Nautical catering college (liverpool)

[Alan Green]

Does anybody remember the Nautical Catering College in Canning Place, Liverpool. It was run by the Liverpool Education Commitee. The managers and directors form Liverpool City Council went there for there lunch and were treated very much like royalty. There were trainee Stewards, 2nd Cook and Bakers and Chief cooks all doing their best to prepare and serve the best of food. Besides the practical part in the restaurant there was classroom lessons to be learnt with a test each month. The trainee stewards did 12 weeks and then we were put on the Pool to be found a ship. I was there from April 68 to July 68. I remember a teacher called Mr. McNullty and a fellow pupil called Mike Kelly who I later met on the Vitrina (Shell Tanker). Anyway hope it brings back some memories.
Alan Green

[Jim Brady]

I remember when I first went to sea we did have some lads that went to "Dicky Bonds" in Liverpool.Those of us that went to the "Vindi" and Gravesend thought that they had cheated.Apparently they did about 6 weeks waiting on tables they were then given a Disharge Book and off they went to sea.Most of them went onto Passenger Ships as Bell Boys and Commi Waiters I dont think many of them went deep sea on cargo boats.The school carried on for quite some time and I think it is still going teaching kids to go into the hotel trade,waiting on,cooking ect.I do believe you can still go down there each day and get a good cheap meal I have never tried it but I believe that you get a good three course meal very cheap the labour of these trainees.I think it is now in Colquit Street,so if your in Liverpool check it out.
Kind Regards
Jim B.

[Alan Green]

Hiya Jim,
Never heard the name Dicky Bonds :-)
It was a nice place to train and you were home each night.That was a big plus, sort of like going to school. As I say it was a 12 week coarse and away you went.
I do not think most lads went on to passenger ships, but then I only met 1 lad after I left. I ended up in Shell for my sins.

Regards

Alan

[Mick O'Brien]

Yea i remember The Nautical Catering College did 4 weeks there in 74.
Why only 4 weeks i here you say, well i had been doing silver service for a few years, but from about march 73 i had been out of catering.
so ended up there on a so called "refresher course"
There were about 20 of us on the course, and we were all down to join the Edinburgh Castle,
But a fella from cunard came up and picked 3 for the Q.E.2.
yep i was one of the unlucky ones.

mick

[john walker]

Hi Allen , I was There 3 times. Ithink six weeks each time. The first time was to do the 2nd. Cook & Bricklayers course.in the early seventies.The company at the Time (Jebsens ) paid my basic wages + the accomodation costs & food staying at Atlantic House seamens club. The second time was to do the Board of Trade certificate of competency as a Ships cook.Paid for By jebsens, stayed at Kingston House seamens club(There were stewardesses staying at the club, They were learning to become 'stewardesses' at the college The third and final time was to do the Merchant Nay Training Board Head of Catering Department certificate. Once again staying at Kingston House seamens club. Unfortuneately they seeemed to have stopped stewardesses staying there (I can't think why!) It was an excellent College The majority of the tutors in cooking were ex M.N themselves from the Hay days of the Liner trades. It gave me a very good education in catering. Beside the fun of being in Liverpool.

[Alan Green]

Hiya John, Only just read your reply to my letter, been busy. Yes it was a good place to do your training, as I said it was better than me going all the way to London. Where were you from them days? The college and Kingston house are no longer there now. The college is part of a massive shopping mall called Liverpool1 and Kingston house is a pub. Still I had happy memories of the college. My sea career lasted 3 years, I was dissapointed I wasn't promoted and left.
It's a shame about the British Merchant Navy, all those ships and jobs gone!!! Glad we had a chance to experience "a life at sea". Wish I knew then what I know now, 40 years is a long time.

Take care

Alan

[Terry Wilcox]

Hi All. I took my Catering Officers and Second Stewards tickets at the Liverpool Nautical Catering Collage, between the years. It was a good break from the usual work on the ships. The Catering Officers course was very hard because they rushed the teaching through very quickly and whe work load was time consuming as the course was ment for a longer period than 2 months. But never mind I passed, ( never do it again ). We were at the same Hotel ( Mote House ) as the cast from "Bread", and I had a photo of Joey Boswell and myself having a Becks in the bar. Good times. Take care...... Terry.

[Mikethemadmonk]

Hello my name is Mike Thompson, 68 years old and I went to the original" Nautical Training school for ships cooks and stewards". It was in Oldham st, on the left up Renshaw st, just before you get to the bombed church. I was fifteen when I started there and did the boys cooks course,which was for one year. My main tutor was a little guy with a French moustach called Mr Smith, of course he was called chef by all the boys there.
Mornings were spent on soups and meat and veg dishes, also sweets. These, at least the edible ones; were served to the Education staff who came in every day for their lunch. The school also ran second cook and baker and ships head cook courses, needless to say the food they turned out was of a much higher standard!
In the afternoon we would bake cakes or tabernabs as they were always called in the merchant navy.
After completing my year I achieved ninety four percent in my final exam and along with another lad who was from Alerton and called Malcombe Marks, were accepted by the Pacific Navigation Company, as boy cooks and both joined the Riena del Mar.
It was incredible for a lad just out of school to sail away to S America, via the West Indies and the Panama canal down to Valparaiso in Chile.
The pay was twelve pounds a month, there were five dollars to the pound and in Chile a pound got you three thousand pesos. A beer cost one hundred pesos and a steak three hundred. The girls where very pretty and cost about the same as a steak.
We as lads were all warned about the wood alcohol ( Anis) and the dangers of sexual diseases. Well, I never liked Anis, though now that I live in France I enjoy a Pastis; but I'm afraid everyone disregarded the other danger, the sea is a lonely life!
I stayed with the Riena del Mar for two trips, then went on the oil tankers to the Persian gulf. Eventually I changed pools and started sailing from Manchester,where I lived; and went with Furness Withy, on the Manchester Liners to the Great Lakes, seeing places like Chicago, via the St Laurence Seaway. Canada truly a beautiful country.
I always regretted the fact that I left it all too soon and Joined the Parachute Regiment when I was twenty. I think that once the sea is in your veins you always long to be back on board ship.
I've got a million stories to tell, but who at my age hasn't? Anybody who remembers anything about what I have written, write and chew the fat.

http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/ReinaDelM...l#anchor375658 This is a link the a postcard picture of the Riena del Mar, she was a gorgeous looking ship and was one of the first to be fitted with stabalizers .

[happy daze john in oz]

G'day Mike and welcome to the site. Look as if you have a good list of ships there and some stories to tell. If you can add some dates to the ships you sailed on there is a good chance someone out ther will remember you. So sit back withna cold one and enjoy the voyage.

[Bob Thompson]

Hi Mike, I went to the Nautical cateringCollege (Liverpool) in The early 70,s I aswered an addvert in the Sun newspaper went to the pool office which the nearest for me was in Birmingham,(this was an anix of Southampton & Liverpool Pools) I Did a 2 week caurse for an Assistant Steward, passed & was sent to Southampton & jioned the Raina Del Mar which I stayed on till she was scrapped,happy day,s
All the best Bob Thompson.