Brocklebank Lads get extra leave .

[Derek Roger]

I wonder if any of the Brocklebank members or any other member for that matter ended up getting extra leave ? I did !

It was during the period when the company HQ was in the Liver Building in Liverpool . There was apparently a large "tag "board with all the ship names and who was on them and in what capacity ; who was on leave etc. and rumor had it that an office workers some how dislodged the board which fell and scattered all the tags on the floor .

Apparently all ships were radioed to get crew lists and the board rebuilt ( some confusion reigned and errors were made ).

I know as when my leave was up or nearly up I stayed close to home and the phone or mail .
My paycheck kept coming and after about 3 weeks I called to see what was going on ? to be told " I thought were on the Ma ---- whatever !! Had a few more days then back to sea .

I suppose there were some who should have been relieved and were not .

Any recollections lads ???
Derek

[Philthechill]

Derek! Salaams! I've heard that yarn so many times that I started taking it with a very large pinch of sodium chloride as it always seemed to be from someone who'd heard it from someone else who, in turn, had been told it by his mother's, brother's best mate who'd-----------well you get the picture!
However it did actually happen to you! So, because I've found it to be true, all the salt-mines in the world can now go back on normal working-hours, and cut-out the overtime.
If anything, my luck was virtually the dead opposite of yours! I had my leave curtailed by a couple of weeks once as a relief couldn't be found for me on arrival Tilbury (Matheran) so I was asked to coast, "as far as Liverpool and you'll be relieved there". Surprisingly (!!) on arrival Liverpool there was no relief, again, so I had to hang around until a local yokel was press-ganged, from HIS leave, into relieving me.
THEN would have been a good time for the fabled "knocking-down-of-the-ships/personnel-board" as I could certainly have done with some extra leave after THAT voyage!! Cheers, Phil(Hippy)

[Derek Roger]

Phil lets see if Tony Sprigings comments as he was in Liverpool HQ and would know if it were true or not .
Derek

[Tony Sprigings]

Derek & Co.
I was in Liverpool Office from 1966-71 before we moved to London. I have no recollection of any chaos concerning 'lost' crew information during that time but it may have only applied to the Engineer's Dept. Unfortunately Laurie is no longer with us neither is Angus MacDonald or Brian Turner so I have no one to confer with on the matter. The crew department were fairly Dickensian
but your tale takes a bit of swallowing!