s.s.'Mantola', the start of a career.

A letter arrived, appointing me to the s.s. 'Mantola', and I was required to join her on Tuesday 29th August 1947. I asked Dad whether there was any advice he could give to his son, about to embark on his sea career.

He thought for a bit, and then said 'Yes. When you coil down a rope, always coil it clockwise'

'Thanks, Dad', I said. Ever since then I have been eager to demonstrate how to coil a rope, though so far no-one has asked.

Mother was determined to take a photograph of me in full uniform, in the middle of Worcestershire. Three awkward buttons on each sleeve, so designed, apparently, to prevent me from wiping my nose on them. How to wear the cap was the big question - raked to one side? slightly toward the back of one's head?

The author at home, 28/8/47, the day before joining first ship.Photo by Peggy Barnett.

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The Royal Docks, London, 1960. King George V Dock is in the foreground, with a drydock at the far end. Beyond is the Royal Albert Dock, with a swing bridge into Victoria Dock at the far end. After entering from the river via the lock, bottom right in the photograph, ships negotiated the cut into the RA Doc. First stop was the Import (near) side to discharge. Then across to the Export side to load. Photo by Aerofilms Ltd.

The big day finally arrived, and I found myself at the bottom of the 'Mantola's gangway on the Import side of the Royal Albert Dock. Somehow I was conveyed, together with my trunk, to the cabin that was going to be home for the next year and seven months.

It was already occupied by two new Scottish Cadets, Alastair Ewing and Boris Gordon. They told me, triumphantly, that as they had arrived that morning they were, and would forever be, senior to me. What is more, they had been to the same pre sea training college in Glasgow. Both wore caps which had been specially stressed and strained to make them look like real sea-dogs. Boris (aka Alastair) told me that he got his nick-name because he looked like Karloff.

The cabin that we were about to share for a long period of time deserves to be described.

It was situated on the Port side, fore end of the Boat Deck, the third cabin abaft the Chief Officer's. As with the other cabins on both sides of our block, it was entered directly from the deck, stepping over a coaming. It had a stout teak outer 'weather' door, and an inner jalousie door.

The width of the cabin was eay to remember; the length of the bunks across the inboard bulkhead (lying fore and aft, one above the other) plus nine inches.

Second Officer having afternoon tea, sitting on his coaming. Note wind-up window, open teak door, closed jalousie door, and the handrails, essential in rough weather.

The length of the cabin (from door to inboard bulkhead) could be found by adding the length of my bunk (a high one, to the right of the doorway, and with drawers underneath), plus the width of the end bunks and a tiny cupboard about eighteen inches wide.

To the left of the doorway under the wind-up window was a washbasin with a mirror over it. Between the basin and the end bunks was a settee, with drawers underneath. Between the doormat and the bunks across the far end there was just enough length and breadth for a loose single width of hard wearing carpet six feet long, the intricate red and blue design of which I became very familiar with over the years. We called it 'BI Carpet'. All woodwork in the cabin was a very dark shade of brown varnish. Bulkheads and deckhead were white.

After our Goanese steward ('Boy') had brought our tea in the morning at 0545, our first job was to make our bunks and clean the cabin, which included taking the carpet up and scrubbing the deck underneath. The deck consisted of teak planks over beams, with steel plate strengthening in way of the lifeboats.

The basin taps were just for show; there were no pipes, no running water. The basin drained into a large white enamel bucket, which we took turns to empty into the toilet outside.

There was another three berth Cadets' cabin on the Starboard side of the block, housing two cadets more senior to ourselves. (Brian Palmer and Hodges). Nobby Clark, Senior Cadet, occupied the Fourth Officer's cabin, Port side.

A square steel structure at the forward outboard end of the boat deck served a dual purpose. It supported the Bridge wing, and it provided space for a narrow toilet at the fore end, and a bathroom, entered from the after end. There was a similar bathroom and toilet on the Starboard side.

Cadets Brian Palmer and Nobby Clark (Senior Cadet), Port Said in background, Starboard toilet door on left, note construction of the Bridge deck above, teak planks over beams.

The bath was uncompromisingly white enamelled cast iron, and stood on a black and white tiled deck. Salt water taps were provided. A white enamel basin lay astride the bath on a board, together with an aluminium measuring jug. Inside the bathroom, by the inboard bulkhead, there was a cold fresh water tap. Hot water could be obtained from a tap at the fore end of the accommodation block abaft the bunker hatch.

The general bathing routine was to fill the basin with hot fresh water, and use the jug to wash, thereby keeping the basin water clear for the final douching.