I also walked into India Buildings with a 2nd Clas PMG. taken on there and then, shipped out the following week. that was 1952. had 18 months sea time with mimc so that helped, did not even have to go to Aberdovey. must have been short staffed. (A)

 

First trip as 3rd R/O City of Lille 1942 (Most if not all ships carried 3 R/O's in
wartime). I had just turned 16 !
I distinctly remember keeping the 12-4 watch bucket between my knees feeling very ill, seasick, homesick and fed up. Thankfully it only lasted a couple of days
The only other time I was seasick was in the lifeboat after having been torpedoed.
Thoroughly enjoyed the rest of my time at sea.

 

Started with MIMC. 1st ship, Isle of Jersey. Southampton to Channel islands. spent 3 months. first day, the 1st R/O Tommy Stubbs, took me into the radio room, the only thing I knew was thye CR300. No auto Alarm. only a mf transmitter (the one with 3 windows in the front). and the P/A system. and a door into his cabin.
This is what you do. Take BBC weather at 9pm. go to bed. we sail at 11pm, send a TR to GNI, then keep awake. when we pass Casquets ( were the hell were the Casquets I wonder) send just the word Casquets to Gernsey radio (British rail station) on 500. when we dock, have breakfast, the come back for the trip to Jersey. when we dock go to bed.
With that he disappeared into his cabin and I did not see him again till Jersey.
The TR to GNI was the full monty, much to the groans of the operator there, probaly said, "Tommies got a new one. " That was a full 8 hours to Guernsey and a further hour to Jersey. Tommy never did a stroke only used the 2180 R/T to tell GNI we were passing the needles. Probably had a private system for them to phone his misses.

 

To go to sea in wartime at the age of 16 in one of the most targetted positions in the ship fills me with admiration, Ivor. Well done and thanks. (Thumb)
I didn't join Marconi until my 20th birthday and then spent a month on leave because of the seaman's strike.
The thought of joining anyone else didn't cross my mind. Nobody warned us off MIMCo and the idea of being stuck on the same sort of ship on the same runs never did appeal.
Maybe I was lucky but I feel my seatime was about as varied and enjoyable as I could get at the time.
A lot of my enjoyment was from the way I was taught to operate when I was a junior. Good game.[=P]

 

To go to sea in wartime at the age of 16 in one of the most targetted positions in the ship fills me with admiration, Ivor. Well done and thanks. (Thumb)
[=P]

Absolutely Marconi Sahib. Fortunately most of us will never know the horrors they went through. I remember reading that when a U-boat surfaced the first shell normally went through the radio room. Assuming of course that he hadn't used a torpedo on you. Many years ago I worked with an ex R/O just coming up to his 60th birthday and retirement, at a time when I was in my early twenties. He'd been sunk on five separate ships and survived the lot. I can't remember if he was married and lived too far away to commute, or if he was single. He lived in a hostel for the single blokes. What I do remember was that in his room and laying across the arms of an old armchair was his suitcase, lid open but packed ready to go. Just in case there was a sixth time. Makes you wonder...

Cheers, Ivor!!

 

2nd Class PMG

I only ever had a 2nd Class PMG, but was employed by Blue Funnel in 1957, with about a years experience.I had walked into India Buildings a few times, and I was told to keep trying. I was also taken on by the RFA in 1968, after about 7 years ashore and 6 months on a Weather Ship.The job on the Weather Ships I got, by answering an ad in Practical Wireless. It was either that or the Falkland Islands radio station.

