# Marconi interviews – did they really call your name in Morse?



## Worldspan

Can’t remember where I went for my initial interview (Tilbury?) but I’m sure that someone told me in person that it was my turn to go in. I’d been warned that my name would be sent in Morse via a loudspeaker in the waiting room. Is this an apocryphal tale? Or did it really happen?

W


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## Ron Stringer

That would have been East Ham (Wakefield Street), not Tilbury wheree here was only a service base for the technicians to gather and drink tea.

Yes they did call you from the waiting room by sending morse over the loudspeakers in there. It was usually the callsign of the ship to which you were attached.

They did the same at their Liverpool (Pall Mall) office. 

This question came up back in 2007 under a thread entitled "Marconi - Is This True" and you can see that if you go down to the bottom of the page here and select "Archives". Then from the listings of forums select "Radio Room" and "38. Marconi - Is this true?"


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## Worldspan

OK, Ron and thanks for the confirmation. I'll have a look for that archived thread.

W


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## Graham P Powell

Marconi calling you by morse code was actually mentioned once in LLoyds List
newspaper. I was only attached to East Ham and it never happened to me.
rgds
Graham Powell


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## jimg0nxx

Joined Marconi in Glasgow February 1962. Heard of the use of morse to call you from the waiting room, but never happened to me and I experienced most of their depots in UK and some overseas. I presume the practice had ended by that date.

Jim


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## Tai Pan

Liverpool did and I think Southampton.


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## Tai Pan

Bit different at Holts. A uniformed Seargent complete with gloves, polished shoes etc would ask if Mr ******* would please go and see Mr ********


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## trotterdotpom

Tai Pan said:


> Bit different at Holts. A uniformed Seargent complete with gloves, polished shoes etc would ask if Mr ******* would please go and see Mr ********


They probably didn't expect you to get there by bus either.

John T

PS The morse thing (how ridiculous) must have gone before my time too.


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## Dave Woods

I heard of it but in 1967 I can't recal being called in by morse. I was given one and a half pence to get myself and all the seagong gear to KG5.


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## Ron Stringer

Tai Pan said:


> Liverpool did and I think Southampton.


I was at both Liverpool and Southampton offices in 1960 but the morse summons was only heard at Liverpool. Southampton office was in one of a terrace of large Edwardian houses in Queens Terrace, looking across Queens Park towards the main Dock entrance and what is now called Central Road. Inside it was similarly furnished to many other Marconi offices that were set up around WW1 and had an atmosphere somewhere between something from Dickens and a run-down gentleman's club.

We were always treated respectfully, but austerely at Southampton.


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## charles henry

In Westham (London) they called you in morse. Also, as most of the waiting chaps went to a pub about four doors down the street, they had a speaker in there also.
If your name came through, you finished your pint and then reported into the depot.
chas


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## IAINT

Joined Marconi at Aberdeen in 1963 - no morse - worked out of Liverpool and East Ham - never had the privilege of being called by the
key.

Regards
Iain T


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## holland25

Experienced the morse at Liverpool in 1956, the clerk had a name which I can only write down as it sounded, was "bighazi". His morse wasI wasnt all that good either.I was an immediate convert when I got the Blue Fuinnel treatment.


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## Ron Stringer

holland25 said:


> Experienced the morse at Liverpool in 1956, the clerk had a name which I can only write down as it sounded, was "bighazi". His morse wasI wasnt all that good either.I was an immediate convert when I got the Blue Fuinnel treatment.


When I joined in 1960, and until I came ashore in 1966, Bregazzi was the cashier who made up your wages, paid your expenses and issued the travel warrants. The staff clerk who handled the appointments to ships was Alex Kerr. I can't tell you when they retired, although I have some issues of the "Mariner" magazine that might be able to tell me.


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## Tai Pan

Ron Stringer said:


> I was at both Liverpool and Southampton offices in 1960 but the morse summons was only heard at Liverpool. Southampton office was in one of a terrace of large Edwardian houses in Queens Terrace, looking across Queens Park towards the main Dock entrance and what is now called Central Road. Inside it was similarly furnished to many other Marconi offices that were set up around WW1 and had an atmosphere somewhere between something from Dickens and a run-down gentleman's club.
> 
> We were always treated respectfully, but austerely at Southampton.


I was there in 1950/51. the mans name was Varley and we did not get on at all. Agree the place was disgusting, and I could not wait to get away from MIMC, cant agree on the word respectfullyy(Night) if we were cattle the RSPCA would have closed it down.


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## Barmyclaresdad

Remember the morse in Liverpool around 1963/64.
My one and only experience of the Liverpool office.
Was a bone of contention will some people as they rightly said, they had signed off the vessel and had nothing to do with it any more. They considered it bad manners on the part of MIMCO.
My experience was to be "balled" out by the sender (who needed to retrain anyway) for not immediately jumping up and running into his office.
The morse standard was worse than, without being derogatory, a nervous first tripper, and it had taken several repeats before I realised what was happening.


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## charles henry

R651400 said:


> Charles what a cracking memory.
> That was one hell of a long twisted twin flex connection from depot to pub.
> Any recollections on the pub name?




Cant remember the name, for that matter dont think I ever knew it.
Mr Dyer was the reining local God of the Marconi office controlling the destiny of what ships you joined.

Ah the happy days of our youth.

Chas (Pint)(Pint)


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## mikeg

Mr Dyer allegedly nicknamed Diarrhea by some R/Os (not to his face obviously!) supposedly after the way he answered the phone


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## Bob Murdoch

I joined Marconi at the Glasgow office in April, 1958. No morse call in. Mr, even to a still 16 year old.
First sailed from Southampton, where I visited the office 3 times a week for three months, I was 2nd on the Falaise s'oton to St Malo run. Always trated well. When I had a weekend ashore between the Falaise and joining the Golfito, the assistant clerk took me to his home for the weekend, slept at his parents and ate with him and his family. Again no morse. Nor at Bristol or Hull.
However at Eastham on my one visit there, my last to Marconi, yes I was called from the waiting room by the call sign of the ship I had paid off from. So what? I could see no insult in that. I was treated well and paid with no hassle and sent off on leave very quickly. 
If I were to start again in 1958 with a brand new 2nd class and MOT Radar I would be happy to go back to them.
Cheers Bob


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## ian fears

no morse in1969 at east ham or southampton for me , but dont seem to remember soton office as being a dump memory ?


