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  1. #286
    Pablo42 pablo42's Avatar
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    Keep 'em coming Brian. I really enjoy them.

  2. #287
    Senior Member brian daley's Avatar
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    Chirripo 2

    I spent three days at home, it was enough. I was beginning to realise that feeling sorry for someone is not the same as loving them. I was too embarrassed to speak to my parents ,and would?nt have dreamt of talking things older with my Uncle Bill ;but I should have. As far as the world could see was that I was spending more time away from my ?family?; they never knew why.
    M. did?nt seem too bothered about me being away, she was in the bosom of her family and that was good enough for her.

    On the 11th of April I re-joined the Chirripo in Garston ,there were a few new faces in the deck crowd, nearly all from the south end so it promised to be a good trip. The engine room crew had no new faces in the crowd, the Chirripo was a good berth for them. One of them was a very unhappy chappie though ,we called him Pancho. The reason he was unhappy was this????seamen ,whether they be Royal Navy or Merchant, are great boasters of their sexual prowess. You would hear stories over the mess room table that would make your toes curl because they would be so preposterous.
    The lads would each try to top each tales of priapism with some outlandish epic of uninhibted sexual displays. Before we docked in Garston on the previous trip ,one of the A.B.s was relating his present girlfriends speciality ,she liked making love in the ,so called , Greek manner. No sooner had he finished his tale than it was topped by some other guys story about the Grecian way. I kept my couinsel while all these tales were passing forth across the table. Pancho ,well Pancho took it all in. He really believed these guys when they said women preferred it that way. He found out otherwise when he tried to be greek with his wife. He spent his leave sleeping on the coach and returned to the ship looking pretty sorry for himself!!

    Our work on this trip was pretty much the same as before, this time I was prepared for those spiders and went down the hatches with nary a bit of skin exposed..
    My cabinmate on this trip was a southender called Norman Harris. He and I had met before on the picket lines during the ?60 strike. He was about my age and size and looked very South American ,he had the top bunk and I the bottom ,we were on the same watch and we would swap yarns when we were in our bunks. He was married and happily so, he used to say how he?d like to work ashore instead of leaving home so often.
    The rest of the crew were a good crowd too; the recreation room would be full each night as we played our games, rummy and brag being the most popular. And then one night we decided to do something a little different. I had been telling them about my schoolmate Ernie and the way his mother used a ouija board to talk to her dead husband. No sooner had I finished my tale than a demonstration was called for. We cut little squares of paper and laid them out clockwork fashion ,putting a letter of the alphabet on each one. We put two pieces of paper at the top and bottom of the circle,one had Yes written on it and the other had No on it. We got a small whisky glass and put in the centre of the circle. One of the lads was given a pad and pencil to copy down any letters that might appear and four of us (it was amazing how reluctant a lot of guys were to join in) sat one each side of the table.
    I was given the job of summoning the spirits. So we each put the right index finger on the glass and I called out ?Is there anybody there?? .Bear in mind that we were just off the West Coast of Africa when this took place. Suddenly the glass vibrated and we all looked at each other to see who was playacting; the glass started moving at a terrific speed and the lad with the pad asked us not to go so fast. Only ,we were not pushing it, the glass stopped dead and we sat back relieved. The bystanders were laughing and jesting about how I was a good ?un, I was quite bemused . What did the letters say ,if anything? The lad put his pad in front of me and I saw the following B R I A N S T O P T H I S I T IS DA N G E R O U S H A R R Y. No aboard this vessel knew of Harry, I had?nt got around to telling Norman and everyone else aboard was unaware of him too.
    We cleared up and wended our way back to our cabins. As we lay having our last cigarette of the day , Norman asked ?Who was Harry Brian?? I told him and he got out of his bunk. He paced up and down the cabin like an angry cat, shoulders hunched ,dragging on his cigarette. ?Were you ?avin? us on in there?? I told him no and then I told him how the glass had been forcing its own way about the table. ? D?ja mean to say your mates ?ere with us? I could?nt answer that, but how else did that glass move.?

    A few nights later Norman related a tale that was so fantastic that it stretched the bounds of belief. I will relate that tale here????????..

