A further Memoire of my voyages on the Windsor Castle

[Bill Cameron]

I joined the Windsor Castle on 24th Apr 1962, as a Tourist Class winger with three fellow Scots, we met on the train coming south from Edinburgh. There was Bill Smith from Aberdeen, Tommy Hagen from Fraserburgh, and Johnny Rollo from Nairn, all east coast Scots, so we became good mates, we shared the same cabin for six voyages, we always made sure we had the same cabin each voyage, as we used to dismantle the mirror , and stuff 200 ciggys in the space, for our own use when we got back on board, after leave, we never got caught.
As I said earlier all four of us became great pals, so much so, I invited Bill Smith to be my best man at my wedding in Oct 1962, Tommy and Johnny were guests too.
When we used to go to the Pig, for a beer, a first class winger of the other gender used to join us for the Scots craic, as he came from Kirkcaldy, he was in his forty’s and had work in some Royal households, so therefore was known to all as the “Duchess” .
Some how the Duchess found out I was being married in Edinburgh, and threatened to come to the Kirk and when the Minister says the words “Does anyone have any just cause” he said he was going to stand up and say “Yes Me ducky”. I was terrified, I made my best man and guests swear not to say a word to anyone on board.
At my wedding, when the minister uttered the dreaded words, I froze, believe me if anyone had even coughed, I would have fainted on the spot. Luckily the Duchess never got my wedding Kirk from my mates.
I told my wife many months later.

[happy daze john in oz]

Bill, that guy I remember.
He claimed he had worked at Buck House but no one would believe him, then he pulled out a letter of recommendation from one of the Royal Household.

There were a few from Ireland as well in the tourist gallop then, Jimmy Quirke in charge of day watch and a Jimmy Kenealy who went to the Transvaal Castle and turned out to be as gay as they come but no one on the Windsor ever knew.

[Bill Cameron]

Bill, that guy I remember.
He claimed he had worked at Buck House but no one would believe him, then he pulled out a letter of recommendation from one of the Royal Household.

There were a few from Ireland as well in the tourist gallop then, Jimmy Quirke in charge of day watch and a Jimmy Kenealy who went to the Transvaal Castle and turned out to be as gay as they come but no one on the Windsor ever knew.

Thanks John, for confirming the Duchess’s identity, the other names you mentioned, I have no recollection of, sadly I cannot picture you either, but we must have rubbed shoulders at some time.

[happy daze john in oz]

I was on the other side of the salon. Starboard, you were on the Port side with the second pursers table if I recall correctly.