Shaw-savill's buccaneers

[Doc Vernon]

SHAW-SAVILL'S BUCCANEERS

As down the quay at half-past three
Came Shaw-Savill's drunken crew -
They'd spent their sub in a dockside pub,
Having a beer or two;
But the time draws nigh, and a shout nearby,
That they all dread to hear;
"Come on, you bums, sailing day has come
For Shaw-Savill's Buccaneers!"

There was Dan McCool from Liverpool,
He was bo'sun of the gang.
For him you'd work - and you dare not shirk,
Or else your head he'd bang!
But Geordie Dick gave him some lip,
And we all shook with fear;
As Dan's mighty paw it broke the jaw
Of that Shaw-Savill's Buccaneer.

Now Bert and Joe were London boys,
And when drunk got fighting mad;
They'd knock you down for half-a-crown -
I tell you, they were bad!
But between these two, and I'll tell you true,
There was something mighty queer -
For they dressed in skirts, did those two flirts
Of Shaw-Savill's Buccaneers.

Now "Slow Starvation and Agony"
Is the firm with whom we sail.
And from Cardiff Bay out to Bombay,
We make all others quail;
So if you aren't rough, and if you aren't tough,
Then brother, don't come near!
If you value your life, don't sail, by Christ!
With Shaw-Savill's Buccaneers.

[Graham Payne]

Shaw Saville's "Icenic" last British ship I saled upon, should have seen the signs even before we sailed, a docker said to me as he was leaving and we where all battened down "you going on that with him" pointing to the chief mate, say's me yes, he replied " I wouldn't sail across the bloody dock with him". 6 months later he was so so right ( He could have told me sooner ). I even left the British merchant navy because of him, after that as a AB I joined the Norwegian merchant navy and nearly DOUBLED my wages only paid 9% income tax, no NI contributions and free private healthcare, had a guy to clean my cabin, our food was served by another, they even gave me 15% of my pay as holiday money when I Paid off. All this in 1971. How much where we ripped of by the British Shipping companies ? One last thought though YOU HAD TO LIKE FISH I did though so had no problems as such.

[Graham Payne]

Sorry Castleman, didn't realise it was a poetry line, but I do try !

[Ross Campbell]

Nice to see a listing here from my friend Ron Baxter's collection. Ron collected the song during his time at sea with Clan Line. His notes follow:-

"Shaw Savill’s Buccaneers: Notes (RB)

Obviously this is a parody of “McAlpine’s Fusiliers”.

Shaw, Savill & Albion, a.k.a. “Slow Starvation and Agony”, a.k.a.”**** and Shovell” traded from the U.K. to India and Australia.

I got this from two A.B.s on the M.V. King James in 1972. Each had a different version, and they almost came to blows over which was superior. Regrettably, I can’t recollect the separate versions, and this is thus a collated representation of what they sang. One alternative line in the first verse ran “Come on, you cunts, get out of your bunks!”

Most of my songs I got from officers; “Shaw Savill’s Buccaneers”, “M.V. Hardship/M.V. Statesman” and “The Old Man is a Bugger” were collected from A.B.s, and they have a feel of the fo’c’sle rather than the quarterdeck.

“Shaw Savill’s Buccaneers” has been recorded by Hughie Jones on his latest CD.



I’m afraid I am not a very good “collector”, as I didn’t realise at the time that that is what I was doing. I just liked the songs, and made a point of asking if anbody knew more; when I found any, I either kept them in my head or occasionally wrote them down, I never bothered to record them at the time, or even to note the name of the singer(s). Even the year, and the ship or pub I got them from are mainly guesswork.

Along with the songs I have put down here, I used to have about six more written out, all non-Clan-Line songs (the reason I wrote them down). Unfortunately the book containing them all was stolen, along with my watch, in Lourenço Marques. One song was about the Blue Funnel Line, but that’s about all I can now recall."

The rest of the songs that Ron gathered are listed on a PermaThread on the Mudcat forum:-

http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=109942#2302012

to which any similar contributions (even fragments of verses) are gratefully received. Guests may post without registration (which is easy and free), but if you do please use a consistent name/pen name, anonymous posts were recently banned.

Ross Campbell

[Keith at Tregenna]

Welcome aboard Ross and thanks for your own kind words

Subject: RE: PermaThread: Merchant Navy Songs
From: RossCampbell
Date: 29 Oct 10 - 08:25 AM

I was checking up on David Partridge's "Heroes" poem posted by Jake (Anglogeezer) in January (somehow missed this at the time) and found this website:-

http://www.ss-tregenna.co.uk/index.htm

belonging to the Merchant Navy Association, Barry Branch. There's a Song Board:-

http://www.ss-tregenna.co.uk/Merchant_Songs.htm

and a Poem Board:-

http://www.ss-tregenna.co.uk/Poem_Board.htm

Lots of interesting material there.

Anybody know anything about David Partridge, author of "Heroes"?

I did send links to the poem section on this great site and am certain many will enjoy your own works at http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=109942#2302012

All the best mate and if anyone can connect Ross to David Patridge, Botany Bay it would be appreciated.

K.