# UK Articles - Provision Allowance



## Ancient-Mariner

Can anyone point me please to a copy of the Provision Allowance which at one time used to be part of UK ship's Articles.

The do***ent that I am thinking of used to list how much milk, bread, tea, offal, water etc per person per week(?)

Thanks.

Clive


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## Mick Spear

Ancient-Mariner said:


> Can anyone point me please to a copy of the Provision Allowance which at one time used to be part of UK ship's Articles.
> 
> The do***ent that I am thinking of used to list how much milk, bread, tea, offal, water etc per person per week(?)
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Clive


I think you can find it on the internet under 'Statutory Instruments' under 'Merchant shipping provisions and water' or something like that. The old act which included scales - oz of meat, fish, vegetables etc was revoked in apprx 1989 and as far as i know, now simply states "Master and employer are to provide adequate provisions for the nature of the voyage" 
Good luck


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## ALAN TYLER

Ancient-Mariner said:


> Can anyone point me please to a copy of the Provision Allowance which at one time used to be part of UK ship's Articles.
> 
> The do***ent that I am thinking of used to list how much milk, bread, tea, offal, water etc per person per week(?)
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Clive


In my B.O.T. Nautical Cookery Book there is a Scale of Provisions for Crew According to the Merchant Shipping Order 1939 (Seamens Provisions) if this is what you,re after I will try to upload to the site or possibly send it to you by private e-mail. Alan.


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## Farmer John

The main thing I remember from mid sixties, as a middy on Blue Funnel, was a liberal supply of concentrated lime juice. We didn't waste it, but by gosh it was tart. Just a few drops in a glass of water was very thirst quenching.


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## stan mayes

I have just posted 'Scale of Provisions' in the gallery.
Stan


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## ALAN TYLER

Clive just e-mailed lists to you if not successful let me know and I,ll post them to you. Alan


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## John S Martin

*MN Rations*

I remember these well. When I did my apprenticeship as Catering Cadet with Elder Dempster the Chief Steward on the mailboat that I started my training on said "Laddie, read learn and inwardly digest these scales - they will become your companion when you get your own ship" I wish I had kept a copy! I seem to remember it was something like 4 1/2 eggs a week pp - which included ingredients for cakes.


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## kauvaka

Farmer John said:


> The main thing I remember from mid sixties, as a middy on Blue Funnel, was a liberal supply of concentrated lime juice. We didn't waste it, but by gosh it was tart. Just a few drops in a glass of water was very thirst quenching.


On BP tankers there was a tin pouring jug of lime hanging under the forced draught vents in the boiler room and the control centre. Good for doing the brightwork too.


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## WilliamH

John S Martin said:


> I remember these well. When I did my apprenticeship as Catering Cadet with Elder Dempster the Chief Steward on the mailboat that I started my training on said "Laddie, read learn and inwardly digest these scales - they will become your companion when you get your own ship" I wish I had kept a copy! I seem to remember it was something like 4 1/2 eggs a week pp - which included ingredients for cakes.


I remember the 2nd mate on the Dumbia at breakfast ordering a "fried egg breakfast with an omelette on top", the saloon steward was stupid enough to pass the order on to the galley, from the galley, there were the sounds of pots and pans being thrown, I think at the saloon steward.


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## MWD

As second engineer on Hadleys Clymene in about 1963 the Chief Steward told me that his catering allowance for us was 50 pence (10 shillings in old money) per head per day. That I understand was the Shell Oil rate. The ship managers were Holders, who did much better and it was something of a come down from Union Castle first class fare.

MWD.


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## tunatownshipwreck

I remember the large poster of what provision allowances a sailor was entitled to, usually posted on the main deck in the center of the superstructure. Indian ships had the same equivalent. Maybe somebody saved one.


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## slick

All,
Was this known as the "Board of Trade Whack"?

Yours aye,

slick


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## John S Martin

I believe so!
JsM


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## Trader

tunatownshipwreck said:


> I remember the large poster of what provision allowances a sailor was entitled to, usually posted on the main deck in the center of the superstructure. Indian ships had the same equivalent. Maybe somebody saved one.


I have got one somewhere, I must dig it out.

Alec.


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## Anchorman

tunatownshipwreck said:


> I remember the large poster of what provision allowances a sailor was entitled to, usually posted on the main deck in the center of the superstructure. Indian ships had the same equivalent. Maybe somebody saved one.


I posted a copy here if any help. (needed 2 scans to get it all on)
http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/galle...o/335235/title/no-wonder-we-kept-slim/cat/500


http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/galle...o/335236/title/no-wonder-we-kept-slim/cat/500

Neil


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## mrbguess

*Replies*

Some good replies


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## Ken Green

The pound and pint.


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## alan ward

John Martin,I only ever met one catering cadet,on the Owerri.Did you stay at sea and did you get a Chief Stewards job? I changed over from being a cargo purser to to Purser/Catering Officer after two years.


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## tunatownshipwreck

Anchorman said:


> I posted a copy here if any help. (needed 2 scans to get it all on)
> http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/galle...o/335235/title/no-wonder-we-kept-slim/cat/500
> 
> 
> http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/galle...o/335236/title/no-wonder-we-kept-slim/cat/500
> 
> Neil


Many thanks. Now I need to find the Indian one.


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## holland25

I was watching a program last night about various methods of reducing weight including fad diets. Perhaps with some clever marketing we have an opportunity here. It could be sold as the Mariner's Diet, as you say I don't remember obesity being much of a problem. I have to say that the ships I sailed on did provide at above BOT.


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## tunatownshipwreck

There's one ingredient a lot of dieters seem to miss, physical activity.


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## tsell

A few days outward bound, I was purchasing something from the Chief Steward's slop chest when I noticed on a shelf behind him with the curtain partly drawn, a row, in three tiers, of jars of petroleum jelly, aka Vaseline.
When I asked him what they were all for, he said, "Greasing palms son! Now pith off!!"

Taff


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## ALAN TYLER

Regarding the egg allowance...Not less than four eggs, fresh or preserved in shell shall be issued during the first fortnight of any voyage starting from a port within home trade limits, and two eggs for each week thereafter should be issued, if obtainable at a reasonable price, and if there are facilities for keeping them. Each egg so issued shall be regarded as the equivalent of 1 1/2 ozs fresh meat under the scale. Eggs in excess of these may be issued, but shall not count against the scale. Info taken from Scale of Provisions for Crew according to Merchant Sipping Order 1939 (Out of my old B.O.T. cook book)


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## Varley

"Merchant Sipping Order" - I didn't know we were compelled to do so. Or was this an attempt to reduce gulping.


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## ALAN TYLER

Varley said:


> "Merchant Sipping Order" - I didn't know we were compelled to do so. Or was this an attempt to reduce gulping.


Well spotted I didn,t realise I was dropping my Aitches..think thats how you spell H!!


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## Binnacle

*One for his thumb*

Collecting the week's provisions from the chief steward on Currie's "Lowland", he counted out our allocation of sugar by using a mug, then added an additional mugful informing us "one for my thumb". The mug was minus a handle. With such an honest man we could only presume we were being issued with the correct BOT measure.

Happy days


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## Old Janner

Reminds me of being on the Indian/Pakistan crewed tankers, where I had to give the deck crew their rations for the week, then the Engine crew, followed by the Catering crew.
Nearly a full afternoons work, all had to be exact and always a discussion over the amount of bones in the mutton.
We carried Crew Mutton and Officers mutton, same as Chickens.

Thank God there was no beer issues.

not to mention the daily Medical locker visits a 9am, mostly asking for 'Black Draft' 

OJ


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