    His father in law was a man called Billy Swinchin, like Norman he was a merchant seaman. At the height of World War Two he was on a Moss Hutchinson ship sailing from the Cape to England ,they were in a convoy and one day he and his watchmate were standing by the ships rail when their ship was struck by a torpedo from a U boat. There was a huge explosion and Billy and his mate dived in the sea to escape being drowned by her sinking. A life raft had been blown into the sea and they managed to board it. There were stores and some fresh water so they were safe ,for now. Two days later a half sunken lifeboat came floating near and Billy?s mate suggested they board and get her baled out so they would have a better chance. Billy would?nt budge and his mate struck out for the lifeboat. He boarded it successfully and that was the last that Billy saw of him. A blackbacked gull landed on the life raft and seemed to keep Billy company. The food lasted 32 days and Billy then lapsed into unconsciousness ,he never knew what happened to him after that. All he knew was blackness. Forty three days later a German U boat spotted him and went along side him, this was Bills 75th day on the raft. The captain and crew were so stricken by pity for him that they took him aboard and nursed him all the way to the U boat depot. He was regaled in the German press and then sent to a prisoner of war camp . I went to sleep thinking ? if you are going to tell a tall story ,you may as well make it fantastic?
    Next morning Norman asked me to tell no one that story. I did?nt ,in 2007 I wrote to a merchant navy historian and asked him if he had heard of this story. He replied in the positive, and he e.mailed me a copy of the letter the U.boat commander had written to Bills? wife verifying this tale. This year I had a bit of a do at the Liverpool by the Victoria monument. The Land lord Fred Billingsley arranged it for me, Fred is Normans stepson and had seen a posting I had done on Yo about Norman and contacted me. Sadly ,both Norman and Billy have gone to Fiddlers Green now ,but I hope that their story will never be forgotten .
    Pictured below are some of the Chirripos crew, a motley crowd of firemen ,and deckhands plus the chippy. If you know any of them tell them to get in touch,
    BrianD
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  3. #288
    Senior Member lindylou's Avatar
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    Brian, you really should have your writings published in book form. It would sell plenty ! Be great with some added pictures too.

  4. #289
    Senior Member brian daley's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by M6AJJ View Post
    Keep going Brian, really interesting, in fact fascinating! I wish I could recall as much of my life as you can. Certainly does not come across as whinging, just true to life as we all experience it. Did you keep notes, or a diary that you are recalling from?

    Many thanks, and keep it up.

    Tony
    Hi Tony,sorry it's taken so long to get back to you. Writing.........Most of my material is stored between my ears, I am constantly reminded of things past by tastes, smells, the light on a flower petal. Words,we could be talking and a word or phrase will drag memories from the corners of my mind. My Discharge book provides with the dates and ships. Once I got embarked on this journey two years ago I have re-lived most of these things; as I go to sleep I fall into a reverie and tomorrows writings start appearing . I'm 67 ,some one will have to shoot me to stop,I've only reached twenty one in my writing.
    Anyway,thanks for asking ,watch out for the next instalment,
    BrianD

  5. #290
    Senior Member M6AJJ's Avatar
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    Thanks Brian, I, along with countless others are all eagerly awaiting the next instalment.

    Tony


  6. #291
    Diane Louise Diane Louise's Avatar
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    Hi Brian,

    I really enjoyed reading your story, more of the same please!

    And welcome to this very friendly forum.

