The following two careers with M L have been  jointly selected to be thie february 2007 Profiles entitled LIFE WITH LINERS

CHRIS MORRIS - from Apprenticeship to First Mate.

With regard to my career in Manchester Liners I have pleasure in summarising as follows.
August 1955 Interviewed by Mr J A Clay at ML House, St Anns Square and sent off to Liverpool Tech for six months pre sea training.
Feb 1956 Given the once over by Captain Whitby at No 9 Dock and appointed apprentice on the Manchester Trader, Captain Espley, 3rd officer "Tex" Rimmer, other apprentices - David Pennet, " Curly" Atkinson, Chief Steward - Ray Cammilleri.
Aug 1957 Manchester Spinner Captain Osbourne for most of the two years I was on this ship.  Other officers Andy Copeland and I think Eric Askew was Chief Officer for one of the voyages.  Other apprentices Mike Burtenshaw, Chief Steward - Bill Joy
Sept 1959 Manchester Port.  Captain Downing and Captain Lynn  Other apprentice Geof Shadbolt
March 1960 to Nov. 1960 Manchester Trader, Regiment and Miller Captains Raper, Lynn, Oliver, Askew, other apprentices Peter Booth, Peter Marsden-Smith.

1961 3rd Mate  Manchester City  Captains Lewis and Rushworth.
Oct 1961 to July 1962 3rd Mate  Manchester Shipper.  Captains Lynn, Oliver, Thomas
Aug 1962 Manchester Port  Captain Thompson

Feb l963. After passing 1st Mates ticket I was "loaned"out to Strick Line as there were no appointments with Manchester Liners, and was 3rd Mate on "Baltistan" for six months on the Persian Gulf run.  Lovely!
Aug 1963 Manchester Faith 3rd Mate.  Captain Thomas and Captain Askew.

Feb 1964 Appointed 3rd Mate  Manchester Miller Captain Espley. 

On impulse called I in at Shipping Federation and was notified of a vacancy for 2nd Mate with Booker Line.  The attraction of promotion and the West Indies run overcame my love of the North Atlantic in the winter.

Two years later I finally swallowed the anchor, in 1966, and came ashore   No doubt I will have other memories which will come later.  It is such a long time ago.

Chris Morris

PETER THOMPSON - joined Liners with his 2nd Mates ticket

Having read through the last news letter and the members list I remember a number of my old shipmates I would like to build on the sparse information I gave you in my initial communication

I joined ML just by chance in June 66 having just obtained my 2nd Mate Cert.   I had a pool job from Newcastle to stand by the Cairn Charter boat, the Manchester Engineer, in Manchester .The old man on her suggested that I apply to ML since the job was only for 10 days on her. This I did and a meeting in the dock office with Peter Boniface secured me a position as 3/0 on the Miller where I relieved John Cryer. 

This coincided with the seaman’s strike which laid a few ships up in the port and it was then touch and go whether I was kept on.  I think I stood by for a number of weeks feeding ashore because there was no catering on board and I would go up to Manchester with a guy called Tommy Fox who was a permanent standby mate at the time
However we finally sailed with a genial Capt Espley and Don Whitworth as mate.

I did 2 years on this - the easy 3 week Montreal to Manchester round trip. During our calls at Montreal along with the then 2nd Mate Angus Milroy with help from the carpenter Ernie May we bought the required timber and built two sailing dinghies up on the monkey island.  On completion we brought them home and it must have been a strange sight to see us discharging them down from the bridge deck and gangway to our respective cars

In that time we had a few mishaps, first of which was when we were sent up to Hamilton to load steel rolls .This was just before the Seaway closed for winter and we were booked to top off with bagged asbestos in Quebec to secure the steel. This was cancelled and we were then ordered out to the eastern seaboard to New York. Temporary security was put in place but we hit bad weather outside and just off Halifax in a heavy swell the steel broke loose giving us a substantial list whereupon we then had to run for Halifax to re-secure.

After that and with Capt Tony Rowlands, Dennis Gregson c/o, A Milroy 2/0, we were involved with the fire in New York which is well documented. The only casualty apart from the ship was Ernie May Carpenter who, when she was under repair in Todd’s shipyard, fell from one of the cargo containers in no.4 hold.  He was subsequently hospitalised with serious head injuries and then flown home. It was discovered on arrival UK that he had in fact suffered a broken neck. (I did sail with him years later and he had fully recovered)

On leaving the “Miller” I sailed on various ships but escaped most of the Seaway Voyages .The only memory I have of the Seaway apart from lack of rest was with Capt Askew when as 2nd Mate I was for’d approaching one of the US locks on the “Concorde” when the pilot apparently misjudged his speed and we rammed the  approach wall, opening the forepeak at the water line.  He then backed off and on the next try hit the covered forecastle starb side on the lock wall doing a considerable amount of damage. We were then sent to Toronto for repairs.

Another trip on the Cargo Zeal with Blake Nelson as master the ship was put under arrest when our charter company weren’t paying their bills.

From 1973 up until I left in 77/78 I served as c/o on the various cellular ships on the Med and Far East charters, and would be interested to hear from anyone who remembers me. Ashore I went into business and retired early in 2000 although I still do some accountancy work freelance.  As we have lived in Cornwall for the last 20 years I now spend most of my time on my boat (though a lot bigger than the dinghies  we built) so I still get to use the skills I learnt 30 odd years ago but on a smaller scale.

Just a thought - does anyone know what happened to Angus Milroy ?

Peter Thompson