Bill Wold
Bill belongs to: Royal British Legion Seaman's Mess
Bill was born in South Shields. He left school at 14. After working in a hotel down south Bill joined the merchant navy. During World War Two Bill was in the Arctic convoys and at the D-Day landings dropping off armaments.
Bill was interviewed by Kylea Little on 8 November 2005. The interview took place at South Shields Royal British Legion and lasted 16 minutes and 21 seconds.
Conditions in the merchant navy
"It was Appalling"
It was Appalling. You had a fo’castle- see from here to that pillar, you know, half a triangle, a bit of a triangle, and there was 15 blokes in it. 15 AB’s, deckboys and ordinary seamen. We had a big Canadian fire in the middle, there were all the old brass, metal trimmings on the bunks, you know. You had to buy your own 'donkey's breakfasts', your bed, which would cost you half a dollar in the food shop at Tyne Dock, take that aboard with you.
Interviewer: Was it comfortable?
Comfortable. Especially in bad weather all of them stinking boys coming in soaking and that, in the big boiler going, it stunk! Comfortable!You weren’t supposed to be comfortable!
Bill has 17 memories in the memorynet:
Bill's memories with a Safety theme:
Bill's other memories:
Adjusting to life at sea- Training in the merchant navy
- Conditions in the merchant navy
- Food in the merchant navy
- The uniform in the merchant navy
- Durban
- Living conditions
- What does the sea mean to you?
Photograph of Bill- Submarine in Cape Town
- Photograph of Bill
- Continuous Certificate of Discharge
- A Marconigram from the King
- Russian medal
- Medal for the Normandy landings
- Certificate for the Normandy landings
This memory has these themes:
Living Conditions | Work
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