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## Ron Stringer

ian fears said:


> no morse in1969 at east ham or southampton for me , but dont seem to remember soton office as being a dump memory ?


I didn't think it was a dump either, just very similar to other offices that the company ran at that time. You expected to see Bob Cratchit sitting behind a desk. Dark oak furniture as used in Victorian/Edwardian times, linoleum floors, hat-stands and the like. As this was the start of the swinging sixties, the offices were a bit of an anachronism. The Soton and Glasgow (St Vincent Street) offices were much of a muchness. The later, relocated, offices in both places were modern but very low-rent in comparison.


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## david.hopcroft

I was with AEI until the takeover by Marconi, so knew nothing of the morse call to the waiting room. I went in to the Liverpool depot to get some money, and was promptly told to wait. There was only one other in there. I was totally unaware of this system, so was surprised to hear this call sign on the speaker. . Nothing happened so it came across again. Still nothing, but an irate clerk appeared and said to this other chap 'Didn't you hear your call sign ?' 'Oh yes' he replied 'But I signed off that ship yesterday' ...............

This was early 1967 I think.

David
+


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## 7woodlane

East Ham depot. Staff Clerk Dyer. When at home you were always sent a telegram "" report Eastham depot 0900 "" on such and such a date, regardless of where you lived.
Standard text I suppose. So off you went, saw Dyer who sent you to a waiting room. Soon afterwards your name (in morse code) came over the L/S, followed by a letter. A for the manager, B for the cashier, C for Staff Clerk, etc. So off you went in that direction. I always complied, other R/Os, made of sterner stuff, stayed put and toughed it out. Dyer did not like that. This is the same place where, having refused to join a particular ship I was told " in that case either you resign or we sack you. " I went to greener pastures over to S. Woolwich and never looked back.
This was Mci East Ham in the 1950s.
David.


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## trotterdotpom

I worked for Marconi's on trawlers. When i switched to the deepsea section I had to resign and rejoin. Due to the time needed to get vaccinations, passport, etc. I signed on the dole. There was some problem about my just having stopped working and I explained that Marconi would not re-employ until I was ready to sail. The dole office rang Marconi to confirm the story and the Manager tod them: "He's still on pay and he's well aware of it!" Stupid git, I came close to getting done for Social Security fraud! I then had to walk half way across Grimsby to their office to get it sorted out. I should have told them to p*ss off then.

John T


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## holland25

I had a summons to East Ham at 0900, in the summer of 1957. I caught the overnight bus from Bolton,this was before the motorways and quite a memorable journey. I duly arrived on time and was treated with some kindness, I was directed to a nearby cafe for breakfast. The clerk I saw then went through my paybook and settled up a lot of travel and other entitlements which I had not been claiming, I didnt know about them. I cant remember the morse code calling or the lettering system.I was eventually appointed to one of Cory's colliers lying at West Thurrock.


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## Trevor Clements

jimg0nxx said:


> Joined Marconi in Glasgow February 1962. Heard of the use of morse to call you from the waiting room, but never happened to me and I experienced most of their depots in UK and some overseas. I presume the practice had ended by that date.
> 
> Jim


No you are right Jim, they weren't so stupid at Glasgow, and Glasgow staff were super, I still have a letter from Mr Rattray the Manager. I hated it at East Ham depot, where they seemed to treat us all like school boys being summoned to the Head's Study.

Liverpool were OK, but it was the dreaded morse when I was there.

Trevor.


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## jimg0nxx

Hi Trevor,
I first went to Liverpool in early 1963(paid off your old ship Santona) and had numerous visits in the following years. They did not use morse at any time that I went there. Did not have much to do with East Ham untill a few years after that and they must have mellowed by that time. I seemed to get on fine with Stan Padfield?? and Cliff ????(surname).

Jim


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## les.edgecumbe

Like a lot of my MIMCo compatriots I have heard of this practise ~ and have to say it really boggles the mind. What or who could have come up with such an antagonistic, demeaning method of office communication?????
Had I experienced it, I would have insisted in completing the whole interview in whistling morse.....with possibly a bit or original hand semaphore chucked in.


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## trotterdotpom

About 1971, Liverpool depot took over the whole west coast for RO management. I remember having to phone Porter from Glasgow depot after paying off there. That was when I finally "walked towards the light".

John T


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## Troppo

les.edge***be said:


> Like a lot of my MIMCo compatriots I have heard of this practise ~ and have to say it really boggles the mind. What or who could have come up with such an antagonistic, demeaning method of office communication?????
> Had I experienced it, I would have insisted in completing the whole interview in whistling morse.....with possibly a bit or original hand semaphore chucked in.



Alas, this "master/servant" attitude seemed to pervade the organisation.

Certainly the Aussie arm of Macaroni (AWA) regarded R/O's as an en***brance, and treated us awfully....like something akin to a naughty child.

I worked for one shipping company on the same 2 ships for the last 8 years of my sea time. My permanent relief and I (we did 6w on, 6w off) would arrange our handover ourselves, and just ring up AWA and tell them....



They left us alone, which was wonderful.


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## trotterdotpom

I always thought there was some connection between Marconi and AWA but not sure what it was and nobody could ever tell me. AWA certainly wasn't a subsidiary of MIMCO.

I was always treated reasonably by AWA - maybe my previous experience was somewhat harsher and made me less discriminating! Maybe I wasn't as demanding as some ROs.

I had to fly down to Sydney at my own expense for an interview which included a technical test which was no walk in the park. After I was accepted, Crawford Ronald told me that they would pay for my flight back but it would only be economy. It turned out that normally all flights were First Class! A bit different to dragging your suitcase round Swansea docks after a threepenny bus ride.

John T


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## Troppo

trotterdotpom said:


> It turned out that normally all flights were First Class!
> 
> John T


Ha ha! Welcome to Amalgamated Wombat!