  7. #292
    Senior Member brian daley's Avatar
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    Time For A Change
    We were back in Garston for the 5th of May, one day before my 21st birthday, on ?channel? night the lads were asking if I was going to have a 21st party or going out for a drink. From the tone of M.s letters that was?nt going to be likely. We docked in mid afternoon and, as my sister now lived not from the docks in Shakespeare Street ,I thought I would pop in and see her before I made my way to Kirkby. She lived half way down the street ,right next door to a tiny corner shop. I had?nt wrote to her and she would?nt have any idea I was coming so I was taking a chance that she would be home.
    Life ?under the bridge? was considerably different from life in Kirkby ,or ,indeed ,than in any other part of Garston. It was like Coronation Street pretended to be in those far off days and I was given proof of this when I made my way to my sisters house. The women who were on their steps chatting to each other and nodded at me as I passed. I heard them saying ?that must be Jessie?s brother.? A burglar would have stood no chance of passing unnoticed.
    The door to my sisters was ajar so I walked straight in, there was no sign of her in the living room or kitchen so I called out down the yard ,no answer. I went back in and called upstairs ,again no answer. There was afire in the hearth so I settled on the coach to await her return. I almost dozed off with the warmth of the fire when there was a bustling sound as a lady walked pst behind the couch, I craned my neck to see who it was and I did?nt know her . She smiled at me ??Allo luv, are you Brian ? ?Yes ? I answered. ?Jessie?s gone up the village, she should be long, I?ve just come to pinch some of her butter?
    I was amazed, it was?nt grand larceny ,but it was something we would never have done in the Tennies.
    Jessie came home about ten minutes later and I told her what I had just seen. She laughed when she saw how serious I was. ?We never lock our doors here,everyone looks out for each other? And I found with the passage years that that was how it was . In those tiny little cramped streets there was a sense of community that was as strong as steel. Iwill come back to that little demi paradise later, in the meantime I had to get back to my reality.
    I was expected home at M.s first off, the days of dropping off the bus at Walton to both sets of Grandparents were ended, M had made them ?No Go? areas. I had?nt seen them since my wedding which was over a year ago. All of my relatives were out of bounds and I was restricted as to how much time I could spend with my parents who lived 500 yards away.
    My body was beginning to react against the little privations ,who I could see, how long I could see them for ,I had no choice in the way we lived at home and I was getting near to exploding. I went around to see my folks on my birthday ,Dad was at work but Bette an Chris were home as was mum. Bette had brought a classmate home with her and Mum thought it would be a good Idea to get the box Brownie out and take a picture of me on my birthday. I was stood in the middle with Mum and Bette and her mate beside me. An innocent little picture. It was developed within a couple of days and when I called round to Mums before going off on another trip ,she gave me a copy of it. When I got back to M.s I showed her the picture and she went quite mad. ?your mothers trying to fix you up with that little tart!!? she screamed.
    I was stunned, I could?nt believe what I was hearing, me ,who could have had untold sex with any mount of ladies in foreign ports ,but did?nt because I was being faithful. I went for a walk to cool down and when I got back I asked if her she wanted to go out,I did?nt want to go away like this. We settled on going to see a new block buster at the Odeon in town. Another wrong move.
    I bought a programme ,the were 10 shillings and I only had a fiver so the usherette said she would bring me the change. I sat waiting patiently ,four pound tn was lot of money in them days. Every time the usherette passed I would try to catch her eye to remind her of my change. The movie was nearly over by the time she brought it to me. M. started as soon as we got on the bus home. She accused me of trying to get off with the usherette, ?Yer cud?nt keep yer friggin?eyes off her!? I said nothing, my heart was turning to ashes and I just wanted out.
    I left home for the last time on May the 14th 1963,I was seen off with a frosty ?See yer? and I walked with leaden feet to the bus stop. No one knew of what had passed between ma and M., I had?nt discussed things with anyone for I was afraid I would get the ?I told you so ,Did?nt I? and they would have been right,but I was too pig headed to admit it.
    I was closing a chapter of my life and stepping into a very uncertain future.