 

I joined my first ship in Tilbury in December 1980, it was an OCL containership Flinders Bay/GYSA. I can recall sending a TR to GNI, which I managed to complete without any mishap. The trip itself was the usual tour of northern europe before transiting Suez and crossing the Indian Ocean to Fremantle. The senior R/O was called Bob Bate, who gave me an excellent introduction to life at sea, I believe he left the sea shortly after to join GCHQ. By the time we reached Fremantle the UK seamans dispute had escalated and as soon as we got alongside the crew went on strike. All in all we were strikebound for almost 5 weeks, the only painful aspect of this from my perspective was that the only time of day we could receive the GZXY updates from GKA was about three in the morning, no real hardship as we had little else to do. I can still remember Jim Slater's (NUS leader) sign off on every message "Pull together lads". On a visit to Perth VIP I was surprised to learn that most of the operators were UK ex pats or Scandinavians, there was even a hint of a job there if I so desired, it was very tempting looking at the lifestyle in WA but I went to sea to see the world as they say. As I recall once we left Fremantle we spent a further 2 weeks in Sydney because of a wharfies strike, I was beginning to think that this was par for the course by this time. The skipper was Capt Brian Chipperfield an absolute gent, it was a long time before I encountered an OM as good as he. Happy days.

 

....... The senior R/O was called Bob Bate, who gave me an excellent introduction to life at sea, I believe he left the sea shortly after to join GCHQ. ......

Was Bob Bate ex B & C ?

 

1969 that was when I got my 2nd Class ticket. My college lecturer told me to leave and get a job before they changed their minds and took it back again. So I joined Marconi at the East Ham depot and after a few days mucking about down there started my first trip on the Benratha.

That was just fantastic. Via Capetown first stop was Singapore, then Penang and Port Swettenham. We also did Bangkok and East Malaysia Tawau, Sandakan, Jesselton and Miri then Indonesia Pontianak, Telok Ayer - hmmmm best run in the world I reckon - Singapore Penang and Bangkok what an introduction to life at sea, age 17 and 18 during the trip.

Radio room was small and cosy. Chief was John D - he was a nice guy who taught me a lot about how to behave on-board and especially in the radio room. Always in trouble though I messed up on my first message to Portishead and John had to explain to them that I was really just a half trained monkey.

Four months later the ship was back in London and I paid off with a suitcase full of goodies from the Far East. Marconi's sent me home for some leave and then I did the rest of my 6 months as junior on the UK coast - MF only - before flying out in December to the Persian Gulf to take my first ship as R/O.

I'd do it all over again -

Pete

 

Hi there Mateys,

Rememebr my 1st as though it were yesterday. Departed Leeds City station headed for Isle of Grain, where I joined my 1st BP tanker 'British Grenadier' - GJCH. Felt a bit queasy during crossing Bay of Biscay on way to Kuwait via Suez. 1st RO was from Fishguard - can't remember his name but he looked a lot like that old actor Robert Morley. Once he was convinced I knew what I was doing, I hardly seen him except on occasions when he ran out of booze.
Pretty much uneventful trip, but was slightly miffed when I was told after 6 months that I had to go on leave. Thought at the time life onboard was great and didn't want to leave. Alas went of from there, doing mostly freelance work with various companies like Star shipping, Zimm line and Canadian Pacific before hearing about this wonderful world offshore, so after 9 years deepsea, tansferred to offshore life where I was intended to give it 5 years at the most. However a lifetime later I am still here. Great to hear those voyages of discovery, with names and places that bring back many memories. Keep em coming mateys

 

Offshore Eddie here again, Forgot to mention at the onset, that my ventures began back in 1965 after many years chasing a 2nd then a 1st class PMG at NESWT in Bridlington E Yorks, Had the time of my life there and had some great fellow students. Unfortunatel never kept in touch and often wonder whatever happened to many of them. Any ex-NESWT R/o's out there.???

 

Hello Eddie. I was at NESWT as part of the last intake and left in '65 when it closed and we were scattered to the four winds. If you left in that year with a ticket our paths must have crossed, but you would have been ahead of me. Hawkeye01, who will no doubt see your post, is probably more of your vintage.

For information, there is a NESWT website at http://daimler.co.uk/neswt/ that you might be interested in. If you remember Mervyn "Doc" Foster I can put you in touch with him. Sadly, his sidekick, Ian "Gus" Alexander died a few years ago while en route to join a ship.

John T.

 

Welcome aboard from East Yorkshire, Eddie.
No doubt you'll meet our gang of NESWT reprobates soon as they see your post.
I went to Hull 64 to 66 but I now live 12 miles from Brid.
Enjoy the trip.

