Gangway No.1 Spring 1976 - BlueStarLine.org

News Alloal
Marriage
Blue Star Line
K R W Doxford, 3rd Engineer of Afrie
Star, was married on 12 July 1975 to
Christine Watson at St John Lee Church,
Acomb, Hexlam, Northumberland.
Christine is now enjoying a delayed honeymoon
aboard A/rie Star.
Obituaries
We record with great regret the following
deaths:
Blue Star Line
Leonard Luter, on 11 November 1975
after a short illness.
Mc Luter served as a Bosun with the
Company from 1958 until shordy before he
died. For ten years he worked on the South
American Trade and in 1968 transferred
to Tasmania Star for three years. After
1971 he served in various Blue Star Line
vessels.
Thomas L Hatton, on 16 November
1975, aged 77.
Tom Hatton joined Blue Star Line as a
Junior Engineer in January 1927 and by
December 1938 was Chief Refrigeration
Engineer on Scottish Star. He remained in
that ship until she was torpedoed in
February 1942, and completed his war
service in Empire Galahad and Empire
Falkland.
After the war, Tom served in various
News Ashore
Appointments
Blue Star Line
Mr J G Payne has been elected Chairman
of the Council of European and Japanese
National Shipowners' Association. He took
up his new responsibilities in December
1975.
Mr R H Bray has been appointed a
Director of Star Offshore Services Limited
from 1 January 1976. He will be responsible
for Supply Boats, and D eputy Managing
Director of the Star Offshore group of
companies.
Mr D Barrac10ugh will be appointed a
Director of Transatlantic Container Transportation
in place of R H Bray, who will
resign from the Board of the company.
Mr M G Van der Gucht has taken over
the responsibility of coordinating the
functions of the Research and Development
Department.
Departure
Blue Star Leisure
Derek Wray left Blue Star Leisure early
in November 1975 to take charge of a
leisure complex set up by the local council
at Hemel Hempstead. Derek joined the
Company in December 1945 and after a
few weeks at West Smithfield was transferred
to the Blue Star Line passenger
office at Regent Street. Except for his
Blue Star vessels, notably Hobart Star
which he joined when she was being built
in Germany and served in for eight years.
His pride in that vessel will be recalled
by everyone who visited his refrig flat,
which was kept immaculate at all times,
with every nut in sight highly polished.
Tom retired in May 1967. Having been
a widower for many years, he emigrated to
Canada in 1968 to li ve with his brother in
lie Perrot, Quebec Province. He returned
twice to this coumry on holiday and kept
up contact with many of his friends on
Merseyside, including J Rigiani (now of
Albion House, Liverpool) who informs us
that Tom's last few years were lived very
happily and that he retained his interest in
photography throughout.
Lamport & Holt Line
Captain Alvin Penrice on Il December
1975, aged 80, at the M ariners' Home,
Wallasey. Alvin Penrice ioined Lamport &
Holt on 20 October 1915, following in the
footsteps of his father who was at that time
still a sea-going Master with the Company.
Serving through the difficult years of the
twenties and thirties, he had reached the
rank of Chief Officer by the outbreak of
war in 1939; his war service included
appointments as Liaison Officer aboard a
number of troopships.
Captain Penrice's first command was
Empire Pellryn in May 1946. In 1954,
whilst in command of the Delane (one of
only two Lamport 'D ' Class vessels that
had survived throughout the war) he
transferred to Blue Star Line, and the
De/alle was renamed Seaule Star. The
National Service from November 1948 to
June 1950, he stayed with this office until
the main passenger operations finished in
1972. He then became Manager of Blue
Star Travel and subsequently Manager of
Blue Star Leisure in charge of reservations
for Caravel and Sun wise Holidays.
We wish him well in his new appointment
and he has asked us to say that any
of his old colleagues who find themselves
in the Hemel Hempstead area are welcome
to call in and see him.
As a memento of his long service with
the organisation his colleagues and friends
presented him with a handsome briefcase.
Retirements
Blue Star Line
Captain S A M ('Sam') Dickers retires
on 31 March after 38t years' service with
BSL. An appreciation of his long and
eventful career will appear in the next
issue.
The end of 1975 saw 13 of our staff leaving
the Company. Most of them had reached,
or were over, retiring age and had remained
to work with us for a fe w years longer, but
two were tea ladies who had fallen victims
to the invincible vending machines.
A party was held on Thursday 18
December, in Albion House, at which
presentations were made to all the retirees.
(A mention must be made here of the hard
work which went into the preparations for
the occasion by E lsie Cannings, assisted
by Ann Sciberras and Brenda Key.)
remainder of his sea-going service was
spent with BSL until he retired in 1960.
Captain Penrice continued his family's
long connection with the South American
Trade; he was also active in the Master
Mariners' Association, to which he devoted
considerable time as an officer and later as
President. He was the proud possessor of
an 'extra Master's ticket', and his passing
regrettably diminishes the number of our
'old and bold'. Our deepest sympathy goes
to his daughter, who maintains a connection
with the sea as her husband is a
Mersey pilot.
John Brown on 2 1 November 1975,
after an illness patiently borne for about
twelve months. John Brown joined
Lamport & Halt Line on 20 April 1947
and retired on 31 December 1965. He
served as Radio Officer in many vessels
during the period when the Company
maintained its own wireless establishment.
Our deepest sympathies are extended to his
family.
Andrew Mclnally on 29 December
1975. Mr McInally joined Lamport & Halt
Line on 15 August 1958 and served as
Chief Engineer in Rubens, Crisp;ll, and
recently in Dominic.
Booth Line
Samuel Emrys Thomas on 20
December 1975, aged 92. Mr Thomas
joined the Company in 1906 and reached
the rank of Chief Engineer. He retired in
1946, since when he lived in Wallasey with
his sister, Miss Dora Thomas, to whom
we extend our deepest sympathy.
Mr B R Hazlitt spoke of the invaluable
contribution they had all made to Blue
Star's progress, including Johnnie
Johnston, who, whilst he had officially
retired earlier, had had no previous
opportunity to say farewell to his friends
in Blue Star.
Mr Hazlitt spoke briefly about each of
those present:
Johnnie Johnston served Blue Star for
almost 52 years; readers will know about
some of the many exciting and interesting
events that happened to him during this
time from the articles which have appeared
in Gangway.
C W Judd joined Eldorado in 1951, and
transferred to BSL in 1963. Mr Judd was
Credit Controller in Eldorado before they
went out of business, but Mr Hazlitt
hastened to add-amid much laughterthat
the two events were not connected.
Mrs E lsie Weston had worked in the
Accounts Department since 1958 and was
held in particular esteem for her unassuming
and kindly manner. She was
particularly remembered for the cheery
smiles she used to give everybody during
the half hour or so she patiently waited for
the bus in Leadenhall Street after work.
R Hadley joined Blueport in 1968 after
previously retiring from Furness \Vithy,
and was the only one p.: esent born during
the 19th Century. He was looked upon as
something of a marvel who still indulged in
such youthful pastimes as mountaineering.
Mr Hazlitt could onl y attribute this to Mr