    I got a berth on an Everard Tanker called the Assurity, there was a Jos joining it and we travelled together to join it in Eastham. We were replacements for two crewmen who had decided to finish their stint . I was expecting another knacker like the Austility but was quietly surprised, she was not too old ,had single berth accommodation and possessed a good cook . She was also on foreign going articles which meant that we were paid monthly and the food was paid for by the company. I was lucky with my cabin ,the previous occupant had been quite house proud, the deck was brightly coloured and highly polished and all of the brasswork was gleaming ,there was a leather daybed and a beautifully carpentered bunk. It did?nt take long to turn theat little old space into a home. The Jos who journeyed with me was a good kid, Jimmy was his name and he became my watchmate. We were put on the 12 to 4 ,my favourite watch, during the night hour hours you seemed to have more thinking time and lots of space to think in. And I was doing plenty of that lately.
    I was leaving her ,M., that is. She had a baby so I was?nt going to leave her high and dry, the baby was?nt mine ,but that was?nt the babies fault. So < I planned to leave them an allotment as I had done when things were o.k. but that would be it. I would have nothing more to with them. If she met someone new then so be it; as for me, I would take whatever life chose to put my way.
    We left Eastham on the evening tide., the rest of the crew had been aboard for quite some time and were well settled in. The galley boy cum steward was a lad from Lisburn in Northern Ireland, he was a burly kid with ever twinkling eyes ,always waiting for a joke ,he seemed to have an endless supply of tartan shirts and blue jeans ,for that is all he ever wore, or maybe it was the one pair and he kept them very clean. The cook was a big rawboned New Zealander who spent a few years in the Kiwi army, Sid was his name and he was laconic by nature..The bosun was a man from Sunderland, quiet ,big built and very calm,one of the good guys.The captain was a man called Fane, a little Jack Russell , he did?nt suffer fools or wasters and never,ever wore uniform,he did?nt need to ,you knew who was in charge. The chief officer was a nice guy who had never quite made it to the top, he was at least twenty years older that the captain but he was, well , past it. The second mate ,well in another company he would have made a good midshipman, he was obsequious to
    his superiors and quite overbearing with his juniors. It did?nt take long to settle his hash..
    It was time for our first night watch when we were past Point Lynas and heading down the coast of Wales. I did the first spell on the wheel and Jimmy was on the lookout, no stand by man here. The second mate was in chatty mood when were on the bridge , he asked if I had ever heard or read anything about the ship before I joined her and I told him that I had o idea of her existence. He said she was very popular with spiritualists and ghost hunters for she was reputed to have ghosts, Dennis Wheatley ,the author ,had been in correspondence with one of the captains and had written about her somewhere. There had been unexplained incidents that were beyond rational explanation, on one trip they had a hardened cynic who thought it was all baloney and was giving vent about cranks and looneys who made a living peddling such drivel. They were in the Channel at the time and the sea was like glass, and all of a sudden the bookcase on the bridge, which had reinforced glass and locking bars on its doors, burst outwards and shattered glass and books all over the bridge. The man near fainted and paid off at the next port. He told me that there had been sightings of the ghost, a hairy crooked backed old man who was seen in the sailors quarters . I nodded and looked as though I was interested. At 4?o clock when we got off watch , Jimmy was nearly exploding with news of the ghost; he had just spent the last two hours on the bridge and the second had given him all the gory details. Jimmy?s eyes were like saucers as he related the story, I added a few details , like how he wore a raggedy old jersey and sea boots. We finished our supper and went to our cabins. I got my old sea bag out and pulled out a wig that I had used for a crossing the line ceremony ,a badly knitted sea jersey that M. had packed for and my old sea boots. I hurriedly put them on and went out into the alley way to go and scare Jimmy. I was adjusting my posture to that of a hunchback as I stood outside
    Jimmy?s just about to tap it when it opened and he saw me standing there. His face contorted into mask ,he was screaming ,silently and I realised that he was terrified . I stepped toward him to tell him it was me ,Brian , and he took enormous steps backward into his cabin. He had his arms pushing forward as though to push the nightmare away. ?Jimmy, Jimmy? I yelled and that only mad matters worse ,his eyes rolled upwards as though he was about to pass out.
    I ripped off the wig and shook him and his eyes refocused . ?That was feckin? ace? he gasped getting his breath back ?Let?s go an? do it to Joe!? I was amazed at how quickly he recovered and so went to call on Joe ,the lad from Lisburn. I stood over him as Jimmy shook him awake, he opened his eyes ,looked for a second and then passed out. Jimmy and I went to our cabins and said no more. I was beginning to enjoy life again.

