Not sure if this will interest anyone but here's a few bits from my grandads discharge book.
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Not sure if this will interest anyone but here's a few bits from my grandads discharge book.
great stuff John, even better when its personal history :PDT_Aliboronz_24:
Great stuff John. Interesting to read through it.
Very interesting read Zappa, your grandfather was one of the engine room crowd, they were a hard bunch in the old days. My great grandfather worked for White star and Cunard and some of his tales would make your hair curl. No doubt your grandad could more than hold his own with the amount of discharges showing in his book. A real piece of history you got there!,
BrianD
Great Zapps !, I also have my Grandads papers but his are earlier than yours !,I aslo have my Dads from WW2, I feel proud to own them !
One of his job descriptions was "Fireman and Trimmer".Quote:
Originally Posted by ItsaZappathing
The first bit is obvious, but what did a Trimmer trim?
The Trimmer made sure the Fireman had an adequate supply of coal to stoke the furnace for the ship to maintain speed.
Job names changed over the years since the introduction of oil fired steamers and ships driven by Diesel, the engine room designations became vague to those above decks. One thing I do remember about the 'down below crowd' is that they were all skinny and spotlessly clean.
I too have my Grand-dads discharge book Vol 2 (last entry S.S.Megantic 1931) and several paper discharges when he sailed out of Melbourne (1913 -1915). I did have Vol 1 but it went missing. Found out a few years later my brother had snaffled it.:shock:
This is a couple of pages from an old notebook which belonged to my Grandad. He was in France during the first world war.
The note book is very faded but I can just about make out some of the words.
The bottom 2 lines on page 1 show that it was Good Friday.
On Page 2 ( second to end line) he's written of Gas attack, big bombardments.
Makes you think doesn't it :neutral: all those young men in hostile conditions, away from their families and at Easter time too :(
It must have been Hell on earth. Young men who were the seed-corn of our nation. A whole generation of young men, probably the brightest and best, was wiped out.Quote:
Originally Posted by lindylou
I've often wondered how I'd have coped with either WW. Certainly don't think that I'd be courageous enough. Probably why I have so much respect for our boys and girls serving in the armed forces now.
Thanx everyone for the comments.
Here's a few more pieces I found recently, and some pages from his discharge book 2
This was the grandad who brought home what he thought was "a monkey" which ended up being a gorilla and put in the Liverpool Zoo.:PDT11 He also had a glass eye.
I found out this week that my grandad was supposed to a bit of a hard fella and was tried for murder but was found not guilty.
Apparently there was a fight down below on one of the ships and my grandad went to sort it out only to be confronted by a black guy with a knife. My grandad wrestled for the knife and twisted the guys arm. That's when the knife went in.:PDT_Xtremez_42:
How would I go about finding this info
?
We still don't know how he got a glass eye but we (the rest of the family) think it could of been the result of a fight...being the bruiser he was.??
Where would I find this info ?
I think you would need the name of the ship and the dates and names of the characters involved.
I thought that too. We've only just found this out.Quote:
Originally Posted by captain kong
Cheers CK:PDT11
Fascinating info. John. Good luck with the research. :PDT11
I keep mine on my bookshelf at work - 43 discharges between 21 August 1973, and 2 May 1985.