Seamen never change, or have they done.

[happy daze john in oz]

Brings back to mind the story of the 'Maltese Falcon'. It was on the Pretoria Castle and I was there as assistant pantry in the tourist gallop. There was a winger who the others called the "Maltese Falcon' came he said from Malta and was a bit of an oddity, did not mix well and as far as I can recall never seen in the pig. We were in Cape Town up coast and like so many other crew members he went ashore but what transpired was a little out of the ordinary. No one knew he owned a pistol; and had taken it ashore as he was after some Marajuan and went to see a local Cape Coulored from whom he had bought on previous voyages. The story was that he got into an argument about the price, a scuffle broke out he pulled the pistol the Cape Coulored dropped dead.
He was held by other members of the gang until the police arrived and he was taken away. The first we knew was next morning when the skipper Captain Smythe informed the crew of the events of the previous night. He indicated that there was nothinmg he could do and the British consulate was dealing with the situation.
Meanwhile back in Southampton the police went to his house to inform his brother and sister in law of the situation. Thye lived just outside of the town and ran a small boarding house. Whilst there telling the couple the wife made them a cup of coffee. Nothing was said at the time but on returning to the police station the officer reporting back to the inspector made comment that they had been served coffee in cups bearing the UCL logo and the silver sugar basin was the same. A few days later returning with a warrant the house was searched, what they found was not unusual in some cases. All the bed lined, towels, crocery, silver etc bore the UCL logo. They were charged with a number of offences and sent to gaol for some time.
Back in Pretoria where he had been sent for trial the 'Maltese Falcon' had been found guilty of murder, and despite attempts by the UK government, he was evetualy taken out one morning and given a rope tie to wear.
By this time I was back on the Windsor as officers steward and all crew members were informed of the execution with a warning about the dangers of breaking the laws of another country.

[Dennis McGuckin]

Reportedly, the Capt. Cook was notorious for 'stand over men' brandishing the straight edge razor.Thankfully, I didn't experience any thing like that, during my time at sea.
Den.

[Lou Barron]

I have been in jail but I have given up going to sea It reminds me when I was serving my time 33days I worked in the kitchen a good job .On a Sunday morning the Salvation Army just a couple of them and we had to go and sing hymns and so forth but the best part of it was they use to bring tea and freshly baked scones with cream and strawberry jam it was very nice

[j.sabourn]

#15... Ref in Jail Lou. Did you have one of these suits with arrows on. Or are you referring to a Baron Boat. Cheers John S.

[Lou Barron]

N0 John we did not have shirts with arrows on but we had white duck pants and a white shirt with blue stripes on .It reminds the times when the head jailer who I got on pretty good use send me out of the jail across the main road to the shop to get him a newspaper people use to stare at me thinking I was doing a runner

[Ivan Cloherty]

N0 John we did not have shirts with arrows on but we had white duck pants and a white shirt with blue stripes on .It reminds the times when the head jailer who I got on pretty good use send me out of the jail across the main road to the shop to get him a newspaper people use to stare at me thinking I was doing a runner

Sounds exactly like our Sunday Parade uniform at Hull Trinity House Navigation School, although we did have a Nelson bumfreezer black jacket as well.

[j.sabourn]

Ivan... Remember the Advert in Browns Nautical Almanac of one such young lad with a sextant in his hand taking a sight. Unfortuanetley he had all the Horizon and Index shades down, so would of been useless. I have memories of either sailing with someone who said it was him or he was aquantied of who it was. I think it was a bloke called Bill Boyle do you know him, would maybe be of that era, he was a fisherman the same as his Father from North Shields and finished up as crew superintendent of a company I worked for in North Sea. Has cappy sent you any pictures of his sheep with their fleeces off. Cheers John S.

---------- Post added at 08:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:22 AM ----------

Brian, dont know if it was pointed out to you, but if you noticed the red line of pavers around the streets of Fremantle when there. These denote where the sea came to at one time, everything to the West of these has been reclaimed from the sea at one time or another. Cheers John S

[Captain Kong]

Hi John
Yes I have seen that , also around Circular Quay in Sydney have similar markers of where the sea ended and the land began.
Your photo with your Magnificent White Beard will be on here soon.
I have just finished writing about the trip I have just done. with photos. 5,620 words, so it must be boring.
.
Just off to a Funeral for one of my mates from school days.
back soon.
Cheers
Brian.

[Ivan Cloherty]

[QUOTE=j.sabourn;162608]Ivan... Remember the Advert in Browns Nautical Almanac of one such young lad with a sextant in his hand taking a sight.

Think that photo was in the late 60's John, well after my time (50's) at that veritable institution, where it was deemed marching was more important than navigation lessons, so it appears as though nothing had changed, as discipline and punishment were the priorities of some masters. Detention for the slightest infractions was always 30 to 60 minutes extra marching after lessons finished for the day, nothing useful like navigation, maths, or ship construction etc etc whilst in detention. Marching had to be exemplary as we marched through the town everyday for our lunch, having the pizz taken out of us as we marched down Posterngate (think it was Posterngate) passed the Pool and some not so sober seamen, mind you we did march over a coupleof them at various times, as not much stopped our progress, the big lads were always at the front, and even in those days there were some big 15/16 year olds.................the masters were hard, as was the discipline, but when you joined your first deep sea ship you were already used to hard knocks (having been on trawlers also helped)

[j.sabourn]

Yes when school friends die, it makes you think your like Methusalem, and cant understand why its not yourself. God knows the kind of lives we led, we must be getting vouched for by the Devil. Saw an old female school friend when last over, a beautiful girl, everyone chasing, must have had her teeth out or something when I saw her, thought she was as old as my granny if she had been alive. There must be a scale of points somewhere on whose next. Must be all that bad water we drank. Cheers John S.

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#21... Thats the answer Ivan why you dont need crampeze. Even in the 50"s there was someone thinking of the younger ones welfare, someone must have said keep them marching. Now you dont get cramp. JS