Tall Stories

[Neville Roberts]

as a young chap I always wanted too join the Navy, so I went down too the pool and my first job was as a stoker on the bar light ship just outside the mersey.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi All.
I remember on one trip I was on the poop jumping up and down for exercise, one jump was too high and the ship went from under me, I ended up in the sea.
Cheers Des

[Les Woodard]

Now you mention it Des I am sure that I heard about that and how lucky you where that a following sea picked you up and flushed you through the port hole into your own cabin where they found you in your bunk.

[Ronnie Grant]

Vernon #10.
Hi, my boozing mate from Tadcaster ex RAF and SA airforce told me this one. Squarebashing one day and the OIC of some squad pointed his stick at some poor erk. "There's an idiot at the end of this stick!", he yelled. "Not at this end sir!". I love it. Regards Ronnie

[Doc Vernon]

Now Now Ronnie
Wonder why he said that ! LOL
Cheers

[Pete Leonard (Bruno)]

I think that every ship I served on someone would tell a yarn and swear that they were either there when it happened or knew someone who was. There was always the one about the helmsman who carved his name on the wheel and the old man stopped the cost of a new wheel from his wages, so he unshipped the wheel and took it home with him. The other version was that he invoiced the company for use of his wheel. Another one that went the rounds was about Board of Trade Sports in Southampton. When the man in the bowler hat asked one poor sod lined up for the lifeboat drill "where's the gripes" he answered "opposite the Oxford sir" One that did happen on a ship that I was on (honest) was again on BOT Sports day in Tilbury, when the man asked an Irish first tripper "what steps would you take in the event of a fire" Paddy replied quite naively " great big ones sor"
Anyone got any more chestnuts ?
Cheers
Pete

[Richard Quartermaine]

My father, who would have been 114 on the 18th of this month temporarily left the Merchant Navy in 1914 to join the 9th Lancers - British Cavalry. He told us kids that in France once he had so many of the enemy on his lance that the one on the end kept telling the one next to him to move up because he was slipping off.

Now my old Dad would never tell a lie - except maybe why he was late home and couldn't walk straight!