What a pretentious chap Mr. Ronald McDonald was...

AWA was started by Macaroni staff, but it was a separate company.


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## trotterdotpom

I got along alright with Ronald and you must have too to have spent 8 years on two plum jobs.

Since the demise of the Marine Section, AWA, formerly one of Australia's biggest companies, seems to have turned into a minor player in the computer industry. That's all I ever hear about anyway.

John T


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## Troppo

trotterdotpom said:


> I got along alright with Ronald and you must have too to have spent 8 years on two plum jobs.


Skill mate, skill!

(*))


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## Ivor Lloyd

David
I too had an identical experience as you re E. Ham and Staff Clerk Dyer in the early 50's. Going over to S in Woolwich was wonderful. I was allocated a NE Coat Collier and after a few voyages Tyne-London was transferred to a Collier sailing Barry -London. The reason for the transfer was so that I could occasionally get home to W.Wales for a few days. How humane was that !
Ivor


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## trotterdotpom

Troppo said:


> Skill mate, skill!
> 
> (*))


Yes, of course.

John T


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## trotterdotpom

Ivor Lloyd said:


> David
> I too had an identical experience as you re E. Ham and Staff Clerk Dyer in the early 50's. Going over to S in Woolwich was wonderful. I was allocated a NE Coat Collier and after a few voyages Tyne-London was transferred to a Collier sailing Barry -London. The reason for the transfer was so that I could occasionally get home to W.Wales for a few days. How humane was that !
> Ivor


Ivor, on the Northeast Coast agreement in the '60s, they were guaranteed a night alongside on the Tyne if they were away over a certain time (72 hours?). This resulted in a few hours wallowing about off Flamborough Head to make sure they got it. was there anything similar on the South Wales run?

A lot of folk wouldn't believe how caring Marconis were, you were very lucky. Ha Ha.

John T


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## Tai Pan

I did 18 months with MIMC. 4 different ships, 1 days leave left soton on fri had to be back on Sunday. I sent a letter to Mr Varley at Southampton told him I was resigning at end of voyage. on arrival Fawley, no replacement, asked, told, yes had received letter but took no notice. two words from me second was off. walked off, resigned and joined Holts, never looked back.


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## jimg0nxx

I must have been very lucky with leave from MIMCo. My first trip was 23 days then had 15 days leave. Did four trips on this ship(regular run Glasgow-Montreal) with just a bit less leave after subsequent voyages. After four trips joined another ship the following day and did 3 months and 9 days on her followed by 49 days leave. After that seemed to get plenty of leave although mainly did longer trips, even up to 15 months, although that was requested MANZ Line runs.

Jim


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## les.edgecumbe

Alas, this "master/servant" attitude seemed to pervade the organisation.

My first visit to East Ham: no morse, but there was an office 'clerk' being dragged over the counter by a very upset Irish R/O..... never did get the details, didnt like to ask really. The clerk had real leather soles ~ so the salary must have been reasonable


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## ernhelenbarrett

Only had the morse thing at Liverpool Marconi Office but believe in the late 50's
one R/O took a fire axe to the cable leading into the speaker! Didnt experience that at East Ham but at lunchtime if you hadnt been called into the Staff Clerks office and you went into the first pub (cant remember the name) he expected you to buy him a beer! I didnt know about this and ended up on an old , very old, Bank boat. Remember getting 5 pence halfpenny for the bus fare to KG5 dock gate and having to walk miles to find the ship. In Bombay the depot manager Carron expected the junior R/O's to donate their duty free bottle of Gin to him as VWB was "dry" in those days. He didnt get mine so I ended up on the Dara, one of the dreaded Gulf "D's"
Ern Barrett


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## Trevor Clements

jimg0nxx said:


> I must have been very lucky with leave from MIMCo. My first trip was 23 days then had 15 days leave. Did four trips on this ship(regular run Glasgow-Montreal) with just a bit less leave after subsequent voyages. After four trips joined another ship the following day and did 3 months and 9 days on her followed by 49 days leave. After that seemed to get plenty of leave although mainly did longer trips, even up to 15 months, although that was requested MANZ Line runs.
> 
> Jim


Because Santona was only in Glasgow for up to five days at a time during the 'lakes season', I liked the ship, and Andy Dougall so much that I used to sign off and stay aboard to sign on again. I had only three reasonable leave spells in two years, when she went into dry dock, or was awaiting the first sailing of the season. The first time I returned early much to the amusement of the Glasgow shore staff so they sent me to the Moss Lines Armana, for a trip to Liverpool, and thence home for a few more days. I didn't make that mistake again! I found the Glasgow staff superb after a few brushes with East Ham.

Gilbert Angus the 2/O when I was aboard sent me the newspaper reports of her launch with his Christmas Card this time. Danny Kerr is rebuilding a Clyde Puffer in his retirement.

Happy days.


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## Trevor Clements

les.edge***be said:


> Like a lot of my MIMCo compatriots I have heard of this practise ~ and have to say it really boggles the mind. What or who could have come up with such an antagonistic, demeaning method of office communication?????
> Had I experienced it, I would have insisted in completing the whole interview in whistling morse.....with possibly a bit or original hand semaphore chucked in.


Les,
You had to be careful not to antagonise them! I believe I was punished for bringing the accounts back from my first ship in less than regulation fashion. They sent me to Amsterdam to join a dreadful old T2, six days before Christmas, and she didn't sail until 30th December. I'm sure my card had been marked.


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## Hugh Slavin

Hello Ron, John and others, I really ought to stay in more and read up on all this palaver. Retiring this year, or should be if I can afford it, (whatever happened to our GEC pension), and then I will definitely join in. When I worked at Southampton, 70s, I never heard a peep. Not that I saw many ROs either. But thought I would just pop in and wish y'all a happy and prosperous 2012. 73s 69s etc


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## les.edgecumbe

Hugh Slavin said:


> Hello Ron, John and others, I really ought to stay in more and read up on all this palaver. Retiring this year, or should be if I can afford it, (whatever happened to our GEC pension), and then I will definitely join in. When I worked at Southampton, 70s, I never heard a peep. Not that I saw many ROs either. But thought I would just pop in and wish y'all a happy and prosperous 2012. 73s 69s etc


Could that be THE Hugh Slavin of the ACME Lawn Mower course at Soton Tech (aka Advanced Marine Electronics Course) in the 70's? and possible purchaser of Quay Electrics (Queer Eccentrics)


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## IAN M

Not in my time with Holts. We went to the long desk in the Steamship Department in India Buildings and Mr. Calverley directed us to ships.


