Robert Creighton Priddy


Hi Roy,

I am not sure if you have seen the account of my MS days (’Tramping the Sea’) which contains all the information I have about it – dates and ports of all plus much more. It is still on-line at http://robertpriddy.com/at_sea.html
I was an apprentice deck officer for two trips, 18 months altogether in 1954/5 M/S London Glory and then London Pride. I left the MN, due to the isolation of the life (at that time quit severe – only contact with home via letters which chased the ship from port to port. I had also seen how alcoholism had taken a number of long-term survivors, which put me off more than anything.

I was later contacted by Ambrose Jones, a former apprentice who I had met briefly in 1954 when he came aboard as my relief in Rotterdam. He seems to be deceased now, but in 2003 he put out web pages of which you know, I assume ”Memories & Momentos of  my sailing days in LONDON OVERSEAS FREIGHTERS 1952 to 1965’
It is no longer on-line, and I do not have the original URL (or it could be found on the wayback machine archive). That web page had a number of photos, but my download of his pages failed to regiter the images.Unfortunately I had no camera at that time, so no photos by me.

(RG Note – Ambrose Jones died a few years ago)

Data:  London & Overseas Freighters ‘M/S London Glory’ –

Master – Captain John Dixon, South Shields
1st Officer Mr. Ashley,
2nd Officer Mr. John Mitchell, Wales
3rd Officer Mr. David Prince, Sussex
Radio Officer Mr. Booth,
Head Steward Mr. Williamson, Hull or Grimsby
5th Engineer – Larry Black, Falmouth
Ports of call from November 1952 till July 1953 in sequence:-
Liverpool, Glasgow, Liverpool , Manchester, Puerta de la Cruz (Venezuela), Willemstad (Curacao), ‘Henry Morgan’ Bay (Curacao) Puerta de la Cruz (Venezuela), Providence (RI, USA), Algiers, Malta, Trieste, Suez, Fao, Singapore, Balikpapaan (Borneo), Surabaya (Java), (at least two return journeys),Tarakan (British North Borneo), Balikpapaan, Plago (Sumatra), Singapore, Adelaide, Melbourne, Balikpapaan, Singapore, Colombo (Ceylon), Aden, Bahrein, Mena-el-ahmadi, Rotterdam.

London & Overseas Freighters ‘M/S London Pride’ –

Master – Fleet Commodore Captain Williamson
Ist Officer – Mr. Markley
2nd Officer – ?
3rd Officer – Mr. Oakes (?)
2nd Apprentice – David Brown
Ports of call from September 1953 to January 1954 in sequence:-

Rotterdam, Mena-el-ahmadi (Kuwait), Balikpapaan (Borneo), Miri (Sarawak), Rotterdam.

McGregor of the Suez Canal -most famous of bumboat men

http://robertpriddy.com/Nos/macgregor.html

Best wishes, Robert