Vindi Web Site

[Terry Sullivan]

I was there December/January 1945/6 and it was a bit of a chilly time,especially if someone talked after lights out and we all finished up standing on the edge of the firewater tank but our hut did have the honour of no one leaving for home during the course. But I have never been so fit either before or after the 'experience'.
Terry Sullivan R340406

[Ken Trehearne]

#11 Yes Terry, the water tank was not good after midnight - and the water was putrid. Possibly as bad was the defaulter task of shovelling the coal stock from one storage space to the other - except this wasn't a night job. I missed both punishments, my only one was standing outside the Captain's door for several days when caught whistling. (What happened to whistling as one hears it no more?)

Great Terry, you are one of the few I've noted as being on site and having been at Vindi ahead of me. (Deck May-Aug 1948. At least it was summer)
Ken T
R412277

[Tam McGhee]

How may I attach a photo from the Vindi ??

[Chris Allman]

Hi Tam - go to Reply to Thread and click on Go Advanced. When you scroll down below the Text Box you will see Manage Attachments - click on that and follow the instructions - Add File ( Photograph ) - Drag photo into space at bottom and then click on Insert Inline - return to the main reply text box add your text then click on Submit Reply and all being well your photo will be in the Text Box on the Thread along with your Post. Hope this helps. Any problems just ask.

[Doc Vernon]

Here is a Link to Instructions as well on site Tam,although Chris has explained.
Cheers


http://www.merchant-navy.net/forum/help-with-using-this-site/25998-add-picture-post.html


http://www.merchant-navy.net/forum/h...ture-post.html

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Dave.
I attended the Vindi reunions in Sydney from 1995 until about 2010 when Terry Hales ran it. Then we went to NZ for five years, but remained a member, on coming back, we settled down here in Cooma too far to get to the meetings, but I am still a member of the association and get all the newsletters and magazines.
Cheers Des

[happy daze john in oz]

The Vindi, what a wonderful place.
You went there full of hope anticipation of wonderful times to come.

You left there half starved, lighter than you started, with far less hair, a uniform that may if you were lucky have fitted part of you, but with the knowledge that great times lay ahead for you.

You went in as a boy and came out as the future.

[Buck the Fifer]

So glad I found the forum. My dad Jimmy Buchan (R335461) from Kirkcaldy, Fife trained as a steward there around May/ June 1945. Sadly he passed away in 1993 and I'm only now finding out about his time at training school and his service with the Harrison Line. He wasn't in the Merchant Navy long, he left in August 1947 (his last ship was the S.S. Prospector) in order to resume his apprenticeship as a shipwright following the death of his dad in February of that year. I have so many questions I would like to ask him, thankfully I found this site and it goes some way helping with my search for information.

[Doc Vernon]

No doubt Buck,as you have mentioned a few pointers on your Dad, you may well have his Discharge Book at hand ,but just in case here i a Link pointing to the Seamans Pouch.
Of course he would also have a CRS10 which would hold a lot more info on him as well.
As said just a helping hand in case.
Any other questions please just fire away and we will ytry and assist.
Cheers

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C8269393

Reference:	BT 372/858/134
Description:	R335461 BUCHAN J 26/06/1928 KIRKCALDY
Date:	1913-1972
Held by:	The National Archives, Kew
Former reference in its original department:	R335461
Legal status:	Public Record(s)

[Buck the Fifer]

No doubt Buck,as you have mentioned a few pointers on your Dad, you may well have his Discharge Book at hand ,but just in case here i a Link pointing to the Seamans Pouch.
Of course he would also have a CRS10 which would hold a lot more info on him as well.
As said just a helping hand in case.
Any other questions please just fire away and we will ytry and assist.
Cheers

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C8269393

Thank you for your assistance. I found this last year and the pouch contained replacement documents issued in 1958, so he was obviously thinking about going back to sea, but didn't. Sadly the pouch didn't contain anything relating to his training days, but I am in possession of a small blue paperback bible (Active Service Edition) which is inscribed with the following "Pleasant memories and best wishes to my friend James Buchan, from Mark Allen, 3 Gloucester Terrace, Sharpness, 18.6.45." I don't know who Mark Allen was, but Gloucester Terrace is still there. Unfortunately, my dad, like his dad was a bit of an enigma.