Merchant Navy
Extract form Edward Else's Discharge Book - 1904. Photo courtesy of Bill Poole |
Walter Cooper - Getting WorkBorn 1911 Salford. Interviewed 1989 - T015  Click here to listen to this extract in RealAudio format.He said there's a big boat signing next week, what about taking a warm trip. Fine, that'll do me, like, that meant the Argentine. I said "Aye". He said, "Well, she's signed a full crew here, how are you fixed?" I said, "Aye I'll go." He went down to see the engineer and chief engineer and he took us right away when he'd seen us books. Q: What were your books? That one what I showed you, discharge book, they always look in that. Q: What your work record? That's right, if you have a bad discharge in they throw your book at you. Didn't like that, if it was stamped on your last trip and you've done anything wrong or owt like that, and done a bad discharge in your book they wouldn't have you. |
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