“Any Budding Sailors?”: Deep Sea Master Mariner – 1950’s Merchant Navy

This is a true story about a boy's good spirited journey through life, and the slow transition from being a naive, innocent, and wild eyed kid in the London blitz, to a somewhat reflective and philosophical old man residing happily deep in Cornwall. It is a path that all men tread more or less, but having the good fortune to follow a seafaring career, topped up later with a world wide shipping career, makes this a varied and somewhat gifted life. The time spent at sea, and in the Bank Line in particular, had a deep and lasting effect, and why wouldn't it? It was far more than a set of job descriptions. Meeting so many nationalities at all levels, from the Pacific islanders to the urchins of Asia and Africa , and grappling with ever changing demands at sea and in port made for a rich education. The only thing that never waned throughout all the years was a love of the world and its people, and a breathless admiration for the sheer beauty of our surroundings, coupled with boundless enthusiasm and optimism.