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## jimg0nxx

Hi Trevor,
Danny Kerr was senior apprentice when I was on Santona in late 62 early 63. If you are in touch please give him my regards.

Jim


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## Ron Stringer

Hu Hughie,

Good to see that you are still around. Mel Plaw, John Sellick and Bob Maskell still fly the Southampton depot flag at the annual Marconi Veterans lunch each April and, until his recent illness, so did Don Pilgrim.


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## teb

R651400 said:


> I think the gentleman's name was W A Calveley affectionately and being in Liverpool known as WAC.
> When WAC retired the radio side was taken over by Stan Lidgate and Charlie Metcalfe.
> Met Stan's brother Wilf in later years who was also an ex Blue Flue R/O..


"Calveley" thats a name to bring back memories-- On returning from leave asked him if I could have a ship going to Hong Kong(wanted to meet up with a girl who had been a passenger on "Sarpedon" my previous voy) Big Mistake -was appointed to "Glenearn" on round Australia voy.


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## Bob Murdoch

R651400 said:


> Teb, Circa April 1956 I took my interview in the Blue Funnel, India Buildings boardroom with W A Calvely (a gentleman of the old school) and other GTZB hierarchy.
> What newly certificated PMG2 16 year old could not be impressed?
> Position secured I returned home to Scotland with pre-joining leave and expenses fully paid in crisp white £5 notes.
> Seems a world away from the treatment meted out to R/O's by Marconi/GTZM.


In 1958, when I joined Marconi as a 16 year old, I was put on leave waiting for appointment to a ship. When this duly came after about 10 days, I was paid for the time which had elapsed since joining, the day I got my ticket, plus the allowance for food and accomodation. So what is different. Perhaps you got paid a bit more than me, but I had the pleasure of not knowing where my next ship would be heading and not being on a fixed number of runs.
That was more fun for me than when I joined the Union SS Co in NZ, with wages a lot more than any British company was paying, as I knew that virtually every trip would be across the Tasman to Aussie, which I liked very much, but which became boring after a couple of years. 
Horses for courses. I get a bit sick of some people implying that Marconi guys were second rate. Not you I hasten to add.
Cheers Bob


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## trotterdotpom

True Bob, nobody ever got up the Amazon with P&O or Blue Flue, that was the attraction that Marconi had for me. Marconi ROs weren't second rate, that's why they were let loose on a ship by themselves. Let's face it, the Marconi company did have a couple of problems though!

You should have tried the trans-Tasman in reverse, Aus to NZ, and you'd still be there!

John T


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## Bob Murdoch

trotterdotpom said:


> True Bob, nobody ever got up the Amazon with P&O or Blue Flue, that was the attraction that Marconi had for me. Marconi ROs weren't second rate, that's why they were let loose on a ship by themselves. Let's face it, the Marconi company did have a couple of problems though!
> 
> You should have tried the trans-Tasman in reverse, Aus to NZ, and you'd still be there!
> 
> John T


Marconi probably did,in fact from all I have read on this site, they most certainly did, however I was lucky enough never to experience them.
I lived in both NZ and Aussie for about 12 years each. Loved them both but especially NZ in the sixties
cheers Bob


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## teb

Ttrotterdotpom- Quite true never did get up the Amazon with BF- however did get up the Congo with them( would that count?)[(Smoke)


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## sparkie2182

Teb........

B.F.or E.D. ?


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## Steven Lamb

This "incredible phenomen" appears to have occured long before my 5 year tenure with MIMCO (1974-79) as I don't ever recollect it @ either Liverpool or East Ham depots.
All I can say is "god help" those who may of been suffering a hangover and may of missed their QRA !

Happy days
rgds
Lamby
ex-24483


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## teb

sparkie2182 said:


> Teb........
> 
> B.F.or E.D. ?


Sparkie- Definitely BF 1944- Glaucus.!!! (wondered if anyone would query this)


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## Tai Pan

R651400 said:


> I think the gentleman's name was W A Calveley affectionately and being in Liverpool known as WAC.
> When WAC retired the radio side was taken over by Stan Lidgate and Charlie Metcalfe.
> Met Stan's brother Wilf in later years who was also an ex Blue Flue R/O..


Yes, totally correct and Stan Lidgate was a true gent as was charlie. I remember when I was finishing and I said to Charlie, all these years and I have not got a cuckoo clock. he found me a coastal trip to Rotterdam , I flew back and left, complete with happy memories and a cuckoo clock. (Applause)(Applause)


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## Patrick Ivans

Frank Fish, 1st R/O Peleus, would never wait for the sergeant. He would march straight though to the desk.


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## sparkie2182

"Sparkie- Definitely BF 1944- Glaucus.!!! (wondered if anyone would query this)"

It IS a bit unusual , teb.


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## Patrick Ivans

Tai Pan said:


> Yes, totally correct and Stan Lidgate was a true gent as was charlie. I remember when I was finishing and I said to Charlie, all these years and I have not got a cuckoo clock. he found me a coastal trip to Rotterdam , I flew back and left, complete with happy memories and a cuckoo clock. (Applause)(Applause)


Agree, Stan was a real Gent. As a young man (in the late 1920-2) he was 2nd R/O on "Tyndareus" sailing between Far East to W Coast USA and Canada. Believe he was no mean trumpeter.

When I left the sea to join the Europe Indonesia Freight Conference in 1964, in London, Stan would regularly phone me to see how things were working out.

Not sure what Charlie's background was, but believe W A Calveley was a carpenter by trade. Shame he was scared stiff of Mr Price.