 

John T,

Think I left Brid sometime in 64, went back to leeds and spent a few months working as a stage hand at Leeds grand theatre before my dad asked me when I was gonna use the tickets he had worked and paid for, and eventually got away think it was March 0f 65.
Afraid cannot remember either DOC or GUS.

Eddie

 

Junior R/O time BRYNW

Left Wireless College Colwyn Bay clutching my 2nd class PMG December 1956 and joined Marconi to be sent to Eastham office where I joined the B&I ship Kenya as 3rd R/O Chief was Jack Masterman and the 2nd was a guy called Rice, (forgot his first name). We all did a watch apiece although they were keeping a watch on me at the same time, two great guys they taught me a great deal. Must have had a good report from Jack Masterman as I signed off the Kenya 18/2/57 after two months and one week.
Marconi allowed me 7 days leave and I then joined the Baron Berwick on 25/2/57 in Tilbury as R/O could not believe it as I thought we had to do at least 6 months accompanied. Stuck it out with Hungry Hogarths for one trip and sent a message to Marconi "Get me off this ship as I am starving" believe it or not they sent a relief out to Rotterdam and I signed off on the 11/4/57 having done a grand total of 46 days. Mind you they got their own back as the next ship was a Caltex Tanker and I never saw the UK for another 15 months.
After that it was all plain sailing solo as R/O wherever they sent me other than my time aboard the "La Cordillera" for Buries Markes when Marconi actually put a trainee with me for his first trip, we only had to do an 8 hour day between us so after the first week or so I had it easy from then on in as he was the keen type and I could not get near the office seat as he logged in at least 15 minutes before time which suited me down to the ground.
BrynW

 

Leith Nautical College - applied to something like 85 companies (I didn't know there were so many shipping companies around) in the late 70's - only got one positive reply; and after a trade test and interview at Newcastle (2 days long) joined Marconi.

1st Ship was the m/v Tactician (4 and a half months)- Birkenhead-Port Sudan-Aden-Mombasa-Tanga or Pemba?-Dar Es Salaam-Zanzibar-Mocambique-Mombasa-Avonmouth. Great time (make that a wonderful time) spent mostly doing ALRS corrections and some light morse work (majority of time spent ashore playing footie and/or drinking Tusker). Senior R/O was from Dunloughaire (Dublin) and very very old - can't now remember his name.
2nd Ship was gtv Asiafreighter (2 months-ish)- Greenock-NY(Weehawken NJ)-Baltimore-Wilmington(NC)-Charleston-Savanah-Le Havre-Rotterdam-Bremmerhaven-Hamburg(?)-Greenock. Lousy time spent with a bunch of cliquey a***holes - busy as well with morse and the then very new INMARSAT system. Only highlight was getting severe damage crossing the pond and being stuck in NY for 10 days....only decent time spent on that thing. Senior R/O was an a**wipe from Newcastle.

Was supposed to go on my own after my 1st trip on a small Fisher vessel with radioactive waste from Sellafield to Japan but was very ill when they phoned - not faking it - as I was genuinely ill - alhough on reflection was the best thing I did as the ship later sank (although not sure if that was the trip I should have done or was later on...). Either way, a lucky escape even having to endure the Asiafreighter.

 

2nd R/O

Came out of radio college in '69 and joined Mimco's after failing to join NZS, who wanted people with experience!

First trip was on Shell's ''Serenia"/GHLE, which I joined after a long and tedious trip out to Thameshaven. I was overwhelmed by the size of the ship and her gear, with a Crusader main TX which I'd never seen, we having trained on the inevitable Oceanspan at college. Remember meeting the chief R/O, Paddy someone, who hailed from the Emerald Isle and had been at sea for 21 years, longer than I'd been alive! He passed me a can of beer to complement the effects of various inocculations I'd just had, then introduced me to the radio room with the words: "This'll be your radio room, Jim. If you need me you know where to find me." (In the bar.)

