My First Trip

[vic mcclymont]

I sailed on the SA VAAL as Fourth Electrician.
After leaving Soton on the Friday and with standby over the ship settled into its routine. One of the duties of the Leckies was to show the movies to the passengers. I was instructed to assist the 3rd Leckie and learn how to operate the projectors.
I can remember the first film as though it was yesterday, It was The Battle of Britain. Whilst the RAF were gunning down the Germans, I was busy killing the cockroaches which were crawling all over the viewing windows of the projector room. I think I killed as many roaches as the RAF gunned down German planes.

[Doc Vernon]

Some first Trip Vic
I am rather amazed that there would have been so many Roaches on board ! Wasn't there a health check !
Hate the little creatures! (yep those other types too ) LOL!
Cheers

[Ivan Cloherty]

Showing movies to the passengers!!!!!!!!!!! killing cockroaches!!!!!!!!!!!, sounds like bit of luxury to me.

My first trip, 13 years old, down a closed hold chopping ice on s.t.'Swanland' (built 1914) whilst on the way to Iceland and Bear Island to spread on the fish trays when trawling began, WATCHING MOVIES!!, I WISH !!!

[Doc Vernon]

Yes Ivan
Does sound like a wee bit of luxury,but not with the roaches around hahah!
My first trip I was given a Bucket a Scrubbing Brush and told to get down and clean the Stairs and Entry to the First Class Dining Area on the old Dunnottar Castle!
Some intro that was,but hey loved it all!
Cheers

[happy daze john in oz]

Those roaches could well have been meant as Hors deorves in the tourist gallop but escaped.

[Ivan Cloherty]

#6 Couldn't land in Bear Island Richard, good fishing but dangerous waters winter and summer. Very very rare that distant water trawler men got to land anywhere, exceptions being severe medical conditions (but never Bear Island) nearest hospitals were in Iceland, fortunately for me (but unfortunately for crew mate) crew member got appendicitus and had to be landed in Seydisfjordun on East Coast of Iceland where spent a few hours, my first foreign country at age 13, no big deal now, but a rarity in those immediate post war days, boy did I have something to brag about, it ignited the flame.

[Captain Kong]

There is nothing wrong with Cockroaches
They kept us alive on the Nicholas K, London Greek, the only fresh meat we got until we loaded live goats in Indian for the galley.in 1954.
There is more protein in cockroaches, pound for pound, than there is in a beef steak.
Films were unheard of on my ships until the 60s.
Happy days.
Brian

[Doc Vernon]

Rather you than me Capt!
I would rather eat nothing and try and survive on whatever else there was !LOL!
cHEERS

[Ivan Cloherty]

Rather you than me Capt!
I would rather eat nothing and try and survive on whatever else there was !LOL!
cHEERS

When you're hungry Doc, you'll eat most anything, spent long months at a time over four years in Ethiopia on famine relief aid and distribution, when you're hungry believe me you'll try anything

[Doc Vernon]

I guess you are correct there .but I would have to be near dead to try the Roaches!
Rather go for witchery Grubs in the Outback LOL! Yuk too !!
But possibly a wee bit more tasty!??
Cheers

But think I would rather end it all if it came to the crunch,into the Ocean I would walk and sink!