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## Patrick Ivans

Remember Marconi's S'oton office in 52 (in Terminus Terrace, I believe), when I was 4th R/O on "Asturias" (on the £10 Oz emigrant run). It sickened me to see the elderly 1st and 2nd R/O-s humping booze, fresh meat, and groceries fm Oz, as gifts to Varley, so as to keep their positions on that ship. (nb a lot of food was still rationed at the time.)

While the likes of me were treated like sh..... After two voyages, I decided enough was enough and asked for leave. I was told that I had to sign on another ship (trooper Empire Orwell) before any would be given. As soon as I got it, I hared off to BL in L-pool where I was offered a job straightaway. There was the problem that to leave Marconi, I had first to get signed off the Orwell. The Union man in L-pool helped fix this.

So, back to So'ton to formally resign fm Marconi and sign off Orwell. Varley was really p....d off with me, as he realised I had worked a flanker on him.

Then 3 weeks on home, on full pay with BFL, before doing a coasting voyage fm Ldn to Hamburg on "Glenartney". Hamburg was quite an eyeopener, to an 18 yr old !!


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## holland25

I believe Charlie Metcalfe had been an R/O at some time. I remember him telling me once that he had been sent to the US during WW2 to join a ship that was being built there. He had to wait a fair while and he got a job working as a sigballer on the railways.


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## Tai Pan

Patrick. I sailed on Asturias in 1951, the 2nd R/O was releived of all duties on homeward passage for obvious reasons. I was 3rd and had to take the dutch press. The chief R/O was a nice guy. I also had to sign on without leave on the Empire Medway. our stories are exact replicas.


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## cajef

I was called by morse in Liverpool depot in the early sixties I ignored them, after several calls eventually someone put their head round the door and asked for me by name.

When I got up he asked whether I could read morse or not, to which I replied yes and I have a first class ticket to prove it when you call me Mr. Xxxxxxxxx I will come otherwise I will be off down the road to work for someone else, they never called me by morse again.


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## Troppo

cajef said:


> I was called by morse in Liverpool depot in the early sixties I ignored them, after several calls eventually someone put their head round the door and asked for me by name.
> 
> When I got up he asked he whether I could read morse or not, to which I replied yes and I have a first class ticket to prove it when you call me Mr. Xxxxxxxxx I will come otherwise I will be off down the road to work for someone else, they never called me by morse again.


Ha ha!

Good for you!


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## w.craig

What an interesting series of nostalgic posts. Spent all my time with MIMCo 1963 - 1969. Joined in Glasgow & posted to E Ham to join RMS Drina at the R Albert docks. Apart from the bus to R.A. from E Ham never had a problem there I was always treated well & given good advice, with postings to decent ships. Spent sometime with the Glasgow office when I was on Santona & again well treated. Have to say the variety of the ships I had took me all over the world, the money I was paid seemed great at the time & I look back now & think how well I was treated & what a wonderful time I had.


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## Graham P Powell

Started with Marconi then went to BP but wished I had stayed with GTZM as
I found BP boring. While with Marconi I ended up on AEI ships for some reason.
rgds
Graham Powell


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## Ron Stringer

Soon after Arnold Weinstock merged the Siemens Bros marine radio business (that he bought as part of AEI) with Marconi's marine radio business (that he bought as part of English Electric), I was working ashore for Marconi Marine in South Shields.

One of the tasks we junior technicians were allotted was the "hand-over" to R/Os joining ships on the Tyne. This was never a popular assignment for me because so many of the ships visiting the port were colliers, many of them former Siemens/AEI manned vessels. Most of the gear I had never even seen before, let alone operated or sailed with. Add to that the fact that the vessels had 110VDC or 220VDC supplies and AEI equipment was usually installed with one or more rotary converters to cope with this.

So I would take the bus from the Mill Dam to the nearest bus stop to Jarrow Mercantile, or Tyne Dock and, after a long walk, go aboard this filthy vessel under the coal staithes to search for the R/O. Having located him, together we would play hunt the radio room keys. Once inside, I was supposed to demonstrate to the poor R/O that all the equipment was working correctly and then to instruct him on how to get the best performance from it. 

Scrabbling round under benches on hands and knees, opening cupboards and peering inside while trying to locate the mains isolating switches for the bloody rotary converters did not give the new guy any confidence in my knowledge or advice. The situation was not improved (having got the supplies running) by my inability to switch on some of the gear (more hidden isolating switches) and my looking for the handbooks to read how to set the gear up and tune it!

By the time I left the ship, following a joint exercise in making things work to our approximate satisfaction, neither of us had any confidence in my abilities.

We had an ex-AEI technician, Bill Meeks, and I would plead that he be sent to do those hand-overs but he was far senior to me (everybody was far senior to me!) and so I got the crap jobs while he went out to do a DF calibration or some such plum job that involved little work but guaranteed you several hours of desirable overtime.


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## Varley

Ron, you never got to chaperon Harry Gilder on surveys then? That was the most junior of the junior's jobs (I was just visiting East Ham for two months). Whatever the others said he was not the ogger advertised and it his signature I have for my 6 months and didn't bother with any others. David V


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## Ron Stringer

Harry was a legend in his own lunchtime but worked (?) on the London river, not the Tyne. He was despised by the East Ham technicians as a typical self-important, jobsworth, government employee, even though he worked for the GPO and not directly for the government. We did have the odd difficult radio surveyor on the Tyne but up there they had a better grasp on reality.

I did meet him several times when I was visiting ships on the Thames from Chelmsford, either to sort out problems or to check on new products being trialled aboard vessels there. The "Methane" carriers at Canvey and the "Matco" shuttles at Coryton come to mind.

I was aboard a ship at Thameshaven when he threatened to refuse to pass the survey because some of the contents of the tin of petroleum jelly (Vaseline as it is better known) had been used and therefore there was not the proper amount remaining to meet the Regulations. I told the technician to call his bluff but he, probably conscious that he would have to carry out other surveys with Harry, went ashore to ring East Ham and have a new tin sent down. That was on a Shell tanker, which probably had more than enough greases and lubricants aboard in which to drown Harry.

