[Basil]

I felt that we engineers were not regarded by the mates as 'proper' officers, sometimes engendered by our own behavious (mea as culpa as any).
Do recollect 3/O coming on board with large and obvious lovebite on his neck and being given someting of a telling off by the OM. I doubt that an engineer in such a condition would have merited even a raised eyebrow

 

[Basil]

'Scruff's' mess or dining room.

 

[Basil]

If you came into the saloon in wrong rig, a black look from the old man and a case of beer for the lads.

In my case, banned from the bar for a week. It didn't help when my drinking companion referred to the Station Duty Officer as a 'jack-booted thug!' (EEK)

 

[Basil]

your overuse of the facility

In general, perhaps, but, on that occasion, just arrived near closing time in car rally rig. (K)

 

[Basil]

I thought mufti was alright when still on leave. Don't tell me you were rallying on Our Sovereign's ticket! I am beginning to have sympathy for the 'thug'.

No, the dress code applied at all times. Lounge suits Mon-Thu; blazers or sports jackets accepted Fri night-Sun. Ties at all times.
I once had a couple of shirts made with ties of the same material to wind up senior officers at a distance - what a little sh1t! B\)

 

[Basil]

When, at the age of nineteen, I was a wee junior engineer it did occur to me to ask myself why should I be an instant officer having had no officer training.
It took a couple of years to realise that, like the deck officers, I had served an apprenticeship; admittedly ashore and not at sea. I have no recollection of any engineer who could not conduct himself appropriately in the dining saloon.

On my first ship we had a scruffs' dining room which, as others have pointed out, was misused. In Fyffes there was no such facility.

Funny old thing, when I was an RAF commissioned officer pilot, we also had a scruffs' dining room which we could enter in 'grow bags' as flying suits were known (cf No1 or No2 uniform, which was required in the mess dining room) and which was equally misused.

 

[Basil]

In the airlines, although, in BOAC, at one time, the captain stayed in a different hotel, when I was in, we all stayed and, if we wished, ate together.
ISTR, when invited to the wardroom of one of Her Majesty's vessels overseas, no distinction was made. In fact, if the truth be known, they wouldn't have been too upset if the pilots and chief steward had been unable to attend

 

[Basil]

Interesting; my parents were both BOAC cabin crew from the late 1940s onwards and had many tales of how the skippers were often the instigators of drinking sessions and various high jinks in the hotels on stopovers. Many of them were ex-Bomber of Coastal Command WWII pilots to whom team bonding (OK it wouldn't have been called that at the time) of this sort would have been second nature.

Aha, so I was misinformed about BOAC. I joined BEA/BA in 1973, spent five years in our subsidiary, Caledonian, four years on secondment to Gulf Air and, at 55, flew Cathay freighters for five years. The Caledonian and Gulf girls could let off steam a bit when they were on a roll, e.g. dancing on the tables - in the Middle East (EEK)

 

[Basil]

... but apparently the skipper who lead his whole crew in a conga through the restaurant of the Tripoli Airport Hotel, all completely naked, soon found himself transferred to flying York freighters and counting himself lucky that he still had a job

Ah, happy daze . . . (Pint)

 

[Basil]

There should be seperate areas for officers and crew. You need somewhere to ***** about/take the p*ss out of your boss without them overhearing.

In the RAF, and I guess also in the RN and Army, the nearest pub to base was out of bounds to officers.

In a Far Eastern airline by which I was employed, they had a company bar frequented by pilots and 'suits'. One or two careers perished as a result. Although Western, our 'suits' didn't have a great sense of humour.

 

[Basil]

I thought the best non-officer appointment was carpenter.
Recollect joining a ship and the bosun was eyeing up my bearer as he carried my kit aboard.

Ship was sail trainer, 'bearer' was elder son and bosun was female