1947-10-18 — Page 7

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18. 1947.

BISSET OF THE QUEEN ELIZABETH

mer

seaman

Began in

SALE SMALLER LES DEAN

greatest

of modern times writes, his life story

windjammer

SEALED IN

GLASS..

.keeps out dust and

dirt

7

I

A beating for running away; my first cap with shining peak; load- ing kerosene, molasses, marlines heaving chains to ‘unmoor ship'

Sir James Bisset, who has just retired as Commodore of the Cunard White Star Line, Is the greatest merchant seaman of modern thines,

"Never-saw-a-sub" Bissel carried during the war in the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary-the biggest ships ever afloat-600,900 troops without losing a single man through enemy action.

He was knighted for his magnificent record, When honoured at Cambridge University he was dubbed "a prince of navigators and a scorner of dangers."

by

COMMODORE

SIR JAMES BISSET. C.B.E.

WAS born in West Derby- rond, Liverpool, on July 15, 1883, the second of six children. My father, a Scot.

mother WILN FL Lancashire WOMNILNA.

fellows, counting out gold sover elgns and stowing them in their overcont pockets.

not go

One evening I did home from the office. I was determined to stow away in a windjammer.

But the body WAR wenker than the spirit, und at 11 p.m., tired and hungry after crude attempts to boar ship. I went home. I got a beating and was sent to bed-supper- Jess,

me

1

My father got so tired of hearing bleating about hating the office that eventually I was taken to the family doc- tor in an attempt to prove that in any case 'I was a too frail and softly nurtured mile to stand the rigours of life at sea. I was a small, rather puny lad kept an ironmongery shop. My and they must have been primed doctor diagnosed: "It'll do him To my parents' dismay the

about my continual chatter of a world of good. Make a man the sea.

of him." Grasping my shoulder with a

This was my first victory, hand the size of a shovel, one

"So you want to go to and now my father had to make sen, my lad? Lay over there and up his mind whether he could let's have a look at the cut of apare the money to sign me us your jib."

an apprentice to a good ship Then another said: "How ping company. 'you think he'd look, boys, on & maintopsail yard in a living gale, goose-winging the main- lower topsail? And the old ship wallowing around and rolling her guts out?

FL

Except for an uncle who was sen explain, smelt excitingly of whisky and cigars, and did all in his power to prevent me from going to sea, my family had no connection with ships.

My father was a God-respect- ing man, Sailors both he and my mother considered drunken ne'er-do-wells-my uncle was no exception in their eyes.

He was not a blood relation, anyway, and had committed the pagan sin of running away from home to join a ship.

But a mile from my house were the great Liverpool docks, crowded with fine, tall sailing ships, and many steamships, too.

From

my early hoyhood I

loved to see them, to play near.

said:

I SIGN ON TO-

"Faithfully serve said

Master

??

little four-foot-nothing James Gordon Partridge Bisset, yours old:-

16

Or

"Hereby voluntarily binds hun- self Apprentice for the term of four years and the sald Apprentice hereby covenants that, during such time, he will faithfully serve his said Master, his Executors, Ad- ministrators and Assigns and keep their secrets, nor will he absent himself from their service without leave nor frequent Taverns Alehouses ΠΟΙ

at unlawful Kames, the said Master hereby covenants will and shall use all proper means to teach the sald Apprentice the business of a Semman and pro-

suficient vide him with

ment, drink, lodging, medicine and medi- cal and surgical assistance and pay to the said Apprentice the sum of

£20."

he

in colon whenwar

I was to get £3 the first year rising to £6 in the fourth. The word "washing" was deleted from the list of services to be provided by the master. My father had to pay £20 premium, to be returned if I made good.

་

At Inst the ship was ready for men, and we were to be aboard before midnight as we were sailing at high water the following morning nt & o'clock-October 15, 1808.

How well I recall the quiet tears" of my mother as she watched me rushing my supper of ham and eggs, the last home meal I was to have for many, many months. I was in such a hurry to get to the ship that I hardly listened to her advice about warm clothes.

To her I must have looked alto-

ether too tiny a thing to brave the unknown perils of deep water thou- sands of miles way. And at the last farewells the love and pity in her eyes made me afraid, too, and I was near to tears.

My Father's Bible Close on 11 o'clock my father, elder brother and I set off on foot for the ship. As we approached the

docks we encountered the backwash from the public houses which were throwing out their patrons, there were nights and scuffles.

und

These brought further good I was to join the three-masted sailing barque County of Pembroke, shortly vice from my father on the evils of

for Australia! And

strong drink. He gave me a Bible Inscribed: "To Gordon, my father and a clerk. I was going occasion of going to sea." down to intet The captain right

away,

As

My ship!

with.