It was an experience that stuck with me and, when MIMCo won the contract to carry out the UK's radio surveys and inspections, we made damn sure that each of our radio surveyors understood that they were to concentrate on identifying and correcting those deficiencies affecting safety, while limiting themselves to giving recommendations and advice on peripheral matters. 

As a member of a working party revising the UK Radio Installation Regulations, I was involved in the removal of the long-outdated lists of tools and spare parts to be carried as part of the radio installation. (The ones that were Harry's be-all and end-all and that required the ship to carry 4 oz. of petroleum jelly, a contact burnisher, 3 fuses for every one in use and so on). They were replaced by a statement along the lines of "The ship shall be provided with sufficient tools and spare parts to maintain the radio station available for use at all times." This reflected the fact that under the law, it is the shipowner's responsibility to provide a working radio station available for use in emergency. How he did it was for him to choose but whatever he chose, he could not avoid the final responsibiity.

Stopped all the minute, detailed, checking of spares at surveys and inspections. Harry would have been in despair.


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## Graham P Powell

Ron, Do you remember Jim Stewart?. He worked at GKA and was formely a Marconi tech based at East Ham. He came down and showed me round the Swan River with its ( just as you described) multiple generators and switches.
Nice chap who I think died a couple of years ago. He was well known at GKA for taking a message to GTZM re a duff tx and then proceding to tell the guy on the key what was wrong with it and how to put it right!.
rgds
Graham Powell


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## hawkey01

Graham,

you learn something new everyday. I did not know Jim had been a MIMCO tech. Great story about the Tx. 
He died in Aug 2010.

Neville


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## Ron Stringer

Graham P Powell said:


> Ron, Do you remember Jim Stewart?.


Sorry, never met him but then again, when I came ashore in 1966 there were about 80 technicians at East Ham, distributed between the main office and sub-depots/bases at Greenhithe and Tilbury. They were also further sub-divided into radar squads, communications squads, VHF squads and so on. I only occasionally met one if he happened to be on board the relatively few ships on the river that I visited from Chelmsford.


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## Mimcoman

Very interesting thread.

Between 1966-1979, I visited Mimco depots at Aberdeen, Dundee, Leith, Newcastle, Hull, East Ham, Soton, Avonmouth, Liverpool, Belfast and Glasgow. I've been told about the morse call-in but never experienced it, although a few called you by voice on a loudspeaker. I think the pub at East Ham (where I also attended a radiolocator 12/16 course) was the White Horse. 
The only trouble I had at a depot was at Southampton. I paid off there in 1970 from Nevasa. The clerk ( can't remember his name but he'd been with Mimco for years; tall thin "Scrooge" type) told me off for spending too much - although I was well within the agreed amount and still had more than £100 payoff. I told him that what I did with my money was none of his business, whereupon he told me off again for speaking to him in such a disrespectful manner - didn't I know he was a very senior member of staff? So I told him where to stick the job and just tell me how to resign. So he reported me to the Depot Manager, who called me in and asked that I reconsider resigning "in the heat of the moment", saying that the clerk was set in his ways and would I just humour him.... I did reconsider and (fortunately?) was never based at Soton again, although I did pay off there once more a few years later, by which time the guy had disappeared.
I have to say that other than the above, I have no bad memories of Mimco. Sure, some things weren't exactly as I desired, but then when is everything always spot-on? And I was more often accommodated than otherwise.

Mimcoman


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## cajef

Mimcoman said:


> So I told him where to stick the job and just tell me how to resign. So he reported me to the Depot Manager, who called me in and asked that I reconsider resigning "in the heat of the moment"


I had a similar experience at Marconi in Liverpool, I had just done eight months on a tanker the Regent Falcon, we came back into the UK to Milford Haven I was told to resign articles till the ship went to Dingle, when we arrived there I signed off and went into Liverpool Depot.

The clerk told me to return to the ship and resign as they had no relief, as the ship was going away for another long spell I refused, he told me I could not as it was against my terms of employment, I asked him for a sheet of paper and wrote my resignation out.

He refused to accept it so I walked out leaving it on his desk, when I got home the manager had phoned three times, eventually he rang again and asked me to reconsider I refused. They did try several more times to get me to change my mind by trying to tempt me with positions on the Mauretania's last voyage and the Southern Cross.

I rang British & Commonwealth who promptly offered me an interview and a job when they found I had a 1st class PMG and Radar certificate.


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## Varley

Ron,

Long after my brief 'holiday' at East Ham and after I lost contact with the troops there (especially Dave Brown - a gent and fine inspector) I heard of Harry's grasping of a DF mains cable (twisted cord). The outside had rotted away leaving the conductors insulated only by the compressed material in the middle. This was defeated by Harry who performed a frantic jig worthy of the Russian ballet until rescued by the attending technician chaperoning him who was begged not to reveal his earlier music hall act.

I told a lie. Harry's signature was for my 1 year. A Mr. Jardine did my 6 months. 

In the latter days of BT surveyors it was Keith Watkins I knew over your way. If he went independent like Graham Dolan and Bill Hutton then I don't think for long. If he is in you sphere please pass my regards.

David V


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## Troppo

cajef said:


> positions on the Mauretania's last voyage



That would have been interesting.

Does anyone know what kind of gear she had?


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## Ron Stringer

cajef said:


> I had a similar experience at Marconi in Liverpool, I had just done eight months on a tanker the Regent Falcon, we came back into the UK to Milford Haven I was told to resign articles till the ship went to Dingle, when we arrived there I signed off and went into Liverpool Depot.


At Milford Haven there was only a small Marconi service base, operated (as was the Swansea base) as an adjunct to the Cardiff depot which had many more people, including a staff clerk. Anyone signing on/off at Milford Haven/Pembroke had to go through the Cardiff depot to get leave and pay entitlements sorted out. So if the ship was going on to other UK ports, it was common to ask the R/O to stay aboard until it reached somewhere a little less remote before leaving the vessel.

Milford was manned in the 1960s by two technicians, messrs Carmichael and Steptoe. The latter was not a rag and bone dealer but was in fact the brother of Dr Patrick Steptoe, the obstetrician who with the Cambridge physiologist Dr Robert Edwards, pioneered _in vitro_ fertilisation and was responsible for the birth of Louise Brown, the first so-called test tube baby.

