peggy`s peggy

Colin, Hi shipmate,seems like ten lifes ago sailing on the Cape boats under those two men,Lardy I will never forget his hat perched on the back of his round face strolling down the Prom deck as we sand and canvased the taff rails before breakfast.I agree they don't make Bosun's like that these days.
As for the Lloyd brother recall one time while docked in Durban we lads were over the side on stages painting ,when a family past underneath on the dockside,when we heard a scream a little girl had slipped and fallen into the dock.my mate dived off the paint stage and rescued her.
Later he was told by the Bosun's Mate to report to the bridge.
What happen was, he got logged by Swiveleyed Lloyd, think if I recall he got fined for swimming during working hours two days pay stopped something I will never forget.

Similar story to mine, joined the Pendennis Castle as a deck boy in 1963 and was allocated "Chippys Peggy". As I had joined the Merchant Navy to be a "Sailor" I was rather disgruntled to find I was a galley waiter. My conduct on my first trip was not what it should have been which resulted in a double DR on my first trip. To cut a long story short I ended up as an oil field diver working on major international contracts. I am pleased to say that the training I received at Gravesend College stood me in good stead to be a diver, knots, rigging & general seamanship etc.,

I've been married for over 40 years, have 4 grand children 2 dogs and now retired in North Wales. I feel better now after waiting 51 years to get the above of my chest.

Cheers to all
Dave Howarth

Hi shipmates,was talking to my old mate Laurie about this subject, he was also a peggy/galley boy on his first trip to sea { wartime} he remembers peeling spuds/veg on poop deck all day, and helping the cook, do the burgoo for the crews breakfast in the mess room, he did not sign up for that? he job was in the engine room feeding boilers coal...

Swivle eyedd Lloyd was one of the most humour less, divisive man that I have ever met
He was so full of his own self importance that he was unbelievable.

Maybe Swivel eyed Lloyds mummy liked him , I have met a couple of ,mates who got on with him but I think it was a rare event , but , if my recollection is accurate the Lloyd brothers were both good friends with the donations they accrued for seamen s charities from a variety of their crewmen

Swivel eye... seems hard to believe that one person should have such power of life and death over others, when according to reports he sounds like a psyhcopath an egocentric one at that. The old system of discharge book entries was misused in a lot of incidences. I was on one ship where out of a complement of 38 there were 18 double DRs. You cant tell me that 18 people were incompetent in their abilitys, they would not be able to work the ship in that case. The fines and forfeitures were there to try and maintain discipline, and the same as a shore worker in some cases no work no pay. However the Conduct and Ability discharges were to some a means of fear and bullying. I myself received one and I was the Chief Officer which was a Good for conduct on telling one owner and master where to put his ship. I altered myself in book, there was no way I was going to accept a lot of crap from such people, so to a certain extent I am in agreeance of some of the wrongs of the past system. The books after 70 were altered and there is now no place for comments, anyhow there is no where as far as I can see where to send the comments to. As to people overdrawn on payoff day and in debt to ship a lot that I sailed with resigned on again, and were soon back on the sub list. Cheers John S.

# 12... Dave is real pity that you seem to have worried about your first trip. As we get older there is no need for any feelings of conscience. We all have had various experiences of such and similar things and on this site you will find many more. I know as a diver your whole routine is based on self discipline to yourself and others, and you may be trying to compare as against your experiences as a 16 year old. What you finish your working life as and what you accomplish during it is the case. It doesnt matter if you sweep the streets or an MP, it is your own satisfaction with yourself that is important. I feel sorry that you feel that you have carried what you may think of as a stigma for all those years. Believe me and others will tell you it is not. Cheers John Sabourn

#17 dave .....nothing wrong with starting at the start of any thing......we all have moments in life of disrespect for our selves ....not a man on this site could truthfully say otherwise.......if he does I will call him a liar to his face .......it is what we learn in life as we progress that makes us find our own destiny ......regardless of family or upbringing......how many on the site would have been strong enough to be a diver ......not many would shout I would......I am sure the other peggies on average would not have the bottle to be a diver.....bet yourgrand kids are proud of you like mine are proud of me... you have shown a true colour ...in sharing your thoughts ......that's a sighn of strength.......all power to you mate......regards cappy

There were a number of UCL skippers that were a bit 'different' but not in the ususal UCL way.
The Lloyd brothers Logger and Swivel eye, like many others had been RN crew before joining UCL. They were hard men but had standards they thought all should live up to. SWivel eye with just the one would go on his rounds with 'Tiger' in tow carrying a silver salver with white gloves on. Swivel eye would use the gloves to test for dust on ledges such was his attention to detail.
On the Windsor we had Annie Oakley, the humpty back jumped up never come down son of a B*************. He had been RN and his ship sunk under him, as a result his spine was deformed making him walk in a manner of someone leaning over. He was the first to log me but he was not an unkind man. Story was that each year he would donate his wage for one voyage to the RN benevolent society As with the Lloyd brothers charitable societies were given assistance by them.
Then there was Granny Smythe on the Pretoria, another logging friend of mine, he also donated to the RN society for distressed sailors.
The engineering officers on the Windsor during my time saved silver foil to raise money for guide dogs. The foil was on many of the cig packets and it was removed by soaking the packets in water.
There were a number of senior crew who were charitable, unlike cheif Stewards who in my opinion had all been the sons of Scrooge.

R.N. Discipiline... What my experience was that it was not as severe as that of the M.N. I worked as stated before for just over 4 years for the M.O.D. and was attached to Saturation Diving Teams. Maybe this part of the Navy were more leniently looked upon. However saw both RN officers as well as Ratings going off the tracks and their punishment being downright less severe than what a MN seaman would have received. However one always finds exception to the rules. Discipiline is discipiline and have no doubt the RN had its extroverts in this department also. The same as big ships and small ships in our time seemed to have a different attitude to the same, so would imagine the RN would also as regards different branches. Maybe swivel eye was ex Stores division, certainly hope he wasn't sailing on his cert. of Service. which I don't have too high a regard for. Cheers John S.