Great stuff. I was scared witless but learned a lot. First customer came up the day we sailed and wanted to send an SLT home. I passed him the pad at which point he scowled a bit and said something to the effect that "Sparks usually writes it out"... First mistake. He was the Chief Engineer. I was really in at the deep end. Never saw my 'boss' but he had the endearing habit of coming into the radio room long after I'd gone to bed and leaving a b######ing note for me when I fronted up next morning. He'd do it on a message pad and the ballpoint pen would've gone through the first 5 or 6 pages with the energy of said telling off. Great stuff again. Lots of fun when something failed. He was far too fat to get down to see anything below waist level and would relay instructions to me from a circuit diagram while I took measurements with an AVO. Actually, he was too large to get behind the bar and had to get somebody else to get his drinks for him.

But I did learn a lot, and fast. Saw the sinking of the VLCC '"Marpessa" in '69 off Dakar and I was tied to the radio room the whole time while everyone else was out filming and watching the fire, etc. Baptism of fire alright.

Pay in those days for the first six months was £61 12s 6d and I was paying Mimco's £5 a month in repayments for a loan to buy my uniform. Still got the Mimco handout (in mint condition) - Passport to the World. Went down to West Africa for several trips and back to Europe. Food onboard was the best bit of it all. Chinese crew and a long sprint down the flying bridge to the saloon aft. Used to have to time that sprint when seas were being shipped across the maindeck or risk a soaking. Wouldn't have had it any other way!

Paul

 

First trip was on a reefer, "Scamper Universal/4QTH", Sri Lankan flag and owned in a roundabout way by Safmarine to avoid apartheid problems. Joined her in Marseille and remember thinking it was the rustiest ship I'd ever seen (and still is!). Straight to drydock in Setubal then back and forward from Europe to the Caribbean with bananas. Have always thought reefers are the classiest looking vessels. This was in 1986 and I took every opportunity to use morse, despite having radiotelex onboard. Remember working Portishead one time and the operator saying "good morse" - praise from God I thought at the time! Had 3 seniors in 6 months, 2 Brits and a Sri Lankan. The Sri Lankan guy had a very distinctive "fist", didn't hold the key but just tapped it with one finger. 3 years later I heard a ship calling Las Palmas radio - thought I recognised the fist, called him up on the off chance and sure enough it was him.

On my first trip as qualified R/O, they gave me a junior. Decent bloke from Manchester. Old Man was doing his weekly rounds when he came storming up to the shack, shouting blue murder and wanting to find the junior. JRO had disappeared half an hour earlier to his cabin for a call of nature and inadvertently left a "log in the bog". I was invited to view this fine specimen and given instructions to bollock the guy when he came back. The fact the skipper took it so seriously made it even funnier. Happy days.

 

Applied to MIMC in November 1948 but there were no vacancies. Was told that was caused by many ex wartime R/Os being able to get a 2nd class by sitting a paper (understand there was about six papers doing the rounds and you would get one of them) In November 1950 after demob from the RAF and a MOT Radar ticket I applied and was accepted immediately. Two weeks at Cardiff learning all about MIMC paper work. Joined my first ship,a collier, Chelwood at Blyth and met one of the nicest Captains I ever sailed with. A Shetland gentleman Jim Clark. After my six months were up I stayed on for a further six and would have stayed longer but of course MIMC did not like to let you stay too long on any one ship. Never discovered why. Next ship was the British Endeavour with the usual trip up the Persian Gulf.Stayed on her for over two years.MIMC must have forgot that I existed. Was never on any ship with another R/O until I returned to the sea in 1987 having renewed my ticket. Had a young girl as junior and my wife accompanied me. Life with Redifon and laterly Panocean Anco where I stayed for ten years. What a different world I found after eighteen years ashore. Guess I was born too soon.
Bert.