    Shown below are young Jimmy with Ray ,who became my best pal on the Allurity. We are having A Sunday out on the ships jolly boat on the River Loire by Donge, The Allurity is astern of us and is also shown,looking a bit battered, alongside the Jetty in Donge.
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  8. #293
    Pablo42 pablo42's Avatar
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    Nice one Brian.

  9. #294
    Senior Member brian daley's Avatar
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    Assurity

    The Assurity had been on contract to a French company and was on a regular run from Donge to Eastham. We were on foreign going articles but were practically coasting,an odd situation, for the men who liked to get home often it was ideal, we were never more than a week away from Liverpool; me ? well I never went home in those first few weeks, a period of peace and quiet was what I needed and I was getting plenty of that on this old boat. We had a new junior engineer join us on our second trip to Eastham he had been a fitter in an Engineering works in Manchester and had just joined the Merchant Navy.
    The Assurity was his first ship and he came aboard with a full uniform, the gold braid sparkly new and his peaked cap with its white cover and badge fit for a commodore. He also brought his wife ,still a rare thing in those days. They both had pony tails ,only he had the beard. The look on Captain Fanes face was enough to tell you what he thought of the poor guy.. He seemed a nice enough person when he was in his boiler suit and his hands black with grease, but of an evening out came the uniform and he became ?an officer?. His wife wore hippy clothes and seemed excited about her old man being an officer ,they had never been on a ship before let alone been to sea. It was on the evening 4 to 8 watch that things came to a head, I was on the helm, we were just off Bishops Rock ,the captain was in the chartroom and into the wheelhouse came our junior engineer and his bride. He looked very smart in his rig and she was looking up at him adoringly , he held a pair of binoculars to his eyes and she was saying ?Wot can you see Snake? when the Captain looked out from the chartroom. ?Oo the feck are yew?? he says to our new engineer. ? Erm, er? came the embarrassed reply while his wife looked askance. ?git the feck orf my bridge you silly sod? says the Captain and thus began the end of the junior engineers job on the Assurity.
    When we got back to the Manchester Ship Canal we sailed up to Irlham instead of the usual stop at Eastham, I needed some dental treatment and went to the Manchester Dental hospital. You could get immediate treatment in those days if you went to the dental training school, it was something I had done often in Liverpool and was happy to do the same here. It was a bit like a mass production process, you were passed from chair to chair as groups of trainees examined you ,assessed you ,gave you local anaesthetic and then did the business, extraction, filling ,whatever was needed. It was fast and you met a lot of new faces. I was in a line between a little middle aged guy and a Swedish student. The man had a red raw cheek where he had been nursing it because of his pain, I just needed a filling and the Swedish student ,I learned ,was having a bit of grief with a wisdom tooth. We chatted to each other as we made our way down the line,not much conversation with the little guy ,he could hardly speak for pain, the Swede was rather nice, away from home for the first time she was glad of company. When we had finished our treatment I ended up wandering around Manchester city centre with the girl, the was a film showing at one of the cinemas, ?A Taste of Honey? with Rita Tushingham, we spent the afternoon watching that and,when the numbness had left our jaws, kissed each other good bye and went our separate ways. I was glad of that interlude, I had spent so long beating myself up that I thought I was completely unattractive to women.
    We sailed around to Immingham from Irlham, not the nicest place I have been to but welcoming, we?d had a new deckhand join us in Irlham and he was ,like Joe from Lisburn.. It was strange when they met, secret signals seemed to pass between them, Joe later told me that they had identified each other as both being catholic and were happy to know each other. I had no idea of how bad things were in N.I. at that time and it would have been a wise man who could say what was to erupt six years later. However our newbie was a welcome addition, he was about 10 years older than me and had been around the block more than a few times. He was not unlike Richard Harris the actor ,had a deep baritone voice and a rueful smile. His most prominent feature was a star shaped scar on his right cheek, it gave him a rakish appearance, he joined the Royal Navy when he was in his teens and saw a bit of the world, but not enough. When he was nearly twenty he went AWOL and joined the United States Airforce. He liked it there and after a year or so he was posted to England ,at RAF Ben****ers. He was getting on famously and was at the Armistice Day parade in Norwich in his USAAF uniform ,he said he could feel a policeman taking long looks at himas he stood to attention at the memorial. Two days later Royal Navy Policemen came to the camp at Ben****ers and he was court martialled for desertion. His American C.O. put in a good report to the court and he served a light sentence after which he joined the M.N. He was a colourful guy in every respect, slow to temper and quick to laughter, the women flocked to him. So there we were in Immingham, the place was abuzz about a train robbery that had taken place, million of pounds in used notes, the stuff of Hollywood movies. Joe Meeks Telstar was riding high in the pop charts and there was a pop group from Liverpool advertising Lee Cooper Jeans in the Daily Mirror, the Beatles. I first heard them on a juke box in Immingham ,it was a Polydor record and it sounded great. The place was heaving with women and it was only mid afternoon ,turned out they were fishermen?s wives who had come to see their men off, they were in a flirty mood and the big feller was getting most of the attention. Come closing time we ordered a taxi to take us back to our ship ,there was Ray, Jimmy ,myself, the Big Feller ??and a fisherman?s wife.! ?Aw , she?s only come to kiss me goodbye ? he said. When we were just a short way from the pub ,he asked the driver if he could pull over on to some heathland, when we were parked ,He asked us if we could leave him and his lady alone for a while. It was a Hackney cab, the type that used to have a space for cases beside the driver. Two of us sat on the step and had a cigarette and the others , driver as well, leaned on the big old mudguard while the cab was gently rocked by the lovebirds in the back. It was like something out of an absurdist play.
    The mail had arrived when I got back on board ,there was one from M. for me. I was nervous when I opened it ,not sure what to expect, I read it and could?nt understand what I was reading, I sat and tried reading it again and I was nearly sick, I was gagging vomit back. It was the vilest missive I had ever held in my hand. I was so ashamed that such words could be penned that I did something stupid ,I burned it. I never wanted to see those words again ,how could giving your Mum or sister a hug be interpreted so? Even now ,46 years later ,I still feel the revulsion. But that was it, I had thought of leaving ,I was going to leave, now I was out of it. I did?nt evade my financial responsibilities and I never told anyone of what had passed between M and me. I was never going home again.

