LOF Yarns - Long Stories


Long stories from days gone by...

The Painting

    This painting of the same era is of the 'London Resolution' and does not refer to the story below.

In the days when there were no video machines, DVD players, mp3's, psp's, x-box's or any other gismos that exist today for the hard worked seafarer. We had to contend with - if we were lucky the twice weekly showing of a 'Walport' film, normally in the Officers smoke room, but sometimes outside if the weather was favourable, and if we were very lucky indeed the Chief Steward would lay on some luxury like fish and chips, or even an ice cream.

Real hobbies and time to kill pursuits, games, deck golf and reading were the flavour of the day.

Andrew Sinclair a 3rd Officer in LOF, had been an apprentice in the 60's, Andy liked to pass his time either making models from scraps of chart paper and any other junk he could find, ending up with the portholes normally made from some 'pills' the Chief Steward had supplied, by the time the product was finished and painted it looked a pretty reasonable model.

On one particular trip in the 1970's Andy joined with more than his usual amount of 'hobby' material. What are you up to, this trip then Andy - someone enquired. To which Andy replied with some excitement that he was planning to do a 'Painting' to enter the 'Seafarers Education Service' (S.E.S) completion, which was being held some 5 months ahead.
Over the period of weeks, and some diversions, as every time someone saw what was going on, they would ask Andy to knock up a picture for them, so he stopped his project and would knock up either a watercolour (example above) or a pen & ink drawing in a matter of a couple of days. After some considerable time the 'painting' was completed, and although I can not recall much about it, the LOF cargo ship (maybe London Statesman or Craftsman) was entering Rio de Janeiro harbour, the colours were vibrant, it was a classic British Cargo Ship, the backdrop even more spectacular. The 'Painting' now complete was carefully rolled up and put into a special tube/container and duly sent off to the Seafarers Education Service HQ - Andy having to pay the postal costs, the final entry date was fast approaching.

We were now into our 5th month onboard and was looking as to when we might be relieved. We were headed towards Europe and there was a good chance of a complete Officer & Crew change. Sure enough a telegram arrived a few days before we arrived at Rotterdam to say we were all getting off - how happy we were. On arrival at Rotterdam, the Ships Agent brought the mail onboard, it was sorted and as most of us was in the ships bar - someone brought the mail down. Andy opening up his letters came across an unfamiliar envelope, on opening it up -  with excitement yelped that he had won "a prize" in the Painting/Picture section of the S.E.S. competition - almost like 'Monopoly' - he - Andy had won 3rd prize in the competition and all of £10 pounds, which in the mid-70's was a nice little prize - tax free.
The letter of congratulations went on to praise the picture and asked - what he wanted to do with it. Andy sent a letter once he was at home telling the S.E.S. that they could keep the painting and use it for what-ever purpose they wished.

Some 2 or 3 years later, Andy was due to join a ship, and Mike Cuff the Personnel Manager asked Andy to call into the Balfour Place Offices to collect the mail - which was going out to the ship he was joining. It being a Friday afternoon, not many people were to be found in the LOF Offices!. On arriving in the marbled atrium, the receptionist informed Andy the elevators were playing up and best use the spiral staircase to go and meet up in the Personnel Office.
As he was climbing the stairs, he admired the various pictures, paintings and photographs that lined the staircase, some half way up - he noticed a 'Painting' that looked a bit 'familiar' - stopping and taking a closer look - he realised when inspecting the signature - that lo - behold it was one of his - the very one that had won the S.E.S. completion some few years earlier - the same painting no less than he - Andy - had won 3rd prize and £10. He arrived to see Capt Cuff, and asked about the paintings on the staircase - to which Capt Cuff said he knew very little other than some Directors, Chairman and other sponsors had donated the various memorabilia over the past 2 decades. Andy pressed Cuff, - upon which Cuffs memory sprung into light. Ah hah I remember that one now, the painting of an LOF Cargo Ship entering Rio Harbour - Ah yes - Stanley Sedgwick bought that at an auction a couple of years ago, it was already framed - yes a very nice 'Painting'. Do you know how much he paid for it - enquired Andy - Cuff having another 'think' replied that it was in the region of £300. Andy nearly fainted. He asked ''Cuff' if he knew who the artist was that had done this painting - No, replied Cuff - to which Andy informed him of the 'history' behind the painting. £300 was about a month's salary for a 3rd Mate in those days - but Andy Sinclair - was a very happy man indeed - he had won 3rd prize in the S.E.S. completion  and all of £10. I don't believe Andy ever entered another completion after this one.

He has very generously, donated two paintings at the LOF Reunion 2004 and has agreed again to paint a ' unique' painting for the forth-coming LOF Reunion Charity Raffle.

I can assure you all the 'painting' is worth more than £10 and in fact more than £300 - RIP Stanley Sedgwick.

Roy Gerstner (October 2006)

VIP Travel by LOF

When Mike Cuff went into the Balfour Lane LOF Offices to work in the Personnel Department with Barry Drew, ships staff, and superintendents joining and leaving vessels in foreign ports was a bit of a hit and miss arrangement. In the mid-60's LOF used 3 travel agents and tended to play one off against the other as far as getting the best deal was concerned.......They tried to screw the best deal possible and I doubt if anything has changed?