When Steptoe retired, he was replaced at Milford Haven by Mike McNeil, a hugely likeable Barra, man with whom I shared a most memorable 4/5 months on a marine electronics course at Plymouth Tech in 1966. He and Harry Carmichael made a great team and could cope with anything, despite having only limited facilities and being at the end of a very long supply chain.

Sorry to say, all three are long across the bar now.


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## Troppo

R651400 said:


> Mauretania one of the few if not the only big Cunarder with Marconi.
> It was obvious when you heard GTTM on 5 ton compared with the Queens..
> Superb note and keying my guess a Worldspan.
> GBTT and GBSS with IMR had a crap note as did United States/KJEH.



Ahhh - thanks.

Yes, I have listened to a recording of the final GBSS QSO with WCC in the late 60's - the tx sounded terrible....

OK - another question - why did Cunard go with IMR?


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## cajef

Troppo said:


> That would have been interesting.


I did think about it as for her last voyage she did a round the world cruise, however I had already been on passenger ships and was quite happy to have a quiet life on cargo vessels, plus by then I had already committed myself to go with B & C.


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## charles henry

R651400 said:


> How come a company with marine radio equipment and technology second to none could present such a tomtit facade and cream off from the roots of their very existence ie R/O's.


Whilst the OCEAN Span group took marconi out of the dark ages of the TRF receivers it was hardly the leading edge of technology. My ham gear that I built was ages ahead. Only Marconi engineers could make a simple 100 watt transmiter take up a full 7 foot equipment rack.

However, having said that, the "negative resistance" oscillator was rather neat.

Chas (Pint)(Pint)


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## Ron Stringer

I recognise that to a radio operator, the radio equipment fitted aboard merchant ships had significant performance deficiencies compared to similar products used in other applications. But we are not really comparing eggs with eggs here.

Marine radio equipment made in the UK had to meet the GPO's specifications produced for the BOT - the amateur (and coast station, and the Collins) equipment did not. That included undergoing environmental and durability testing that required that the radio performance be met even while being subjected to temperatures between -15° and +55°C, to humidities of 95% at a temperature of +40°C, and while being subjected to mechanical shocks and to vibrations of 1G in each of the 3 planes.

As a consequence the emphasis was on reliability, conformity and economy rather than state of the art performance. Marine communications, like all other aspects of marine engineering and navigation, were never at the leading edge of technology. After all, there was no need for hi-tech solutions - we were in the business of transporting the world's goods wherever trucks and aircraft could not provide a more economical solution. We were workhorses, not space cadets.


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## Clive Knott

I recall it at the Liverpool depot in the early sixties. I had a bollocking from the clerk for not responding to my callsign - only problem being I hadn't joined the ship, in fact I hadn't been told which ship I was to join and thus didn't know its callsign. I do recall tales of the clerk at Liverpool being hauled over the counter and clobbered for having an attitude problem.


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## Dimples82

Yes, I remember reporting to East Ham when joining a Ben Line ship. I had heard about this activity. I rememberadvising them to stop acting like spoilt delinquent radio hams and that I had a name . . . an that the persons who was sending the morse needed to go back to shool and learn to send morse properly . . . . I remember it worked, and I was asked by name to come into the 'office' and I was treated very well after that.


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## Worldspan

Thanks for your reply regarding the thread which I started over two years ago – wow, how time flies! It’s interesting to know that in fact they used a call sign and not a name, as I had been told. 

But I must take issue with the reference to ‘delinquent radio hams’. At Norwood Tech, the head of department, GL Danielson, held an amateur call and two of the best students on my course were radio hams. Later, at RAF Hullavington (Air Electronics School) the top student in operating and ground studies was a G3. Perhaps less so now, but my guess is that in the 1960s many of the top people in the electronics industry had come up through ham radio. I can’t remember his call but Brigadier (later Sir) Richard Gambier-Parry, who was communications controller at SIS during WW2, set up the DWS.

W


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## jimg0nxx

I was with Marconi from 1962 to 1974, in that time passed through many of their depots and never once heard the use of morse to call us from the waiting room. I had heard of it happening from old hands, but just assumed it had died out before my time.
Jim


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## Ron Stringer

jimg0nxx said:


> I was with Marconi from 1962 to 1974, in that time passed through many of their depots and never once heard the use of morse to call us from the waiting room. I had heard of it happening from old hands, but just assumed it had died out before my time.
> Jim


I joined at Liverpool in 1960 and on my first day witnessed a blazing row in the waiting room between some member of the office staff and a R/O who refused to respond to the Morse summons. Apparently the call-sign transmitted was that of the ship he had just signed off in Birkenhead. He insisted that as he had signed off, that ship was nothing to do with him any more and the call-sign had no relevance. Furthermore, he was a man (not a bloody ship) with a name which they should use and, he pointed out, the person calling him had just walked across the corridor from office to waiting room to try and give a bollocking (for failing to answer the Morse summons), so he could have walked there and used his name to address the R/O in the first place. They went at it hammer and tongs and I thought I had walked into a mad house.

Later I visited East Ham depot to drop off some requisitions on my way by cab from Tilbury to a party up in the smoke. They were using Morse to call people from the R/O's waiting room. That would have been early 1962. I never heard it anywhere else.


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## Varley

It was still done post 1971.


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## Troppo

Good old master-slave relationship.

Pathetic.

Amalgamated Wombat (AWA - the Australian version of Macaroni) had exactly the same attitude when I joined in 1980. 

It got more realistic when the R/O's superintendent changed....


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## duncs

Troppo said:


> Good old master-slave relationship.
> 
> Pathetic.
> 
> Amalgamated Wombat (AWA - the Australian version of Macaroni) had exactly the same attitude when I joined in 1980.
> 
> It got more realistic when the R/O's superintendent changed....


