Michael Wilson
Michael belongs to: The Doxford Engine Friends Association
Michael was born in West Sussex and went to school in London. He came to the North East to study at South Shields Marine College. He is an engineer in the merchant navy.
Michael was interviewed by Carl Greenwood on 26 January 2006. The interview took place at Sunderland Museum and lasted 25 minutes and 9 seconds.
Living conditions in the merchant navy
"The living conditions are normally very, very good"
The living conditions are normally very, very good- I mean, there’s a vast difference between when I first came to sea where conditions were relatively spartan- the food left a lot to be desired. You certainly didn’t have, your only form of entertainment was probably a radio. You would maybe have what was known as Walpole pictures but they seem to have gone now and that was it. All the ships I’ve been on, everybody’s got their own cabin with en suite bathroom and toilet, so you can live in your own little world. Some of the ships, the accommodations can be quite poor but in general it’s fairly reasonable, especially if you’re going to warm conditions, the ships are air conditioned, there’s a large degree of insulation both for sound and for noise so you can’t necessarily hear the machinery. It has improved but this has only been demanded by really officialdom- it’s certainly not by any benevolent ship owner’s wish.
Michael has 16 memories in the memorynet:
Michael's memories with a Change theme:
Changes in the merchant navy- Leisure time and crew sizes
- Living conditions in the merchant navy
- Decline of the British shipping industry
Michael's other memories:
- Training and apprenticeship
- Following his father to sea
- First voyage and New York
- Communication from sea
- Safety at sea
- Meeting George Gardner in Shanghai
- Joining the Doxford Engine Friends Association
The Doxford engine at South Shields College- Students at South Shields College
- Apprenticeship agreement
- Photograph of michael
- Continuous Certificate of Discharge
This memory has these themes:
Change | Environment | Living Conditions | Work
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