Has any one been to Newcastle when the tide was in? we holidayed there as kids and I remember it seemed like miles to get to the waters edge although there were great paddling pools in between same with Dundrum even when back on holiday I am still to see the tide in there just mud flats

Gordon,

We went to Dundrum Castle every Easter with the children & sat within the shelter of its walls, well out of the wind & cold, while they trundled their eggs down the hill. We had a lovely view over the sands & sea, had a picnic later & home before dusk.

Dundrum had a fashionable good-food resturant then where we used to visit on special occasions. I liked Dundrum & didn't Brian Faulkner live there, we passed the gates of his estate near the resturant.?

Those days remain in my memory. Pat

I guess my generation missed out on a lot with the dirty 30s depression and then the war years. The only time as a little kid we got to the seaside was with Sunday School excursions which was only once a year if you were lucky and of course during the war years I can only remember going away once to Newcastle as there was gasoline rationing food rationiing, clothes rationing and even candy rationing. That time I went with the Church Lads Brigade band for some function or othere. In 1949 while on leave from the Navy some family members invited me to stay with them in Newcastle at a Bed & Breakfast, I couldn't get back to Lisburn fast enough as the food was terrible and even restrictions on what time you came in at night. I can laugh now but at the time I didn't think it was funny. Mauri

Hard times indeed, Mauri. Had to laugh about the bad food in Newcastle B&B. Must haver been really bad if you couldn't wait to get home to Lisburn.

Pat

You are correct about Brian Faulkner living there. When I worked in the shipyard a mate of mine who lived in Dundrum, and who shall remain nameless, wanted to join the RUC. He was in the same Orange Lodge as Mr Faulkner and asked him for his support. He was told to write down his LOL number and hand it over at interview. This he did and as promised was given the job.

Unfortunately the Ancient Order of Hibernians did not carry the same clout with the police at that time so I had to be content with going away to sea.

I believe Mr Faulkner was subsequently killed in a riding accident.

Hi Hildenboy, Hope this finds you settled and back to the grind after your visit home which you shared with us thankly here on the forum, Regarding Brain Faulkner you are correct regarding his demise he was out with the haunt and seemingly his horse threw him at Ballyaugherty Bridge on the outskirts of Saintfield, Regards Ted

Hildenboy, What was wrong in going away to sea,? I don't know what year you first went to sea but just think if you had gone into the RUC you might be six feet under now. By the way did you know Billy Stanaghan who was an engineer or Stanley Bann also an engineer with the Blue Star Line there were a few others I knew but can't remember their names, The best engineer I knew was a guy called Stanley Davidson who was the Chief Engineer on a BP tanker we were both on, he was from Antrim and quite often he would invite me to his cabin where he had a fridge full of beer
and along with a couple of other guys we had some good parties in there.
Mauri

Mauri

Any man deck or engineer who has a fridge of cold beer after a four hour watch in the furnace of the engine room would be an oasis in a desert of thirst.

I worked solely for a company called London and Overseas Freighters based in London but owned by rich Greeks. They had tankers, bulk carriers and cargo ships. We went where the charters took us with no regular run which meant the arrival of Orders over the radio was always exciting. "Tramping" the globe was great and I loved the little cargo ships that took weeks to load, for example, raw sugar in Fiji took two glorious months. I hated the large tankers running to the Persian Gulf with a turn around of between 8 and 36 hours; but looking back from the high hill of my older sensible age there are not many things I would have changed apart from, perhaps, putting more money into savings rather than behind bars in most of the ports of the World.

ildenboy, I have heard of the company you worked for, from the day I went into the Merchant Navy I was told stay away from London Greeks, but as I sailed out of Southampton most of the time not much chance of being offered one anyhow. I have the opposite view to you, I preferred tankers usually great accomadation good food and in and out like you say in less than 24 hours. Two months in one port loading would drive me nuts more like Navy ships more time in port than at sea.
I went into the MN after discharge from the USAF as my first marriage broke up and I had filed for divorce which dragged out for five years. For the first three years I spent money like you wouldn't believe then woke up and made a monthly allotment of two thirds of my pay to the ULSTER Bank.so that when I did pack it in I had a nice little nest egg waiting for me. A whole bunch of us walked off the "Telde" one of Elder & Fyfess banana boats in Rotterdam. we had been out for over six months and were supposed to be bound for Avonmouth but changed our orders to Stockholm and then back to South America, so we said Thanks but no Thanks packed our bags and left. I went to Lisburn for a few days and then back to North America where I have been ever since. End of Story. Mauri

Mauri

Oil and water! Standing on the side of the Bridge with a fair wind in your face no wonder you liked quick turn arounds! While we poor saps drenched in sweat toiled in the bowels of the ship. All the routine maintenance had to be squeezed into what time was available. Heavy back breaking work with the chief engineer bellowing in our ears. So the longer we got in port the more time off we got to explore the cultural experiences of what ever county we happened to be in. The London Greeks were ok to work for and paid well; but they expected their pound of flesh. Banana boats also had a poor reputation.

Mauri & Hildenboy, You two could keep the Forum going on your adventures alone.