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Fred Bear 1902 ~ 1988. {American}

3K views 7 replies 3 participants last post by  seagem (Cornish) 
#1 ·
This 31 year deceased, American gentleman and yours truly have two things in common. Firstly our birthdays; his a Wednesday, mine a Tuesday, March 5th, a mere 38 years apart. Secondly his success, or lack off, was directly down to his plucking ability. Mine depends on the situation, those involved and my aerial heroes the communist arrows.

I am posting this thread today, Sunday March 31st, rather than tomorrow, Monday April 1st ~ again for two reasons ~ firstly so that you know it is serious, not a joke and secondly so that the ED section of SN does not remain naked of fresh posts first, or second class, like this one. Threadbare? Never!
 
#2 ·
Here sit I on a cold, spring evening, the day a Tuesday, the time at the moment 2006 hours BST.

Sadly, when I wrote exactly one year ago in a VERY different world to that of today, I had no wish to see the ED section of SN die a painful death like the company itself ~ little did I know.

My attempt at humour washed up on barren shores. One year, 292 views and Z E R O Comments ~ says it all. New threads? You count.

RIP Derek Bailey and Elders of Elders.
 
#3 ·
Graham,

Your post reminds me of a tale recounted to me by the late Stan Urion, at that time 2/E on Fian. During my short, but memorable, but too short, 7 years with EDL, which ended 50 years ago this year, the standard Sunday lunch was (well plucked) roast Norfolk turkey and chipolatas. This was even the case in River House.

Now, the story concerned a junior engineer who had served his time in a Lancashire mill. After his standard fare sandwiches for his daily lunch, he was particularly impressed with ED feeding and observed, in his his Lancashire accent, 'Eh! Christmas dinner on a Sunday. Sunday dinners every day.'
 
#4 ·
'Nice one' and yes, one couldn't complain about ED grub. which kept me alive for a decade.

Sorry I can't use your actual name in responding, as you have mine but your CV is 'clear' which in the present world is what every human wants.

Can you 'name drop' a few skipper's and C/O's? I'm trying and failing hopelessly to keep this ED section alive and need as many catalysts as possible to avert the ever hovering bar crossing of same?

Thanks. GGG
 
#5 ·
In an attempt to name some skippers I've retrieved the Discharge Book. This was not totally fruitless, 5 signatures proving indecipherable. Those that I can make any sense of are: MFM Fair, W Kendall, RE (Dickie) Dunne, DE Humphreys - (Commodore?), E Jones (probably of the Welsh Navy - Blue Flue), M Sheridan and J Knox.
There was another Blue Flue skipper whose signature appears to be Macintosh. I did one trip on Perseus as an Assistant Engineer (first trip after finishing my time) but did not return since the sailing schedule didn't tie in with my wedding date. However, walking up James St on a Sunday afternoon, with my wife, a couple of months later, Perseus must just have returned. A car drove passed us, stopped and out stepped Macintosh, who had recognised me and stopped to say hello.
Humphreys usually spoke in a more refined voice but, if bothered by something, might lapse into what was a rougher Liverpudlian.
That's all for now, folks.
 
#6 ·
Skippers

Skippers I sailed with included, but not limited to:

Bill Lightbody
F St H Webber
C S H O'Sullivan
L James
Sammy Fox
Tommy Woods
J Edmondson
S MacInnes
F Creswell
S Leatheart
Ian Laing
Michael Murphy (more than my fair share)
Frank Robinson
W Fitzgerald
W Bellamy
G Armstrong
E Woosey
S Weller
Buster Brown

and others I can't read.
Nick
 
#7 ·
Memories

I guess that there were a few likely characters within that list, although perhaps they all were in their own ways. I note the name of Frank Robinson. Did he live in Urmston? I never came across him but a fellow Cadet Engineer was Phil Robinson, who I believe was his son. Phil was a character who'd had a flower power wedding on the cliffs at Newquay. He was on Fian the trip before me and, whilst in Lagos they had a boiler suit made for him in a suitably flower patterned fabric that he wore for standby watches. It would have been in '66/'67 that he convinced his dad that the car they (or perhaps Phil) needed was a Lotus Cortina, which was duly purchased.

Skipper wise, I coasted the Perseus after doing the fg trip and the relief skipper was Jones, nickname 'Alehouse'. We arrived in Swansea and berthed, whereupon he donned his raincoat and went ashore. One might hazard a guess to his destination. He appeared some three days later with the question, 'Right, Matey, when are we leaving?' The mate responded that he thought the old man ought to be telling him. Nobody knew the answer so the old man went ashore again.

Skippers I sailed with included, but not limited to:

Bill Lightbody
F St H Webber
C S H O'Sullivan
L James
Sammy Fox
Tommy Woods
J Edmondson
S MacInnes
F Creswell
S Leatheart
Ian Laing
Michael Murphy (more than my fair share)
Frank Robinson
W Fitzgerald
W Bellamy
G Armstrong
E Woosey
S Weller
Buster Brown

and others I can't read.
Nick
 
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