    When we went ashore that night I got myself a ladyfriend,I did?nt burden her with ?my wife does?nt understand me? yarns; I just had a good time,the first of many.
    The company won a contract with the Continental Oil Company, ConOco, to carry Jet Petrol from Germany to the U.K. It was a prestigious contract and we had to go to Sunderland to discharge what we were carrying from Immingham and then head for Brunsbuttelkoog on the Kiel Canal.
    I?d never been to Sunderland and our bosun hailed from that port and he had told us how lively it was so we were quite looking forward to tasting it?s nightlife,we would only be there for a night ,the tanks were going to be cleaned and the ConOco people were going to inspect us ,it was a Saturday ,sunny and we were free to spend the rest of the day as we wished.Ray and I favoured going to one of the bars the bosun had told us about. It was?,nt on the dockside but in one of the many little streets of terraced houses that line the dock road. It was only about 6?0 clock when we got there and there seemed to be no one about. Just as we were going to go into the bar we heard a girls voice cry ?Hod on there!? We looked round to see two very nice girls running toward us. ?Can ye tek us in hinny?? one asked. I did?nt understand what she meant ,she then explained that women were not allowed to go in unaccompanied. So in the four of us went. We asked if they were meeting somebody and one said ?Nar,there?s nabuddy eyah? We found out that it was the Sunderland fortnight and nearly everyone was away on holiday. ?What about you two ?? I asked ,? we canna afford it marrer? was the answer. ?So ,d?you want to stick with us ?? I said.
    ?aye man ,ye?ll do,is yer casin tight?? We were in another world here, they were lovely girls though. We stayed until closing time and they came back on board with us, Ray and his lady and me and mine went off to our cabins. I can remember feeling happier than I had for a long time ,we took honest to god enjoyment in our every movement and loved each other until sleep took us into our dreams. I was awakened by the sound of our engines and gentle motion of the ship as moved with the waves. We were at Sea!!!! Germany was next stop and we were in deep doodah. I woke my girl up and told her to be quiet ,stay in the cabin and I would go and see how Ray was. They were both still fast asleep when I got to their cabin, I shook them awake and made them aware of the situation. We decided to hide the
    girls in our cabins and sneak them food ,it was breakfast time ,you could smell the bacon and eggs down in our alleyway. So I went back to my cabin ,tried to put my girl in the picture without frightening her and then went with Ray to the messroom. I was filling my plate with double rations and getting ready to go back down to my cabin when I heard the clatter of two pairs of high heeled shoes coming up the companionway. Sid ,the cook ,and the rest of the lads present ran to the alleyway just as one of the girls said ?This must be the caf?? Ooooh Sheeit!