What makes with the above?
I was attached to the Eastham depot from 1971 for about 5 years. I had heard of the 'morse' thing, but never encountered it. The staff, Stan Padfield and (1st name?) Finter, were gentlemen and were very polite. They made you welcome and you could have a good chat with them.
Was attached to Liverpool depot after that, a Mr Porter, I think. Again, no problems. 
Glasgow depot, I found, very welcoming.
Why knock MIMCO? They weren't so bad.
At least they were straight, not like some other companies who direct employed.


Duncs


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## trotterdotpom

Troppo said:


> Good old master-slave relationship.
> 
> Pathetic.
> 
> Amalgamated Wombat (AWA - the Australian version of Macaroni) had exactly the same attitude when I joined in 1980.
> 
> It got more realistic when the R/O's superintendent changed....


One man's meat is another man's poison. I joined AWA at the same time and had no problem with the 
in***bent. Of course, I doubled my pay with the stroke of a pen and that may have coloured my judgement.

I remember the Supt sending round a circular saying "It has come to my attention that some Radio Officers regard their period of sea duty as an unpleasant interval between leaves." I actually enjoyed being at sea, so, unlike some who took offence, I found the comment quite amusing.

John T


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## Troppo

It was actually "....black period between leaves"...

I laughed, a lot.


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## Keith Adkins

I joined Marconi in '58 and for all my time with them was never called, or heard anyone called into the office by morse, and like Dunc found Stan Padfield a true gentleman


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## Troppo

R651400 said:


> After Suez Canal closure '56 transitting Oz via the Cape and first experience and thoughts seeing all those lovely Fremantle sheilas..
> Now this is definitely the place to be!
> AWA interview Sydney later on and looking at their crap shipboard equipment compared with GTZB's Marconi or Redifon.
> Glad I gave it a body swerve..


You should have joined. It actually wasn't too bad...

B\)


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## JWJ1

What Marconi interview are we talking about ?

I joined at Pall Mall Liverpool in 1958 and there was no interview.

Myself and a fellow exam passer (received results the day before) presented ourselves at the counter and told the man we wanted to sign-up as radio officers. He told us we needed to go to a college for two years and then come back when we had our certificates.

We said we had done that and produced our tickets. He was gob-smacked ! (Must have been our young, cherubic faces, still only 17).

He gave us a lot of forms to fill-in, which took half an hour then told us we would receive official acceptance letters through the post.

He then told us to go and get kitted out with uniforms etc. He recommended we visit a Naval Outfitter such as Silver & Co. in North John St.

This we did, buying half the shop on "tick". Received our letter the following week and joined the first ship a couple of weeks later on £28 per month.

Remember hearing morse over a speaker whilst filling the forms in but it didn't seem relevant to us.
Good old days.


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## Tony Selman

Over a few beers at the annual reunions of the ROA over the years I must have chatted to R/O's who worked for all the radio companies and a good few of the direct employers. As a broad generalisation IMR and Siemens seem to have been better employers with happier R/O's than Mimco. That said we have some very happy ex Mimco men in the ROA and they either loved the system or knew how to work it to their advantage and this is counterbalanced by a good few who joined Mimco, hated it and moved on to direct employers or FOC as several posters have indicated.
Speaking personally I am delighted to have been direct employed from start to finish, pleased to have missed out on the Mimco experience, and proud to have worked for such fine employers as Brocklebank's and P&O. Horses for courses.


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## Bob Murdoch

JWJ1
You were ripped off. I joined MIMCO in April, 1958 in Glasgow, within hours of getting my ticket (16 year old). I went on pay from that day and they gave me an advance to buy my uniform. No letter of acceptance, just get your medical. Starting pay for me was £32.00 which had gone up from £28.00 pm some time before I joined. As you say, never had any trouble with the Company, enjoyed my couple of years with them and found the gear behaved as it should.
I liked the excitement of not knowing what was next and when I went direct employ found the set run thing was boring after a wee while, even NZ -Aus.
Guess when you had a bad run, it made you appreciate the good ones even more so.
Would I do it again? Bet your life I would, but I would not have gone ashore so quickly.
Cheers Bob


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## Paul Braxton

Ref your post #100 Duncs. It was Cliff Finter, Stan Padfield's no. 2 in the office at East Ham. They were both good guys, as you say. Cliff was the sort of quiet, gentlemanly type, didn't say a lot unless it was some info that you may have needed. I liked him, found him a very straight talking guy. Stan could be a bit devious sometimes, I thought, especially when things started getting a bit silly towards the end of my time (early '80's) and I was getting more leave than seatime. He had a wonderful knack of making you feel guilty for not resigning and coming ashore to work for Mimco's!

I wonder if you remember the guy on the counter, Sid, I seem to remember his name was, you know, the guy who used to deal out the subs and expenses, fill in the details in your paybook and discharge book, etc. A real nice guy, Sid, and a good sense of humour, too. You could rely on him to get your cash issues exactly right, and all with a laugh and a joke. Not too many like him around nowadays, perhaps, at least not in my experience.

Remember the girl who used to man the 'phone? She sat at the back by the window. Can't for the life of me remember her name. Funny little thing. 

As far as working for Mimco went I think for me, at least, one of the main attractions was not knowing where or when you were going next. A bit of a lottery. My extremes were probably: joining a dredger to take over to Holland for just one day and night, with a radio room which had never been used (with a Commandant/Apollo combo if I remember it right), or a North Sea converted trawler, the "Marbella", which was on a gas pipeline survey off Aberdeen for a month or so in '78, to 'proper' ships of various sorts on exotic runs. No, I wouldn't have changed it if I had had the benefit of hindsight then. 

61 quid a month and a fiver a month to pay back for loan of cash (35 quid) to buy a uniform. A fiver was an appreciable amount of money in those days, I guess.


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## Hugh Slavin

John, Ron, Les and others - what, this thread still eunning after 100 years!!!! Sorry guys, I would like to join in more! It's great to reminisce, but time seems to be in short supply. And getting shorter everyday I suspect. So - glad to see everybody still chatting - and hope to do so myself.

Best wishes to all,

Hugh Slavin


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## Ron Stringer

Hugh Slavin said:


> Best wishes to all,
> 
> Hugh Slavin


Glad to see you are still around, Hughie boy.


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