:

we walked through Salt-

her gallantry of tapering spars and ouse Dock we came in full view of the County of Pembroke in alf

unaze of rigging. My ship!

Captain Williams received us in bis cabin lined with highly polished panels of bird's-eye maple, and opened a bottle of whisky.

I Itle thoughi that Suon I would be down on my knees once a week holyatoning the deck of that cabin, and polishing, the bird's- eye maple once a month.

My instructions were to be on board at seven a'clock the next morning in working clothes for the ship was lo take on stores for three weeks before sailing.

That afternoon by mother and

store to get my outfll.

"Oh, ho, my boy, it's a hell of ON October 6, 1898 the deed went down to a big department

leather scaboobs,

on the

The

Custom- clock in the old house boomed out 12 us my father hugged me to him at the ship's side with. "We must leave you now, my boy. Don't forget to say your prayers every day."

My brother gave me a hug and sald: "Bring home a parrot and a monkey."

I stood on deck listening to their footsteps on the cobbles. I think I must have stened for five minutes, and when the last faint echoes died away my heart sank to its lowest; if only they had called I would have swallowed my shame and run after them.

Another look at them and I would never have sailed. But they did not return.

A STRAW BED

I cried myself to sleep

a life. Take my tip and stay was done; an Ordinary Ap-

ALIMBING down the ladder, I Suc bought me a wooden sea- gat into the tar-smelling half- ashore. Only fools go to sea!" prentice's Indenture was drawn

chest, a convas senbag, sult of deck to my bunk, I dragged blan- And, laughing, they slapped up with the Liverpool shipping oilskins,

three kets out of my bag, crawled on to of dungarees. a leather belt on the shoulder firm of William Thomas and suits

the straw bed and, child that I was, me painfully

with sheath and knife, and, great cried myself to sleep. and rolled out of the office.

Company. My delight was est triumph of all, uniform cap soaring high, and the solemnity with 'a shby peak and the ship The other apprentices, then the of that little occasion

company's badge on the front of

Stowaway plan

25 We

Was

It is a sharp commentary on-signed and scaled the parchment. them in some leaky old rowboat the way modern children lead in the shipowner's office tied astern until, with fellow their parents by the nose, when lost on me at the time. scamps, I was chased away. I record the immense courage

Then one of my schoolmates it took to decide

left school and went

to

.

Lo defy my

sen, father and run away-to sen.

as

When he came back a year later in all the glory of uniform, brass buttons and tanned akiu. I revered him as a hero.

From that moment the tre- mendous ambition fired itself in me--I would be a sailor.

I was 12 years old.

School continued until I was 14, and then my father started me in an office job with a marine insurance company at 4s.

week, trusting that a saner, commercial acquaintance with ses matters would show the

folly of romantic dreams of sailing before the mast.

3 CAPTAINS

Say: "Stay ashore. Only fools go to scả”

BUT

sea fever was in my blood. and would not be denied.

It soon found something to bat-

ten on-the first ship's log book that I ever saw, sent to the office in a claim following the dismasting of a barque off

•

Cape Horn.

To me it was a stirring ocean drama. I found more old, jog books and pored over them when I should have been working.

In three months my head be- -came as stuffed with sea lore as

any old shellback's.

I demanded again and again to go to sea, but my parents remained opposed.

They wore

up by my

staunchly backed uncle, the sly dog, who chewed his cheroot in disgust at how poor a life it was.

"You don't look_poor, uncle," I would retort, and got bundled out of the room for-my cheek.

Moved to the Anglo-Ameri- can Oll Company as a Gă, a week clerk, I saw three sea cap- taina. They were big, bronzed

I have the document by me I write. By it I see that

Sir James Bluet smiling at the end of a voyage that

carried - 14.000 American Servicemen.

The shop ssistant tried to sell us a cracker-hash bag and mallet, il ditty big with sail ncedies, murline spikes, serving bourds, sail hooks and so forth.

But we did not know what all Those things were for, so my mother would not buy them.

.t wore, the cap straight

to

y

and, tucking a sult of dungarees under my arm, 1 walked out of the store with a slightly rolling gait, imagining myself ben salfor already Nexi moming the family were all up much earlier than ever before, and after my mother had made sure I had my woollen under- wear on, I was out in the cold, dark street at 6 a.m. I felt quite a man to be abroad of such 2171

left my hour-and

brothers alsters admiring me at the door.

