Merchant Navy Day

[Lucius Apuleius]

Today is Merchant Navy Day. I had the privilege of raising the red ensign at Stirling Council offices this morning. Merchant Seamen are without doubt the forgotten service. We did not sign up to go to wars before anyone says we knew what we were letting ourselves in for. :wink: However, we had to. Biggest difference between Royal Navy and Merchant Navy? The RN had guns to fight back, we never.

[liamh2202]

Today is Merchant Navy Day. I had the privilege of raising the red ensign at Stirling Council offices this morning. Merchant Seamen are without doubt the forgotten service. We did not sign up to go to wars before anyone says we knew what we were letting ourselves in for. :wink: However, we had to. Biggest difference between Royal Navy and Merchant Navy? The RN had guns to fight back, we never.


Nothing but respect from a serving submariner 👍

[johnbc70]

Always wish I had joined the merchant navy when younger, too late now.

[Pete]

Grandad got sunk three times during the war and lived to tell the tale. Utmost respect for them all.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

Who wrote the poem in the thumbnail LA?

[liamh2202]

Who wrote the poem in the thumbnail LA?

I've heard it a few times hutchy so was interested when you asked there. A Google brings it up as Eileen Mahoney although there are another couple of names linked with it. It is included in a lot of naval remembrance ceremonies.

[Haymaker]

My brother is MN and we will be raising a glass later

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

I've heard it a few times hutchy so was interested when you asked there. A Google brings it up as Eileen Mahoney although there are another couple of names linked with it. It is included in a lot of naval remembrance ceremonies.

Cheers! Very apt anyway.

[Pretty Boy]

Pretty sure my Grans uncle was killed whilst serving in the MN during WWII. They always seem like the forgotten heroes of that, and no doubt other, conflicts.

[liamh2202]

Pretty sure my Grans uncle was killed whilst serving in the MN during WWII. They always seem like the forgotten heroes of that, and no doubt other, conflicts.

Absolutely no doubt about it..as the op said. Serve in the same war zones as us royal navy but have no way of defending themselves.

[Lucius Apuleius]

Who wrote the poem in the thumbnail LA?


I've heard it a few times hutchy so was interested when you asked there. A Google brings it up as Eileen Mahoney although there are another couple of names linked with it. It is included in a lot of naval remembrance ceremonies.

As you say Liam it has been attributed to a few people. The best 28 years of my life :greengrin

[DaveF]

My uncle was in the merchant navy for years - maybe his whole life. I say maybe, because as a youngster I never saw him for 6 months then he would pitch up at our house and kip in a tiny boxroom for a month or so until he disappeared again. He never had a home to call his own, so my Mum would take him in and all I really remember of him as a kid was how drunk he was (the old salt was his haunt I think) and the smell of old holborn roll ups he used to smoke. I used to (selfishly) think he was a bit of a pub pest, but I bet he had some good stories to tell and visited some great places.

[MSK]

My late Father joined the merchant navy at 15 yo, he went off and trained on the old SS Dolphin in 1957 and went on to sail all over the world. The sea was his life and many times as a youth myself and my big Brother would go down to Leith docks to wave him off as he ventured off to somewhere afar.

When he passed away aged 69 we scattered his ashes at the docks, a place he loved and a place he will eternally call home.

[Hibrandenburg]

I had an old Salty Sea Dog as a neighbour and it was his travel stories that awoke an interest in me to see the world. For some reason he never really fitted in in my village and by the time his shore leave was over you could see he was just itching to get away again. I never did get to join the merchant navy because it was in massive decline when I left school but I did get out and see a bit of the world and still do. The service the Merchant Navy provided in both world wars can never be over estimated.

[Keith_M]

Grandad got sunk three times during the war and lived to tell the tale. Utmost respect for them all.

I mean no disrespect to your Grandad but I couldn't help thinking of the character 'Uncle Albert' from Only Fools And Horses when I read that

http://www.hibs.net/images/smilies/greengrin2.gif




I had an old Salty Sea Dog as a neighbour and it was his travel stories that awoke an interest in me to see the world. For some reason he never really fitted in in my village and by the time his shore leave was over you could see he was just itching to get away again. I never did get to join the merchant navy because it was in massive decline when I left school but I did get out and see a bit of the world and still do. The service the Merchant Navy provided in both world wars can never be over estimated.


Who was that?

[Hibrandenburg]

I mean no disrespect to your Grandad but I couldn't help thinking of the character 'Uncle Albert' from Only Fools And Horses when I read that

http://www.hibs.net/images/smilies/greengrin2.gif






Who was that?

Guy called Henry Baggs, was the uncle of Alan and Amanda Baggs who lived left and right of me when I lived in Albert Crescent. Was always blootered. He used to take me to the Commie Pool and once did a belly flop from the 10m board trying to impress me. :greengrin

[Pete]

I mean no disrespect to your Grandad but I couldn't help thinking of the character 'Uncle Albert' from Only Fools And Horses when I read that

http://www.hibs.net/images/smilies/greengrin2.gif


My dad (his son) recently showed me his log book which documented every journey and every ship he was on during his entire career. The entries that told of the losses were chillingly short and devoid of any details, almost as if it were a normal part of the service. Fascinating stuff and I'm going to have to see if there are any details online of any of the ships he was on or incidents he was involved in to really bring it to life.

[Keith_M]

Guy called Henry Baggs, was the uncle of Alan and Amanda Baggs who lived left and right of me when I lived in Albert Crescent. Was always blootered. He used to take me to the Commie Pool and once did a belly flop from the 10m board trying to impress me. :greengrin


The name 'Amanda Baggs' sounds familiar.

Didn't know their uncle but he sounds like some guy

[Keith_M]

My dad (his son) recently showed me his log book which documented every journey and every ship he was on during his entire career. The entries that told of the losses were chillingly short and devoid of any details, almost as if it were a normal part of the service. Fascinating stuff and I'm going to have to see if there are any details online of any of the ships he was on or incidents he was involved in to really bring it to life.


:aok:

[Hibrandenburg]

The name 'Amanda Baggs' sounds familiar.

Didn't know their uncle but he sounds like some guy

Alan/Allan was in our year. Amanda a year below, they were cousins like half of wallyford I suppose :wink:

[Lucius Apuleius]

My dad (his son) recently showed me his log book which documented every journey and every ship he was on during his entire career. The entries that told of the losses were chillingly short and devoid of any details, almost as if it were a normal part of the service. Fascinating stuff and I'm going to have to see if there are any details online of any of the ships he was on or incidents he was involved in to really bring it to life.

The saddest part of all that was the treatment they received from the shipping companies. If your ship was sunk your wages stopped that day, no matter how long it took you to get back to the UK.

[Pete]

The saddest part of all that was the treatment they received from the shipping companies. If your ship was sunk your wages stopped that day, no matter how long it took you to get back to the UK.

Madness. It was just as well it was when people really looked after each other and down Leith (citadel in their case) and your door was genuinely always left open.

[Keith_M]

Alan/Allan was in our year. Amanda a year below, they were cousins like half of wallyford I suppose :wink:


Yeah, you had about a hundred of them.


I only had four cousins in Wallyford... that I was aware of :wink: