# Rate of Pay



## John Rogers (May 11, 2004)

Can anyone remember what the rate of pay was a month for different ratings back in the 1947 thru 1954 era. I started off as a deck hand for 11 pounds a month than after a year I went below as a Fireman but I cannot remember what pay I was getting, I want to say 30 quid a month but my memory is failing me.

John.


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## Ray Mac (Sep 22, 2007)

Cat/boys were on £13.4/6 per month in 1958 if that helps. £11.00 seems a lot for 47-54?
Ray


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## John Rogers (May 11, 2004)

Thanks Ray. I rechecked some old do***ents and you are correct, I was making eight pounds a month as a deck boy,the eleven pounds included a bonus for various cargo we help trim,(Grain Maize). Any idea what Firemen were getting.

John


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## Ray Mac (Sep 22, 2007)

I think around £22.00 per month in 1959 basic 56 hour week?.

Ray


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## David Davies (Dec 11, 2006)

*National Maritime Board Rates of Pay*

The NMB rates of pay 1945 to 1953-4 were Deck Boy £7 per month, JOS £12 per month, SOS £16 per month, EDH, 1st year £20 per month and AB £24 per month. Overtime Deck Boy to SOS 1/6d per hour, EDH and AB 2/3d per hour. The above rates incorporated the war time bonus or danger money paid to British merchant seamen from 1939 i.e. Deck Boy £4 per month plus £3 war bonus, AB £14 per month plus £10 war bonus.


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## stan mayes (Jul 22, 2006)

In 1947 an ABs pay was £24 per month and 2 shillings [10p]an hour overtime.
A fireman/greaser received £24. 10 shillings per month.
A Bosun on cargo ships and tankers £27 per month but more when in passenger ships.
Stan


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## ROBERT HENDERSON (Apr 11, 2008)

The rates quoted by Stan are correct for foreign going ships,it was approx £4 per month more on coasters if not company feeding.


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## John Rogers (May 11, 2004)

Thanks Stan thats the info I was looking for and at 4 dollars to the pound we were in fat city until the devaluation hit us in Baltimore one trip just when we were getting our sub to go ashore, it went to $2.80 to the pound. That was in August of 1948 if my memory is correct.

John


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## Binnacle (Jul 22, 2005)

ROBERT HENDERSON said:


> The rates quoted by Stan are correct for foreign going ships,it was approx £4 per month more on coasters if not company feeding.


On "weekly" articles as Deck and crane boy in 45 I was paid about £3 5/- p/w, but supplied our own grub, bedding, pots and pans etc. Later D/B in 45 on "monthly" articles was paid £10, i.e. £5 wages plus £5 war risk. Overtime rate was 9 pence per hour. ABs were on £24 which included £10 war risk. Shipowners in 46 wanted to drop the war risk money i.e. drop an ABs pay from £24 to £14 but this would have created considerable hardship and was politically unacceptable .


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## Kenneth Morley (Aug 22, 2005)

*Wages*

I signed on Raranga as Trimmer Feb 1945 Timaru New Zealand wages were 14pound 10shillings +10pounds was risk a month...cleaning back ends 1pound +sunday at sea. Great days. Kenneth(Cloud)


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## lakercapt (Jul 19, 2005)

Seem to remember that the AB's rate of pay in 1953 was Pounds 28 10 shilling per month.* hours day of sailing and departure were not paid at O/T rates but as this is a long time ago it may be out.
Remember that that sailings/departures were timed so that the above came in to effect


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## Harvey Williams (Mar 20, 2008)

Queen Elizabeth 1966 before the strike, as a Fireman/Greaser I was on £28 a month and it was $2.72 to the £.


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## pierhead jumper (Jan 4, 2006)

Stan and others are quite correct.Also the days of sailing and arrival had much relevance.And don't forget the old field days.I think they were abandoned in 1942 or 3.Pierhead Jumper.


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## stan mayes (Jul 22, 2006)

Pierhead Jumper,
Field Days - what a travesty of working conditions they were,basically 8 hours overtime without pay.
In each week at sea an 8 hour day was worked making 56 hours,plus two four hour Field Days-total 64 hours before overtime was paid.
And we had a Seamen's Union!!!
Regards -- Stan


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## dom (Feb 10, 2006)

Harvey Williams said:


> Queen Elizabeth 1966 before the strike, as a Fireman/Greaser I was on £28 a month and it was $2.72 to the £.


best check to see if you've got any back pay,1966 28 pound a month ??? 1964 when i left for KIWI i was getting 48 pound a month/dom(Thumb)


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## Kenneth Morley (Aug 22, 2005)

Hi , Pay I received as deckboy on "Pamir"1944 8pound two and six pence (NZ pound) a month, of this 1pound war risk and 1pound for all overtime worked. watches 4on 4off 7 days a week, we did get a day off in port for sundays at sea. Never regretted it. Kenneth


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## oceangoer (Jan 3, 2008)

Blue Funnel Midshipman's pay 1958 - 1962

1st yr 120
2nd yr 160
3rd yr 180
4th yr 260 pnds stg

total 720 pnds stg 

Despite the fact that by the end of year 2 you'd have an AB's ticket and were worked as such.


