
Originally Posted by
John Arton
The Empress boats used to supply a number of pubs, butchers etc. in Liverpool with booze and meat.
On arrival at the landing stage the first down the gangway was the head bar keeper with two or three cricket bags full of spirits that went into the back of his jaguar for selling onto the pubs around where he lived. Loading stores on the landing stage, in addition to what the butchers were selling ashore, cases of meat would be lifted by the stevedores to be sold to local butchers. If the crew wanted a steak instead of the usual fare, that would cost them £1 to the butchers and on arrival day in Liverpool our officers cabin steward would come round and ask us if we wanted a £5,£10 or £20 meat parcel to take home.
All this went on under the noses of the senior officers on board and with the knowledge of the superintendents.
After the Empress boats ended and C.P. had a large fleet of tankers and bulk carriers trading world wide, any ship coming to a European port would get 3 months deck, engine and catering stores sent out from a Bristol based outfit delivered via articulated truck. The drivers of these trucks said they always had to stop off at the catering supers house to fill up his freezer with meat purloined from the ships stores.
The Beaver boats were the best for cargo brand, Polish jeans and lumberjack shirts bound for Canada, hand stitched pig skin boots from Bromley Walkers in the U.K., tween decks full of Plymouth Gin and Teachers whiskey, we even had a massive triang train set (cargo brand) in the officers mess room. We were the best dressed bunch of seafarers ever, not necessarily the best fed though.
rgds
JA