Allen Ford - Catering '60

My name is Allen Ford and I was born in New Brancepeth, County Durham, on August 19th,1944. I started my brief 'sea going' career at the tender age of 15 when I joined the Royal Navy. As a 'boy entrant', shipped off to H.M.S. Ganges Training Camp for training in seamanship and in the Signal Branch. Due to a mistake on a medical form, the whole Newcastle intake had to undergo new medicals and because of a lazy eye, I was promptly discharged. Can't say I was sorry at the time because I was suffering from the worst case of home sickness in history, never suffered from it again after that week.

My first ship after the Vindi was the Temple Hall. A great first trip, USA, Japan, British Columbia, then back home in time for Christmas. A very memorable first trip.... First bout of seasickness (2 days), first time intoxicated (Japanese Whisky), deathly ill for about three days, and one or two first which cannot be mentioned here.

Around 1966 I started to get restless and felt the need for change. Canada had always seemed like a pretty decent country, so I decided to move there but just for a couple of years, then back to sea. I had however failed to factor the 'fair sex' into the equation and those couple of years have now become 30 odd years in Canada. I came through Nfld. and ended up in Sudbury, Ontario, working for I.N.C. Co. Two children, one divorce and several lay-offs and many years later I now reside in a town called Manitouwadge, in North-West Ontario, working in a gold mine at the Hemlo Gold Field. I don't regret coming to Canada, I still think it's the best country in the world. I do however wish that I had stayed at sea a few more years and seen some more of the world. My time at sea was mostly uneventful, never wrecked or rescued or rescued anyone, although the trip after I left the Nicholas Bowater did pick up some Cuban refugees floating on a raft off the coast of Miami. They made the national news and I missed my 15 minutes of fame.