Dominion Monarch

[Archie Paice]

Hullo my name is Archie Paice (R632359)

I sailed on the Dominion Monarch in 1956, I was in the Catering Department and was a Table Waiter on there. It was a good ship. we sailed from King George 5 Dock, London. Out round the Cape of Good Hope to Australia and New Zealand (Wellington), we had a full load of passengers outward bound, but were empty on the homeward bound passage. We were six weeks in Wellington, as a young man this was fantastic, we used to sign on and work with the stevedores loading lamb carcasses, good money, it certainly helped us to enjoy ourselves ahore in the evenings.

[Stuart Henderson]

Hi Archie ,
I also sailed on the DM (Dominion Maniac) as 1st class waiter but in 1954, but never reached OZ or NZ as I missed her in Cape Town. Later luckily was allowed to sign on Braemar Castle to replace a crew pantryman who was arrested under racial laws I believe,. You didnt have a brother called Dick Plaice did you he was in RMB joining with me as a bandboy in 1945 ?

[Phil Crawley]

Hi Archie, I remember working on the quay slinging lamb in Opua on the Wellington Star in 1962, we did five nights monday to friday, straight after tea until about 9pm, we thought this will be a handy few bob as a very tight rein was kept on subs in that ship, imagine our disappointment when on pay night we were told our money was in the ship and would be included in our pay off, another dastardly trick to keep us on the straight and narrow.
Phil Crawley.

[Archie Paice]

Hullo R396040,
Thanks for the reply. No I never had a brother at sea. Dick Plaice ( different spelling to me), I did though know a Dick Plaice, when I was a Purser/ Catering Officer with Clan Line, this one was Deputy Catering Superintendant. Based in Liverpool.
Cheers, Archie.

[Archie Paice]

Hullo Phil,
Wow!! just think how much interest those poor people The Vesty's would have drawn from holding on to your hard earned cash eh? Still I suppose it saved you frittering it away on Wine, Women and Song. That's what I did with mine, it was fantastic oh! oh!.
Cheers, Archie.

[Dr Dugald McDonald]

Dear Archie

I was signed on in Wellington in May, 1956, and became the oldest deck boy in the British Merchant Marine. As it turned out, I acted mainly as cabin boy to the three CPOs, Bosun Tyrrell, the Carpenter and the Plumber. Once in the UK, I was blacklisted by UK shipping companies because I was a Kiwi, and had to go to sea under foreign flags.
My cabin mate on that voyage was an AB called Bob Bullen, who had worked for some years in NZ and decided to return home.
Kia ora

Dugald

[Doc Vernon]

Hello Archie


Hi
Would just like to give you a warm Welcome to this very good site!
Here you will find lots of info,a good Crew here and with luck also find a few old Shipmates!
So sit back grab a Tinny,relax and just enjoy the trip!
Hope we will have you here for a long time! Have a happy stay!

Cheers


Although i was not at Sea at that time,i recall that Ship very well indeed,it was then one of the nicer looking Ships to adorn Cape Town Harbour!

At about the time you sailed on her,i was then working as a Stevedore in Cape Town (a wee bit later though) but recall seeing her a few times!

Later on i did also see her in a few other Ports such as Port Said and of course London!

Sadly she was Broken up like so many other great Liners,her fate being in 1962,so sad!

Later in life (not too much later) i joined the Dunnottar Casle also in Catering as 1st Class Asst Stwd from Cape Town as well,and set sail for the UK ,arriving at KG5 one very foggy Morning a few weeks later!
What a great site for a first up haha!

But at least just before getting there i managed to get a good look at the great White Cliffs!
Oh the Memories!
Cheers

[Keith Moody]

1 was on the Ruahine when the DM siled into Wellington Harbour in 1956, she looked a grand sight and so majestic, however on the first saturday night most of the crew went up to the Trades Hall to the dance, it ended up with one big punch-up with some of the crew returning to the ship and others spending time in the lock-up, at one point they had a police dog on the gangway to stop some of the crew going ashore in the evening.does anyone remember this event?
Keith Moody

[Doc Vernon]

Hi Dr Dugald
Did you per chance meet up with an AB who was also on the DM at that time! ie From April 1956 to July 1956 his name Norman Brice!
Cheers

Just an interesting site for Archie as well!

Cheers

http://www.nzmaritime.co.nz/dm01.htm

[Keith Tindell]

Hi All,
Just as a point of interest to some maybe, the Dominion Monarch was set on fire deliberately before being broken up, the purpose was to test a new(at the time) fire fighting medium, which was High Epansion Foam, and the test was very saisfactory. I remember in my time at sea she was the scourge of Dock street for the deck department, no one wanted to join her, so we all kept well away from the office until she had been filled. regards to all Keith Tindell