  10. #295
    Senior Member brian daley's Avatar
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    Assurity 2
    Our Antipodean cook was not feeling particularly friendly toward me ,had?nt been the same since I had to settle his hash some two weeks previous to this particular morning.
    Just three weeks ago we had a young Irish boy join us as a galley boy,young Joe was now a full steward and young Paddy was his replacement in the kitchen. He was a nice enough kid but his speech was somewhat lacking in the English department. His every other word was ?feck? and sometimes worse. The cook, who was ex army, was?nt much taken with the kid and was forever clipping his ears. But Paddy was harmless enough and had suffered some bad times in his young life. Being small he was bullied quite a lot on some of the ships he had been on, being slow on the uptake he was constantly being told off for being stupid. The worse thing he had been experiencing was just plain maliciousness. He was illiterate ,he could?nt read a word ,Ihad?nt heard of dyslexia then but young Paddy seemed to have it. I tried to teach the basics but there was simply no recognition of the letters or words. The trouble was ,Paddy needed someone to write his letters home to his mammy. I wrote his first letter on the Assurity, he sat with me in my cabin and told me what he would like his mammy to hear. It ended up as a three page letter and he put his own kisses on the bottom and sent it off. About a week later he came to my cabin with a letter from home; he was excited to hear what he letter contained. What I read made me feel so sorry for the poor kid, for months his family had been receiving letters written for him by former shipmates and they contained streams of pure filth. What might have seemed funny in the mess room when written by some ?prankster? was heartbreaking for his family. His mother wrote that things had got to such a stage that they destroyed the letters as soon as they saw the handwriting on the envelope. She thanked for writing on her sons behalf and then gave him al the news from home. I was quite moved by her letter and began to take young Paddy under my wing. The first thing I had to do was to try and extend his vocabulary, it consisted mostly of Anglo Saxon oaths ,he could fit a feck into the most unlikely situations ,split infinitives like ?hufeckinllo? The boy had a genius for swearing. But not everyone saw it that way ,especially the cook.
    I was doing first spell at the wheel on the 12 to 4 watch, it was just coming up to my break at one o?clock in the morning when Little Paddy slid quietly into the wheel house. His body was wracked with sobs and I quietly asked him what he was doing up at this hour. ?De cooks jest feckin beat me ? he sobbed. I saw his face by the glow of the compass, his left eye was bloody and bruised. I asked him if he had been cheeky to the cook and he nodded. 6 foot 4 against five foot nothing , I was bloody angry. As soon as Ray came in to spell me I shot down to the messroom and found the cook puffing on a fag a bottle of bitter in his hand.
    ?What did you smack Paddy for ?I asked ?Cos I bleedin wanted to ;why?? I am not a fighting man but something in me snapped and I swung my fist at his jaw with all my might. It connected and I was shocked to see his teeth come shooting out his mouth. He looked dazed and dropped his beer .I fetched his teeth,I never knew he wore dentures until that moment and I was shocked at the sight of them flying across the messroom. I handed them to him and he shuffled off to his bunk.
    When the 4 to 8 men came on I told Johnny Young ,a lad from Kirkdale,what had happened and he said he would keep an eye things in case Sid did something daft in the night.
    I awoke next morning to see Sid sitting on my day bed, he was rubbing a swollen jaw ?Did you do this ?he asked. I was in a pretty precarious position ,still half asleep and flat on my back .?Yeah? I croaked. ?Did I deserve it ? He asked. ? You beat Paddy up ? He stood up slowly, nodded and left the cabin.
    Today was payback time.
    Sid went up the companion like an Olympic athlete, he could?nt wait to break the news of my exploit to Captain Fane. Meanwhile the girls settled down to hearty breakfast in the messroom ,surrounded by all and sundry. Work was forgotten and even the bosun came in and paid court to the girls. Ray and I waited for the captains reaction. It was?nt long in coming ,just as we were finishing the remains of our breakfast ,the mate came into the messroom. He nodded to me not Ray, ?Skipper wants to see you? he grimaced. There was no conversation on our way to the captains cabin. He ushered me in and left me with a very,very angry man. Captain Fane looked at me and let forth an explosion of sailors oaths. He told me that I was to consider myself discharged from the merchant navy ,he would make sure that I never set foot aboard another ship as long as I lived. I had brought disgrace upon him, the company and the British Merchant Service in general. If ConoCo found out about this the contract would be lost and we would all be out of work. ?You and that little Facker of a mate will be sorry you ever saw me ? he roared. I left his cabin with my tail firmly between my legs. One of the lads had a Philips short wave radio and had been listening to the radio messages from head Office to our ship, he could?nt hear both sides of the conversation ,just the shore to ship side. He came and told Ray and me of what he had heard, we were to be discharged as soon as we got to the Kiel canal. He knew nothing more than that. We still had a day to go before we got there and Ray and were definitely not the flavour of the month with the lads. Some of them had been on the Assurity for a long time were happy to be there. Ray and I went to the lad with the radio and sat in his cabin to listen out for furthewr news. It was?nt long in coming. Head office called back and asked Captain Fane to see if he could settle the matter quietly, no publicity etc .etc.
    I was summoned back up to the captains cabin , he was honest with me,what he was telling me was what we had heard on the radio. He told me that he was heading back to the UK and was going to see if he could contact a fishing boat to take the girls ashore; he would keep me if I paid for the fishing boat. I asked him why he had?nt mentioned Ray and he said that he did?nt want him aboard his ship. I had nothing to lose ,I was without any ties now and did?nt have a home to go so I told the skipper that if Ray went then I was going too. He told me to fack orf out of it and Iwent back down to Ray. While all this was going on,one of my so called mates,a guy from Hull was moving his kit into my cabin
    ?Ye don?t mind Briaaan ? he said with that flat inflexion on the A. I was too busy with what was going to happen next to get involved with that stuff. The girls meanwhile had discovered the attraction at being at the centre of a sailors world. ,they saw more deckheads (ceilings) that day than they would see in a long time. .
    We heard a fishing boat talking to our skipper, again it was only one side of the conversation but it was enough to know that a settlement was being reached. It was still only early morning ,there was a thick sea mist but the sea was flat and we were heading west ,toward the coast. Captain Fane called me up to the bridge again. We were heading to a point off Bridlington and we would be meeting a fishing smack that would take the girls off. It would cost Ray and I forty pounds between us, if we agreed ,we could keep our jobs and there would no more action taken .I shook hands with Captain Fane and hastened below to tell Ray. I never ,ever told him of the captains wish to get rid of him, in fact ,if he ever reads this story it will be the first time he has heard it.
    I then went to my cabin and threw out the guy from Hulls kit ,he left when we got back to England.
    It was about an hour later when we heard the sound of a little diesel engine coming through the,now, thinning mist. The sun was burning off the last of the fog and we could begin to make out the coast, by heck we were close!
    There was a promenade crowded with people ,holiday makers ,and the were more than a few launches cruising out toward us. The little fishing smack was making her way alongside and our pilot ladder was lowered. Two of the launches were crowded with cameramen. Some one else was listening in to radio traffic that morning. As the smack took our line and secured herself beneth the ladder,the girls began to clamber over the side to make their way down the ladder, all the crewmen crowded at the top of the ladder waving the girls goodbye,Ray and I stayed firmly in the background ,the launches closed in and the cameras were flashing away. When the girls were safely down ,we went to the ladder and waved a last goodbye,the cameras were focussed on the fishing boat now and we were on our way east.

