We all wallow in the nostalgia of days gone by and long gone shipping companies - Port Line, Anchor Line, Paddy Hendersons, Strick Line, Union Castle and all the other great companies which formed the zenith of the British Merchant Service ........and why not? We had the privilege to be part of it.
We had inherited the grand legacy of those who had saved the free world from tyranny in the First and the Second World Wars and in the names of the British shipping companies is etched the history of their heroism.
I wrote this as an epitaph for the Bluies.

LAMENT FOR HOLT'S

The ships were built strong and flew the Red Duster,
The crews were the best that Britain could muster, (sorry, lads, that's a bit big headed!!)
So pick up your glass and top it with wine,
And toast to the Glens and the Blue Funnel Line.

You have to give credit where credit is due,
To the Flett designed ships of Glen and Blue Flue (Flett was the Company's Naval Architect)
And cream o' the crop, as far as I can discern,
Were "Glengarry", "Glenorchy", "Glenroy" and "Glenearn".

Twin screws, Chinese crews and an air of grace and of power,
They cruised at eighteen nautical miles per hour,
And one knew, outward bound, passing Folkeston and Dover,
In three months and ten days the trip would be over.

After the war, the "A"s plied the seas,
And they were soon followed by four of the "P"s,
While covering the Company's southern sector,
Were "Helenus", "Jason", "Ixion" and "Hector".

The old lady of Oz by now had retired,
She was sent to the breakers where she expired,
Yes, the "Nestor" had gone after so many years,
And her departure left many an Aussie in tears.

The Sam boats filled a critical gap,
As they steamed at ten knots all over the map,
The Victories too, last but not least,
They sailed from U.K. to U.S. and Far East.

Every Holt boat bore and unmistakeable stamp,
Could never be taken for Clan Boat or tramp,
With funnels of blue, and red for the Glen boats,
Distinct from Harrison's, City or Ben Boats.

Compare the contraptions which now ply the waves,
And I am sure the old sailors would turn in their graves,
I know the words which would fall from their lips,
"Those damnable things don't even look like ships!!!!"

The seventies saw a sharp fleet reduction,
As by now containers had gone into production,
And as huge container ships were employed,
We saw the end of the seafaring life we enjoyed.

So now as our old eyes look to the ocean,
And we reflect on the life that once was our portion,
Let a tear fall into your roast beef and gravy,
And thank God for what was called " The Welsh Navy".

Dugie Mc Nab 2012

Hope you enjoy it.