I

ON BOARD Preparing for a 12 months' voyage

and

WAS aboard the County of Pem- broke 15 minutes too early, but presently I met the two other

and apprentices, blager

bironger lads than myself for Bill had been to sea for three years and Tommy

for two.

The ship was loading general cargo for Melbourne and taking in stores. for a twelve months' voyage. From seven in the morning, to six

drunken, shouting saflors, disturbed ne, but I went off again.

It seemed as though I had slept only few minutes when there great banging at the half- deck door and in burst the mate. a huge figure cind in oil-skins and carrying a hurricane lamp.

"Show a leg." he was roaring. "Out of it to unmoor ship."

Tom and Bib rose at once, but I couldn't think the mate mennt me. I was so terribly tired, and I turned over and went to sleep "gain,

reached A homy hand

under the blankets and drew me sprawl- ing on the deck.

"Skulking_on your first 101- age." snarled the mule, who was

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Displaced Persons Want

To Settle In America

clear how they can ever Most of the non-Jewish dis-wonder placed persons in Germany want Germany's DP camps.

Consequently, interest is focus- to resettle in the United States, sing on the so-called Stratton Bli and many of them are not going now pending in the US. Congresa, which would admit 100,000 displaced persons to the United States every year for four years.

Thousands of displaced

in foul mood. "By God, if you're to accept any other resettlement not out in two minutes I'll fluy

offers as long as there is any the hide off you."

hope of the U.S. throwing open its doors.

3.0 alm. on deck

I began putting on my oilskins by the light un evil-smelling oil Icmp. It was shortly after 3 a.m. and I was so sleepy and cold I could hardly stand.

Out on the deck in the rain we divided into two shivering groups and, stleking close to Tom, I pulled ropes, wires and chains with mumbed

with, barely Angers,

notion of what it was all about.

ก

►

Then I found we were. gradu- ally pulling the ship out into the at night we were muling barrels of 'middle of the dock, ond the steam four peas, salt beef pork, beans, tag Sarah Jouite

came to pull us sugar, oatmeal, molasses, far, kere into the river. sene, bolled and raw oll, turpentine, drums of paint,. rope spun yarn, As we dropped down on the ebb marline, canvas, sails, sacks of ship's tide I saw a few women in shawls biscuits all the stores,

with, babies in their arms" waving I was exhausted at the end of the us goodbye. It was not a glorious day, but rejoicing in the work.

I send-off.

was being allowed to get as dirty as One slovenly old girl pointed I wanted to, and so proud was I at me and shouted to a companion: when I presented myself to my "Look at that poor little devil. He'll brothers and sisters that I didn't

never be back." wash, even want

Other days we spent white- And so at 15 began my first washing the biscuit tanks, bending voyage, with homesickness heavy Ball, scrubbing the cabins, and doing in my heart. the thousand jobs of preparing a

sailing ship for the sea,

But any tender feelings were soon My cap Bat jauntily on the side troddep on by the mate cursing ma of my head now, and 1 felt myself for an idle young scoundrel and the envy of all the boya ashore,

I

setting me to work.

NEXT SATURDAY

am seasick and cured for ever: Death comes, to our ship: We go hungry and live on biscuits apd peas: My first fights I pass för first mate.

If they cannot go to the United Slates, then the majority of these homeless war vletims want to go to some other country across the ocean --Canada, South America or Aus-

tralia.

They want primarily to get out of Europe, away from the ravages of one war and the threat of another, away from racial antagonisms and economic uncertainty.

As for the Jews, nearly all insist on going to Palestine.

is

Only Solution

These are the conclusions drawn by an Associated Press correspondent from talking with scores of displaced persons and officials of the interna- tional Refugee Organisation, which is caring for approximately 750,000 displaced persons in Germany.

Convinced that most of the DP's a half left in Germany two and years after the war will not return to their homelands, IRO officials agree that mass resettlement in new hope of countries offers the only inding permanent homes for these people,

donc ot a steadily growing still alarmingly alow More

Than 150,000 have offered homes in 10 countries.

However, most of these offers have come from already growded Europe, whoso capacity for absorb. ing new Immigrants in strictly limited and where most of the re- fugees do not want to go.

Resettlement is being

Stratton Bill

Without large-scale offers

but rate. been

from

the Western Hemisphere, principally the United States," officiala Crinkly

persons are waiting to see the date of that bill before they choose a new home.

Poland's Farm Slogan

"Help thy neighbour' is the new Blogan of Poland's Ministry of 'Agriculture,

bas requested that all farmers Jucky enough to have tractors, farm machinery and sufficient horses lend them to feas fortunate peasants that ploughing, sowing or harvesting may be completed on, timeAssociated Press.

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