So when Cuff became Personnel Manager around 1972, he found a travel agent just around the corner called VIP Travel, there were no connections to anyone who worked within LOF - as a rumour that Ken Stewart, the Chartering Manager was a director of VIP Travel, this is not true. So after some prolonged negotiations VIP were chosen as the sole agent that would arrange travel on behalf of staff. During 1976, when business was quite brisk for LOF, a cheque needed to be signed by the accounts director Stanley Sedgwick. However, he was not in the office on this particular day and it being the last day of the month Cuff needed the cheque signing. So he made arrangements for BM (Basil) Mavroleon to sign the said cheque, and duly, Cuff was summoned upstairs to BM's office - made to wait and then invited to enter. Mike Cuff presented the cheque to BM, (it being for £80,000), BM looked at the cheque and then signed it, handing it back to Cuff, as he did so he said 'Not too bad an amount for the year' where upon Cuff had to admit to BM that the amount he had just signed for was in fact for one month and not the whole year. Fortunately Cuff had the cheque in his hand at this stage and made a rapid departure from the purple faced spitting BM.

As things began to tighten up, a novel way to use aircraft efficiently was to put a few seats on Cargo Aircraft. I never travelled by this means, but I understand a few did, the fare was around half of the normal fare and you sat amongst the rest of the cargo. I doubt if there was any 'service' as such and what the temperature control was like I hate to imagine.

I had a few momentous intrepid journeys joining LOF ships. Here are a couple.

In 1974 2nd/Off Rogers-Gray and myself were to join the Cargo vessel London Grenadier in Calcutta India. We duly met at Heathrow Airport, where-upon R-G informed me proudly that he had all of 50p left from the £10 he had set out from home with - the £9:50 had gone on his taxi fare, without any tip for the taxi-driver!. The flight was delayed by some 2 hours, before we could board.The aircraft began to taxi to the runway holding area, where it stopped. We were informed of an impending Air Traffic Controllers Strike over France and we would have to wait and see what happens - no duty free drinks were available as we were still in the UK.
Some 4 hours later we still sat at the end of the runway - fortunately they had opened the toilets! At last we took off, first stop Kuwait. As we landed we heard a series of popping, bangs and smoke came from the Portside, on getting to the terminal, the Pilot informed us that the plane had suffered 2 tyre blow-outs on the heavy landing! We all had to debarked whilst the 'tyres' could be 'fixed'. Another 4 hours passed, when we re-embarked the plane - remember R-G still had his 50p on him.

Next stop was Hyderabad where we were delayed for another 4 hours due to a passenger being ill. Next stop Bombay - hurrah we had made it to India at last - some 14 hours overdue!  The airline informed us that we had missed our connecting flight to Calcutta, so they provided transport and accommodation at the 4 star Taj Mahal Bombay (Now a 5 Star Hotel).
Rogers-Gray said we were to go to the Indian Agents who supplied crew for LOF 'I.K. Marine', who would inform LOF of our delays and 'sub' him some money! - this we did and he managed to extract all of about £2 from the agents and sent on his way.
4 days later and I have to say, well rested after the intrepid journey - lovely swimming pool, Rogers-Gray lived on what-ever the hotel would supply him with (Airlines minimum), I lent him £10 since I had never met the guy before I felt reluctant to lend him anymore.
We went up to Bombay Airport, checked in and boarded our flight - it left on time and we arrived in Calcutta some 5 days late and overdue.
The agents met us and informed us that the London Grenadier was still in port, amazing!
As we left the airport there was a giant sign by the roadside from the airline we had just travelled with...... 'Fly Air India and get there faster' - need I say more!

In 1975 I had a similar experience to the above but this time in Panama - to join the ship transiting. I was on my own, and when I eventually got to Balboa, the Agent informed me that the ship had been diverted and was not coming through the canal. It was late on a Friday night Panamanian time, so I had no contact number to call. I put myself up in an expensive dingy hotel, and waited the weekend out.
On the Monday morning I went to the Agents Office where he informed me that the ship was now due to call for a transit through the canal on the coming Thursday.
We sent a telex message to LOF personnel who replied that they could not understand why I was not on the ship!
Thursday arrived - and no ship! - I'd had enough at this stage and went to the airport and bought myself a ticket home to the UK. I had only just acquired a 'Barclaycard' and luckily American Airlines took it. I had to transit back through Miami - this caused even more problems and delays with the American officialdom (this was some 30 years before the most recent issues - so not a lot has changed).
I left Miami and arrived back in the UK on the Friday afternoon, some 8 days after leaving the UK. I went to the LOF offices, and saw a personnel guy called 'Christie' who had only been in the job 2 weeks. Fortunately Mike Cuff rescued him, gave me some money and a rail warrant. He said I could have another couple of weeks off - to get over the ordeal?
It transpired that Mr. Christie had got his ships and ports mixed up, sending me on a wild but eventful journey, needless to say Mr. Christie only lasted some 3 months in the job - before he moved on to pastures new - he was replaced by Fred Baker - a nicer guy you could not meet and was at least switched on.

Roy Gerstner (October 2006)

The Marine Casualty by Ambrose Jones

Letter to Mr. Mackenzie The Fleet Superintendent... 1986