer got held up. How about the smell from the docks, did anybody bottle some for
historical purpose. It was a fact that during the summer months there was a serious threat of a nasty plague coming from there,anybody falling in
was kept under observation.
But there was humour, In the KGV A new milk man set out with his horse and float and as I watched the horse got further and further away and a very red faced milk man got more and more angry trying to keep up. If I had not wanted to be at sea, all this would have been too much. I loved it all .