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    Pablo42 pablo42's Avatar
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    Nice one Brian.

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    Senior Member wsteve55's Avatar
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    Wonder what became of Paddy?

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    Keeping It Real !!!!!!!!! ItsaZappathing's Avatar
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    ?What did you smack Paddy for ?I asked ?Cos I bleedin wanted to ;why?? I am not a fighting man but something in me snapped and I swung my fist at his jaw with all my might. It connected and I was shocked to see his teeth come shooting out his mouth. He looked dazed and dropped his beer .I fetched his teeth,I never knew he wore dentures until that moment and I was shocked at the sight of them flying across the messroom. I handed them to him and he shuffled off to his bunk.
    Class.

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    Senior Member brian daley's Avatar
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    Assurity 3

    Brunsbuttel ,a little port, lies at the western end of the Kiel canal. It is a neat little town built with that orderly style that the good burghers of Schleswig Holstein used throughout their chequered history . Not quite Prussian and almost Danish. The people were like their town ,open and friendly.
    We selected our bar that would act as our local ,for we would be regular visitors to this place. It was a pleasant venue , 50?s modern large clear glass windows that afforded views of the shipping traffic ,a sun deck outside and wonderful Holstein beer. The landlady was like a Wagnerian opera singer, she was large and had a chest that was like the forepart of the Bismark. Many a sailor had been crushed by them. She made us feel very much at home and we would have our lunches there if we were in on a Saturday or Sunday . What most of us agreed about what we had seen of this part of Germany was how much of a recovery it had made since the war. In 1963 Liverpool ,and other British cities were making piecemeal recoveries, our town centres were still full of holes where buildings had been. In the 5 years I had been coming to Germany I had been witness to non stop renovation. Hamburg ,which had been full of bomb sites in ?58 was now a very smart town and so it was with Brunsbuttel. The new building was done in harmony with the old, so good was it that it was hard to tell which buildings were post war and which were original. The other nice thing about our local in Brunsbuttel was that it was a family bar, we never saw another ships crowd in there. Everyone knew that we were the new contractors to carry the Jet petrol to England and we were soon treated like regulars.
    After a nice weekend we set sail back to Immingham, some of the lads lived locally to there ,Hull ,Goole etc. so they were looking forward to getting back to their wives and families. A lot of them were in for a shock when we got back , we had mail ,bags of it! There were copies of every red topped Sunday newspaper stacked on the mess room table, this was part of the mail.. The only two people not to get a Sunday newspaper in the post were Ray and I..
    On the front pages of all of them were photographs of the girls climbing down the pilot ladder to the fishing boat, banner headlines proclaimed ?SEXY SAILORS STOW AWAY SWEETHEARTS? ?SCANDAL AT SEA!!!? ? ALL ABOARD THE SS LOVENEST? etc,etc ,etc.
    All of the lads were shown waving and winking at the girls, when we read the stories in the papers the girls never gave our names, they were in enough trouble with their families and acted very gracefully. They were photogenic and the papers had them pictured ashore as they got into their taxis.
    Ray and I stayed aboard that night, lack of money was one reason, threat of death by murder was another. The married men were murderous, all their wives believed it was them who stowed the girls away ,suspicion never pointed toward we two.
    Mid Sunday morning ,the day after we arrived in Immingham, one of the deck crew came aboard ,his shore leave cut short by the news story, he was expecting to have Sunday night in bed with his wife. Jock came straight from the gangway to me and smashed me in the face ,he was crying, ?She?s thrown me oot; she knows it was me? I felt so ashamed for the trouble I had caused and could only say I was sorry. I deserved that smack in the mouth. When the time came to leave Immingham the captain sent the mate to inspect Rays? and my cabin. ?No Ladies here Daley?? he laughed. Every port thereafter that became the routine ,check their cabins.!!
    We did?nt just run between Brunsbuttell and Keil, sometimes we would run to South Wales ,sometimes Eastham or Irlham and now and then back to Donge. One of our runs took us to Cardiff, I was greatly surprised how nice the town centre was , the civic Buildings and the Castle gave it special look and I enjoyed my stay,though short very much. I met an specially pretty young girl while out shopping one Saturday with Ray. I wanted to buy a soft toy for my nieces birthday and I just did?nt know where to start. The pavcements were thronged with Saturday shoppers and it was?nt the nicest place to be. Two lovely young girls were steaming toward us and I caught hold of the blonde ones hand. And pulled her gently to me,? I?m looking for a teddy bear ? I said into her startled face, ?Ray here,? I said pointing to him,?has led me on a wild goose chase so far? She was now smiling, ?I?ll bet you know where the best cuddly in Cardiff are ? She had a quick confab with her friend and said ?We?ll show you ,follow us?
    I said ?Give me your hand so I won?t lose you? and she slipped her hand into mine. We arrived at a department store and they showed us the toy department, they were about to leave and I asked her to help me pick the teddy . It was lovely ,she was so innocent, up at university, and a whole world of adventure in front of her. I asked her if she had to rush back or would she like some dinner and to go out to the fair. She went and made a phone call and then the four of us went back to our ship. Ray and I got freshened up and then we went off to the fair. We saw them to their bus stop at the end of what had been a lovely ,innocent evening..
    We had saw more new crew members now ,Jimmy had left and we had a new kid join us , I forget his name, I forget him,he was?nt with us long. On the Manchester Ship canal we picked up another newbie. His name was Johnnie Young, my age, different world. He was an ex Army man , SAS he said ,he looked fit enough and was as mad as a march hare and seemed to fit the profile. I liked him. When were in Eastham he asked me to over to Liverpool with him ,he lived in Kirkdale ,not far from the Garrick. When we were walking past Kirkdale Baths I mentioned that I knew someone who worked there. ?I do too? he said and went further? Crackin? bit ?o stuff, well stacked, she?s an instructor an? she loves rough sex? My face must have looked incredulous. ? She?s married a guy 30 years older than ?er?. Little alarm bells sounded in my head.. ??E can?t get it up so she get?s her fill down here, she?s bloody wonderful?
    He had just described M.s beautiful young cousin, a girl who was considered a saint by all her family and idolised by her husband. I never told him I knew her.

    That mad side of Johnny ? We got back to Eastham and decided to go to the nearest pub to the dock for a quiet drink, there were two hulking big skandihoovians at the bar, they were chatting quietly among themselves and I went up to the counter to order a round. As I was negotiating the booze I heard two reports, like meat slapping a cold slab. I turned around with the beer in my hand to see Johhny stood over the supine forms of the Skandihoovians .?What the F**k ???? I spluttered. Johnny ,stepping over them, said ?It?ll save any trouble later on ?. I said ?Just drink up in case any of their mates come? He never turned a hair. I was to see how good he was in a ruck when we were back in Brunsbuttel.
    The Mate had his wife aboard, she was a nice Geordie lady , well in her sixties and ,like our German barmaid ,matronly. She had started to come down to the Sailors quarters for a can and ,as she said it ?a bit chat? It put the mate in an awkward position , there were class lines then and she had certainly crossed them, but she used to tell him ?It?s only a bit chat?
    Those chats became longer and they took place behind the locked door of the bosuns cabin. One night ,shortly before we got to Brunsbuttel ,we could hear the old mate ,sobbing outside the bosuns door . ? Cum back bonny lass, I know Ah?m old ,but ah love ya girl? I have never felt so sorry for a man as I felt sorry for him. Abject humiliation in front of the entire crew. If the captain had known he would have shipped them all out.
    The mates wife was the cause of a bust up at our local in Brunnsbuttel. Because it was Sunday all of the crew who were off duty went down to the local for our Sunday lunch,the place was quite crowded, some German sailors were there as were a lot of the regular customers.
    The mates wife had made eye contact with one of the German sailors and they were billing and cooing across the tables,the mate was?nt there to see this and that lessened the impact of it ,but the German sailor decided to come over and claim his prize. One of the engineers told him to go back to his table and received a smack for his trouble. Johnny told me to get the ladies to the back of the room and he sorted them all out. I had never seen anything so balletic, he twisted and turned ,delivering kicks to that one rabbit chops to this one, the ones who were standing fled ,he was a killing machine. Our land lady thanked him for stopping what could have been a horrible mess. He was some kid that Johnny.

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    Pablo42 pablo42's Avatar
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    There's a book here Brian. Good stories, love 'em.

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