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## spongebob (Dec 11, 2007)

Interesting to read the various rates of pay quoted over the years spanning from 1944 through to the 1960’s.
When I joined the “Rangitane” as the junior engineer in 1957 and signed on at 37 pounds ten shillings a month all found, the NZ and UK pounds were at parity and the Australian pound was lagging at 16 shillings but although the sign on pay rate was less than I was receiving as a fifth year apprentice in NZ, the fact that it included full board and lodging at a good standard meant that it was not hard to endure.
Any financial hardship was entirely self inflicted by accepting the distractions of a passenger ship.

1958 saw me signed on NZ articles at an enhanced rate of about 65 pounds per month plus overtime for any hours worked outside the watch keeping times and with a day of ac***ulating leave for Sundays spent at sea. Mates were on similar schedules but received overtime for Sundays.
I have become curious as to how all these historical rates of pay compare to today and by Googling “measuring worth” I find calculators and tables showing the relative value of the British pound from 1830 through to 2006.

Year value Retail price index 2006 Average earnings index 2006

1945 1.00 pound 29.66 pound 94.25 pound 

1955 “ 18.11 48.02

1960 “ 15.90 36.90

1970 “ 10.69 19.44

Hard to believe but that is inflation for you

My sign on rate of 37.5 pounds / month would equate to 1594 pounds / month in 2006 

Kenneth Morley’s rate of 14.5 pounds /month in 1945 would come out at 1366 pounds / month in 2006

Confusing figures and perhaps not very meaningful but it does illustrate that the retail cost of living index has lagged the average earnings index by about 50%. This must only fairly apply if we lived our today’s lives as frugally as the past when few of us owned a car and there were no televisions, cell phones, computers, overseas holidays, heart transplants and all the current wants and must haves that financially burden most of our younger generations.
I don’t think that I have proved anything but the web site provides some interesting personal comparisons if you want to make them.


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## stores (Apr 8, 2007)

hi john, i signed on as cleaner, engine room dept , on mv wanstead watts watts in 1961, my pay was £31 15s a month plus overtime and sundays at sea pay. stores.


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## John N MacDonald (Apr 1, 2008)

My first pay as catering boy with Calmac on the 1964 Hebrides was £29.
I thought I was a millionaire. That was in 74.(==D)


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## Plumber (Jan 29, 2007)

1949 Dor C Boy=£7 month

1958 AB = £36.10s month.

I know ,I was there,and I still have the pay slip from the Athelsultan 1958.

My first ship, the Moorcot,away 18months,paid off Dover 20th December 1950
£80 in big white fivers.
That was real money then.


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## Bill Davies (Sep 5, 2007)

Plumber,
I too was AB in 58 but recall £36.00 per month. The 10s must have been a tanker bonus.
Bill


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## slick (Mar 31, 2006)

All,
1st. Year Apprentice with the Hain S.S. in 1958, £8-7-6d per month, however Overtime at 1/1d per Hour seemed to quell the proletariats rumblings.
Yours aye,
Slick


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## Raz Jones (Mar 18, 2006)

Bill,
Was there ever such a thing as a tanker bonus? I can't remember.
Ray


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## oceangoer (Jan 3, 2008)

slick said:


> All,
> 1st. Year Apprentice with the Hain S.S. in 1958, £8-7-6d per month, however Overtime at 1/1d per Hour seemed to quell the proletariats rumblings.
> Yours aye,
> Slick


1st Year Middy with Blue Funnel Jan 1959 Pnds 10-0-0d per month. 
Pnds 720-0-0 for the 4 years.

NO overtime (go on and stop on)


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## unsteadyken (Feb 14, 2005)

A 17 YO catering boy in 1968 earned £23 per month
Overtime was 3/3 per hour
Vietnam bonus 16/- per day
Leave and subsistence
Leave 19/4 per day
Subsistence 5/3 per day
To put that into perspective before joining the MN I worked in a steelworks and my take home pay was about £28 per week at age 16.
No half as much fun though.


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## David W (Apr 10, 2008)

Catering Boy 1960

Pay £14-12-6 per month
overtime £0-2-2 per hour
leave £0-9-9 per day
leave subs £0-4-0 per day
union dues £0-1-0 per week (where is my pension fund & the car I bought for someones daughter)
Nat Ins £0-5-5 per week 

All that and crusing the Caribbean, what more could you ask for?


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## Pat Kennedy (Apr 14, 2007)

I paid off with £21.00 after a 3 month voyage on my first trip as deck boy in 1958, but the crowd had a whip round in the shipping office, (as was normal practice) and I got another £18.00, I felt like a millionaire.
Pat


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## Bill Davies (Sep 5, 2007)

Pat,

You at least paid off in credit. Well done!

Brgds

Bill


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## Pat Kennedy (Apr 14, 2007)

Bill Davies said:


> Pat,
> 
> You at least paid off in credit. Well done!
> 
> ...


Bill, 
I only paid off once owing the ship money, and that was that damned Empress of Britain, the Pig was too handy and too tempting. I had to do another trip to clear my debt, and this time I stayed well clear of the Pig
Pat


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## unsteadyken (Feb 14, 2005)

David W said:


> All that and cruising the Caribbean, what more could you ask for?


A time machine to go back and do it all again.


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