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Photograph of Bart Taylor

Bart Taylor

Bart belongs to: Cullercoats Community Centre

Bart was born in Cullercoats. He served part of an apprenticeship at Swan Hunters shipyard as a Shipwright. He broke his indentures to join the Royal Navy in 1941. He was demobbed in 1946 and joined the merchant navy. He came ashore and worked until he retired in 1982.

Bart was interviewed by Carl Greenwood on 1 March 2006. The interview took place at Cullercoats Community Centre and lasted 30 minutes and 24 seconds.

Photograph of Bart Taylor
Photograph of Bart Taylor

Career at sea

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"I was, basically, I went away from the village when I was 18, into the navy"

I was, basically, I went away from the village when I was 18, into the Navy. I came back when I was, I was demobbed in March ’46 and went into the shipyards and was only in the shipyards for about three months and I just couldn’t, I couldn’t stand it at all, you know. And went back to my trade, I was an apprentice at Swan Hunters when I was a bound apprentice, I was indentured, but I broke my indentures to go away into the Navy- I volunteered for the Navy.

So, like, from ’41 to ’46 I was in the navy, and, as I say, came out and I just couldn’t stand the bloody shipyards- clocking in and clocking out and that, so I went away in the merchant navy as ship’s carpenter and I was away for various, I used to come ashore for a while because Jenny didn’t used to like me being at sea, she preferred me at home with the family, you know.

So it was, I was away three times. The first time I was running to India and South Africa and that, the second time it was Burma, the third, and Bengal and all the way up, Bombay and all that, like, around the coast, and then the third time was a passenger cargo and that was near enough a four month trip, Canada, not Canada, Africa, round the corner to East Africa, Portuguese East Africa and then the same ports back over and I was on the City of Port Elizabeth, while I worked on it, while it was being built. And I met somebody who I had been to sea with and he persuaded me to take the ship’s carpenter’s job.

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Roles and Routines | Travel | Work

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