Fred Newman
Fred belongs to: Royal British Legion Seaman's Mess
Fred was born in South Shields and went to Ocean Road School. He worked on the tug boats before going to sea in the merchant navy when he was 17.
Fred was interviewed by Carl Greenwood on 5 December 2005. The interview took place at the Interviewee's living room and lasted 1 hour, 1 minute and 3 seconds.
Leisure time in the merchant navy
"Well, you didn’t, I didn’t finish work before six o’clock, by the time I was ready it was seven o’clock and then we used to just go and used to have a look around the town"
Well, you didn’t, I didn’t finish work until about six o’clock, by the time I was ready it was seven o’clock and then we used to just go and used to have a look around the town or city wherever you were and look for a Flying Angel club which at that time was the Mission to Seamen.
And the Flying Angel clubs then were really good you know. They had accommodation if there was a ship in, under repair or anything, they used to put the men in the Flying Angel hotel. We had one in Shields- it was down the Mill Dam Bank and it was quite a big place, you know, it had a few rooms, like 50 rooms or so and it had a big dance hall, and there was, you know, everybody welcomed you in. And when there was anything on, like a dance hall, they used to have hostesses and you used to go in and dance with the hostesses. But the rule was you never had to take them home. You know, the seamen never had, the rule was, in all of them, you never asked a girl to take her home. Well that was a rule- I don’t know what happened. I never did.
But there was always darts, dominoes, snooker, ping pong, reading a book, you know, there was always a good library in the missions and really I think most of the people used to just make for the mission and then when it was 10 o’clock at night or so you used to come home, so it was like three hours ashore. Some lads used to go astray I suppose, but with me just being just a young fellow I never bothered.
Fred has 14 memories in the memorynet:
The catering boy's wages- Homesickness and adjusting to life at sea
- Training and learning the ropes
- The Hudson Bay
- Keeping clean
- Leisure time in the merchant navy
- Making music on the ship
- Lifeboat drill
- Icebergs and dangers
- The Seaman's Mess
Fred's accordion- Mess night
- Seaman's Mess
- South Shields Royal British Legion Seaman's Mess tie
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