 

After getting my PMG at Leith Nautical in 1954 Marconi sent me down to AST
Hamble to bone up on various bits of equipment then joined my first ship "Avistone/GBSV" as 2nd R/O on the Iron Ore trade to the Med and UK with one trip to Conakry thenwent on my own on British Gratitude/MAGQ on the UK/Baltic/Northern Norway/Sweden run then made the fatal mistake of joining the Palamcotta in Middlesboro and got back to the UK about 5 years later after found out I was with BI out in India on such exotic ships as Dara Karanja Itaura Itria and Orna,even my folks had emigrated to Canada by the time I got home
Ern Barrett

 

In Australia, we did 3 months understudy time. This was enough, really – if you didn’t know the job after 3 months, well then you shouldn’t have been there. In reality, the 3 month period was probably at the request of tight ship-owners, rather than the result of any considered training analysis, however…

I joined my first ship, Ariake/GWED in Melbourne on November 30, 1980. I still remember walking up the gangway for the first time.

Ariake was a beautiful P and O box boat, about 35,000T (big, in those days). She looked like a yacht – white hull/superstructure and black funnels. We had all the P and O stuff – uniform of the day, Chinese stewards, 12 pax, drinkies, the whole deal.

Ariake was built in Bremerhaven in the mid 70’s, and was fitted out beautifully.

The radio room was fantastic – two STR1600 main tx and two Collins synthesised receivers – both of which worked off the 24v batts when needed.

A dream for a first tripper – it was all down hill from there, ship wise, that’s for sure!

We were on a regular liner service between Australia and Japan, with the occasional South Korean trip thrown in. Three ports in Australia, and 4 ports in Japan.

I was a very active amateur radio operator before I went to sea, so operating was no big deal for me. I fronted up for my first watch with my electronic keyer under my arm – much to the Chief’s surprise…

I had 2 Chiefs in the 3 months in GWED – the first was a real old timer who didn’t want me there at all – we split the watches – I did the 8-12 and he did the other 2 (much to my annoyance..). I worked on my sun tan on the monkey island in the afternoon…

This all changed when the 2nd Chief came aboard – I did all the watches. He was a mad Irishman by the name of Tom Brady – a first class R/O and a lovely bloke. He insisted that I learnt to take the wx on the typewriter – a great skill that I used on every other ship. Tom and I still keep in touch.

The Japanese coast stations were really efficient. You could set your watch by their traffic lists, and their signals were excellent. I always wondered why I could work JCS in Sydney Harbour, but VIS was QSA1 in Tokyo Bay!

I found out many years later that the VIS 22MHz CW tx antenna was a single dipole, at about 20 feet above ground……

A good trick Tom taught me when calling JCS on HF was to slur the J in your initial call and not to use your own callsign (i.e. JCS JCS JCS…) – apparently Japanese ships used this trick – it always worked….JCS thought I was a Japanese ship and came straight back with a DE.

Halcyon days.

I did 11 years at sea – I went to sea as a bright eyed 19 yo, and was at sea for all of my 20’s.

With the advent of GMDSS, we were offered either retraining as a mate, or a golden handshake. By this stage, I had about 100 hrs understudy time on the bridge, and the old man was letting me do meal reliefs. I would regularly do the telegraphs and the movement book on the bridge. So, I was set to follow my father (a mate during WW2) on to the bridge.

However, the demands of a young family meant that the bag of gold at the bottom of the gangway was just too tempting, and I swallowed the anchor in 1991.

I have remained in the marine radio field ever since.

Would I do it again?

Yep.

 

Bryn Williams - Silent Key

Bryn's key went silent 17 Feb 2010, also posted on Shipmates Remembered of this forum.

Those who knew him will miss him and those who didn't will simply have missed out.

RIP

 

My experience was like Holland 25. Joined Royal Mail Line ship Aragon in London docks. Green as grass!. Chief was named Rollason and retired at the end of the trip. 2/R/O was Jack Barter who died on the Royston Grange. AEI radio gear which I had never ever seen. Sick as a dog the whole trip. In fact I was told to give up seafaring. The 1966 seamans striked started just after we sailed and sometimes the GKA HF 24 ship traffic list would only have 2 call signs GVSV (Nevasa I think) and GVVT which was us. I think were the only ship during the strike to sail into Southampton and out again. Shipping master would not sign the crew off as the had signed on in London.
Came home and had more leave than I had earnt. Soon as the strike broke
back to RML and sister ship Amazon /GVVV. Wonderful times in BA and the 2/R/O's were always very helpful. Dont regret any of it.

