TS Vindicatrix

[John F Collier]

#21, Hi Greg welcome to the site, I'm sure you will enjoy it here as there is loads to keep you interested, I was on the
Vindi May 1955. Cheers JC

[Evan Lewis]

And in this Corner.
At the Vindicatrix Sea Training School back in 1948 the recreation hut was where we spent our leisure hours, teatime and lightsout. The hut contained a few basic facilities, dartboard,card tables and a few magazines and books etc. In my case I usually played cards “for money”.Pontoon being the most popular game. If one could make fourpence a night it went a long way to supplement our allowance of five shillings a week, half of which we ceremoniously received every Friday. The other half being kept back and paid at the end of our course, so we had something to travel home with. Early in my first week, with a few others ,engrossed in the game. The door suddenly flew open and the light switched off and on ,quickly accompanied by a sharp“Its Nine-O-Clock, BEAT IT”. I looked at this spectre,recognizing him as someone who had been at the school a whole week earlier than me. Apparently he’d been appointed Duty Quartermaster for that evening and flashed his arm badge to prove it.I challenged his attitude whereby he responded by pulling his rank ,and a slight scuffle eventuated. The feedback went to the Officers ,as we were informed that a “Grudge Fight” was to take place in the ring. The news went around the camp like wildfire “a Jock and aTaffy are having a grudge fight”. One could sense the air of anticipation running through the place, it polarized the camp. Who are you supporting “Jock orTaff “.In my comer ,the Second was Paddy Slattery from Newport Mon. Well known in Welsh amateur boxing circles and the Sea Cadet Champion of U K. The match lasted about three rounds and although I won,immediately on leaving the ring I was violently sick, as it had been to me a traumatic experience. I won’t go on and say that it made us the best of friends thereafter! We merely tolerated each other for the remainder of our sea school days. Boxing was one of the popular activities for entertainment to break the monotony, along with talent nights. Taff from Swansea and his rendering of “I want a girl, just like the girl that married dear old Dad”. Scouse ,with “ Bury me out in the Desert under a Libyan Sun!, My duty to England is done” etc. Also the visiting Concert parties from the Bristol area. The dark haired,singer accordionist with whom I like to think I had eye contact ,as She sang and played “ I’d like to get you on a slow boat to China”. Who’s kidding who? as mate Geordie would say.
Evan Lewis

[james phillips]

Hi John, I trained on Vindi in 1959, can't remember the officer in question but do remember his quote I'm now 75!! Happy days, cheers Jim Phillips.

[John F Collier]

Hi John, I trained on Vindi in 1959, can't remember the officer in question but do remember his quote I'm now 75!! Happy days, cheers Jim Phillips.

Hi Jim, I left Vindi 07-July 1955, I know it wasn't meant to be a holiday camp but I never found it to be too bad, and what a great
feeling it was walking out of those gates for the last time, looking forward to getting home and wondering what was in the future, it turned out to be some of the best years of my life and like many others here I have some wonderful memories of my time at sea, I'll be 79 in five weeks time but it still all seems like yesterday to me. Cheers JFC

[Captain Kong]

I went to the Vindi when I was a lad
where conditions were hard and the food was bad
But I walked through those gates as tall as a man
off to my first ship. bound for Japan..........
.............
and theres more,.
Brian

[Anthony Allen]

I was a Vindi boy in 1960 and was a trainee senior steward, they put me in charge of a billet, full of stroppy scousers, they must have it in for me. I started like all newbies as a boy rating and suffered the usual indignities, all with good humour. I circumnavigated the globe several times and really enjoyed my time in the MN, serving on numerous vessels. My last ship was the MV Hudson Deep, an old tramp, this last trip lasted one year almost as we got a contract picking up sugar from both Fiji and Australia to the sugar refinery in Birkenhead, New Zealand. Happy times.

[Brian Seward]

I was at Vindi in Dec 1944 and I am coming up to 92 this year Remebering the Vindi is remarkable ,yet I have never met another Vindi guy since I left,
We were the Hut at the top of tyhe stairs and had a EWS tank outside which we stood on the edge late at night for some infraction?/ Eventually some poor sod jumped and then we went back to bed, I also remember the slabs of bread with fat on them along with a mug of Cocoa. Also do not forget the steam bugs on the ship i must have ate a few there, they popped out of condensed milk tins regularly. Learning the meaning of flags and other stuff, Oh happy days . particulaly graduation and heading of to Pool office somewhere as a deck boy at !5 pds a month Wow.

[Evan Lewis]

I was at Vindi in Dec 1944 and I am coming up to 92 this year Remebering the Vindi is remarkable ,yet I have never met another Vindi guy since I left,
We were the Hut at the top of tyhe stairs and had a EWS tank outside which we stood on the edge late at night for some infraction?/ Eventually some poor sod jumped and then we went back to bed, I also remember the slabs of bread with fat on them along with a mug of Cocoa. Also do not forget the steam bugs on the ship i must have ate a few there, they popped out of condensed milk tins regularly. Learning the meaning of flags and other stuff, Oh happy days . particulaly graduation and heading of to Pool office somewhere as a deck boy at !5 pds a month Wow.

Just a correction!
Though ,actually the wage received would most likely have been Seven Pounds per month . An A.B. was on Twenty Four,per month
which included a War Bonus of four or five ,pds. which continued through to Peace-time days and became the Norm. For a number of years.
Both
AB.'s and Coal- burning Firemen,being the recipients of this paltry amount.

[Captain Kong]

The ship owners tried to stop the War Bonus but the 1947 Unofficial Seamens Strike stopped it.

[Captain Kong]

In WW2
"In 1941 the Merchant Navy paid able-bodied seamen ten pounds, twelve shillings and sixpence per month plus a war bonus of ten pounds per month." google

After the war the ship owners tried to stop the war Bonus. This started the unofficial 1947 strike by the merchant seamen, led by Billy Hart.
So Tom Yates of the NSU accused Billy of being a Communist, that was one way of getting the publics opinion against him.

A few years later Billy Hart was working ashore as a Steel Erector, and he and a mate got a job on the construction of the oil refinery in Galveston Texas,
Tom Yates, who was not a little bent and corrupt himself, told the FBI that Billy was a Communist, They were both deported back to England.
Brian