Boulevard Nautical School

[Ivan Cloherty]

I try to live by all those, but found that #9 doesn't work, as she keeps dragging me back!

[Antony Blackburn]

Rummaging through my old photographs the other day, I chanced upon one given to me by Eddie Carrison that shows some of the pre-sea students, some who I recognise but many I don't. I recognise John Needham, Eddie Carrison, Ken Curry. Needhams the plonker in the front row with his eyes shut, but you can't have it all - good looks and brains and he had plenty of the latter.

Never ask a Yorkshireman where he's from,BNS 1956 Assembly.jpg otherwise he'll take two hours to tell you and if by chance he's not from Yorkshire at all - why humiliate the man!!

Cheers all - Bennie Blackburn

[Paul Kirk]

Hi everyone I attended the Boulevard Nautical School think it was 1965. I was lucky to lodge with George and Connie Tulloch. George had the Barbers Shop across the road from the Nautical School, think it was Boynton Street. We John Senior and I Paul Kirk used to go play snooker with him after he closed the Barbers Shop. We lodged with them for 4 years and Connie his wife was a great cook. George and Connie had two sons who both left home to train as Catholic Priests. I became the Cadet Captain (Head Boy) I think it was that I really struggled with my Spelling but struggles to keep up, but did always finished if it took all night. We lived in Scunthorpe so had to catch the ferry to New Holland and bus home. The next 4 years passed quick and it was time decide which company to join. I chose Mobil Shipping Company as they had a small terminal on the river Trent. This was great for my mail to be delivered their during the postal strike. I took my 2nd mates ticket in South Shields where I studied. Then my Chief Mates in Hull. I got married to Sue and she came away with me for the next 2 years.
I finished leaving the Merchant Navy and got a job at Nypro after the rebuild due to a massive explosion. Then ran my own Petrol Station ⛽️ and Supermarket in Scunthorpe. Along with a 7 bedroom Motel. Now retired with my wife Sue and we both enjoy our family. We are still boating as we have a boat at Glanford Boat Cub on the Ancholme in Brigg.
Thank you for reading this bit of my life. I was the Mayor of North Lincolnshire 1997 to 1998.. Thank you for reading this. If you read it again it may put you to sleep. I must say thank you to all my loverly customers, staff who supported us. If this doesn’t put you to sleep 😴 nothing will. Sue and Paul Kirk.

[Paul Kirk]

How many remember swimming a mile at Albert Avenue think it was 50 lengths. When you completed your swim you could hardly walk. We did get a certificate but don’t think it would help if you were not seen going overboard.
In the Pacific. I loved my job at sea with my wife Sue and it was nice to have about 6 wives on board. They really made life at sea better for everyone as the arranged party’s for birthdays and Christmas. Thanks Paul and Sue Kirk.

[Paul Kirk]

Ernest you are in the right place now. We wanted to have a place in Spain but put it off due to Covid. I have a Motorhome but it was a long way to drive there and Back. and costly with fuel and ferries. We are waiting for things to improve, but how long I have no idea. Might fly from Doncaster or Humberside Airport. We have friends who live near Catral and they seem happy.

[Paul Kirk]

Ernest I was at the Boulevard Nautical School from 1966 to 1970. I became the Cadet Captain and lodged with George Tulloch who had the Barbers Shop across the road in Boynton Street. This is where everyone hung out during lunchtime. I joined Mobil Shipping Company and work my way up to Chief Officer. Next step was Captain but decided to leave as we wanted to start a family together. Sue did join me on most trips but kids were not allowed. Worked for Saybolts as Cargo inspector around the U.K. Finished up buying a Petrol Station with Shop and Bungalow. Was the Mayor of North Lincolnshire also.

[James Hill]

I went to sea approx from 1964 to 1967 (Blue Star Line) so would have been at what I think we called Hull Nautical College for 18 months prior to that.



Still Captain Willsteed; Jim Weatherston for 'bertwork' - loved his Hull accent - and seamanship; Dougie Buckle for nav I think; Mr Fearon for Engineering Sciene.

Morse code practice, live, in Trawler Cooks' domain, where they taught oven temperaturs in 'hands' - how long you could keep your hand in the oven, counted in seconds. I Know! I thought I'd made it up till I bought McCann's book from Amazon: it's true.

Class mates Alfie Spurr, Richard Walter, Lance Pawson, Choppy Wood, Dave (?Alderton?) from Filey, Ken Pepper . . .

Lots of boatwork in Prince's Dock, and building and sailing Enterprise dinghies on Whelton(?SP?) Water - may have been part of Duke of Ed's Award.

Having got only two GCEs at Ilkley Grammar School, I got four at Hull - Maths, Navigation, Seamanship and Engineering Science - thanks largely to the grown-up attitude/ethos of the place, which I'd summarise as "If you do the work, we'll get you through. If you don't want to do it, sit at the back and don't make a noise." I got the first Grade 1 in Seamanship they'd had in seven years. I was awarded the Odyssey Prize for Seamanship by Blue Funnel - a nice telescope with my name on it. Thank you, Blue Flue!

~ Steve Hill

[j.sabourn]

#107. You sound as though your seatime was brief James or am I reading your post the wrong way.? Did you stay in the shipping world in another capacity. Circumstances in life sometimes live up to the saying “ if only “ . Usually it is someone of the opposite sex that drags one ashore. The only reason I stayed at sea no one would supply enough inititave to attract me to a land based work place. Cheers JS

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John.
From reading most posts on site it seems that other than long term Skippers such as yourself, most people lasted from around five to ten years, as a seaman I lasted 17 years, the same reason mostly given applied to me, I gave up the sea for family.
Cheers Des

[j.sabourn]

Today and yesteryear are laughable Des. I remember my wife telling me that one of our daughters friends was going out with a sea going engineer who wanted to get married, she came to my wife for advice saying that he was away from home for 12 weeks at a time , a mere dog watch to what it once was. I sometimes was away for at least a year. The wife told her when you marry a seaman you have to be prepared to suffer long absences it goes with the job. I think the same engineer gave the job away and came ashore. The same no doubt was repeated over and over again. The shipowner in some cases give him his due tried to alleviate this hardship by bars on ships and the carriage of wifes. This to me made matters worse especially when the wives saw the temptations their spouses were subject to in various parts of the world , so matters went from bad to worse. Cheers…..JS