 

Hi Graham:

Nevasa was GPQV. I joined her in 1970, after a trip on Akaroa (ex-Amazon). By that time, GVVV had a Crusader and R408, with an Oceanspan VIIE and Atalanta as backup. I was transferred onto GVVV in Cape Town after the Chief R/O had to go home as his wife had developed brain cancer. His name was Bob Pett or Petch? - perhaps you remember him or maybe Ron can help as I believe Bob ended up working in Elettra House, Chelmsford, in the accounts department. I really enjoyed (most of) my time on her. Best callsign I ever sent.

(Graham: Just read your input about Bob Petch in another thread.)

 

Mimcoman, Many thanks for that. Most interesting. When I was on GVVV the gear was all AEI. 600 w main TX which seem to work quite well. Old fashioned receivers. Bob Petch was a lovely guy from E.London. He must have been made chief after Ted Winslow retired. Winslow was an interesting character if of a rather peppery dispostion. Former gun runner in the Spanish civil war and personal friend of Louis Mountbatten who he always referred to as "Louis".
Somebody did tell me once that the C/R/O had been flown home from SA having a wife with cancer. I seem to remember they had had a little boy quite late in life. One can only assume that Bob is a silent key these days.
Got the call sign of the Nevasa wrong. I must ask one of my GKA colleagues who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of call signs which ships GVSV was.
Was it Empress of Canada. Not sure. I remember the stunning nursing sister was girlfriend of one of the Nevasa's r/o's. Great days. Remembered with pleasure.

 

Morning Graham,

GVSV was not the Empress of Canada - seem to think it was GHLA. Thought GVSV was a RM A class but you would know better on that score. I am sure the RO on the Nevasa who's' girlfriend was the nursing sister was John Menzie or similar name. I should know his name as I did know him. He had been on the Kampala/Kenya/Uganda for a longtime with a 2nd class and he came to NESWT to take his 1st Class so he could be made Ch RO. He was on the Amazon at one stage and also a friend of mine who was 2nd called Dave Gunn.

Neville - Hawkey01

 

Empress of Canada was indeed GHLA. Did several relieving trips in her during 1968.

Jim

 

Obtained PMG2nd at Merseyside College of Radio ,1962, tutor Gerry Ludden. Joined Marconi. First ship Strick Line Armanistan, Manchester,Persian Gulf, India and Liverpool. Ch/R/O Angus McNeil. He had never trained a junior before and was reluctant to let me loose on the morse key prefering to use his bug key which I must admit he handled well. He did however introduce me to the pleasures of whisky. 4 months later joined the Elders and Fyffes Changuinola for two trips Garston to Cameroons and back. Ch/R/O T.P.Jones from Shropshire. A good man who was appalled at my lack of operational experience, so made sure I did everything, my confidence grew and I left very grateful to my good friend Mr Jones. I was now on my own with two short trips with Cunard and PSNC before deep sea with Silver Line.

 

HI fellas,
When I got my MRGC from Northern Counties I must have written to every shipping company listed ! Nobody was taking on in 1979. I was very lucky and got an interview with the GPO to join GKA which I passed and duly ended up in Burnham. I loved every minute of my time at GKA but still felt that I wanted to go to sea.To my eternal shame I used to spend time whilst on night shift in the telex wing, B wing I think, sending out applications to foreign shipping companies. I ended up with the offer of a job on an Italian LPG ship called the Luigi Casale/ IBVL. I was to have 1 Month with the R/O, I joined the ship (bright orange with a blue funnel with a dolphin breathing fire on it) in Cochin S.India and sailed to Kuwait to pick up amonia and then back to Bombay 2 days discharge and then Cochin 7 days discharge. The R/O paid off in Bombay, Good bloke very laid back. That left me and a ship full of Italians ! I stayed on that ship for 10 months and had the time of my life It wasn't until a few years later that I actually sailed on a British flagged ship when I joined Electro Nav. I can honestly say that I loved my time at sea and in hindsight wished I had never left, but thats the way it goes. cheers
Nick Mc.