Editor’s Mailbox

Trinder, Anderson & Co.

Please convey my special thanks to Norman Middlemiss for his article on ‘Forgotten Fleets’ in the issue, ‘Trinder, Anderson & Co. Ltd.’, as always his attention to detail can’t be faulted.

The article was of particular interest as my first ship in 1956 had been the ‘Cormoat’ of Wm Cory & Son, a ‘dirty old north east coast collier’, discovering that the iron ore ship ‘Queensgarth’, which I sailed on during 1960, under Wm Cory & Son colours, had actually been owned by the Australind Steam Shipping Co. Ltd.

The article also revealed also a great deal of association with the MANZ Line (Montreal Australia New Zealand), which I had also sailed with, doing three voyages between the Eastern Seaboard of the USA/Canada to Australia/New Zealand on the ‘Whakatane’ of the N.Z.S.Co. during 1957/58.

A small World indeed!

Bernard Shephard

Bristol Steam Navigation Co. LTD.

Thank you for the Forgotten Fleets story in the November 2017 issue. I thought I knew most of the history of the Bristol Steam Navigation Company, much of it from the book by Eric Jordan “The Story of Lovell’s Shipping”, but Norman Middlemiss’s article was excellent and informative.

In the mid 1970s I lived in Bristol and while ‘up’ for my Master’s Ticket at Ashley Down College spent a couple of months in 1976 as relieving 2nd Mate on mv Apollo and again in 1977 as 1st Mate serving on mv Echo.

Fast foward many years and when I retired and relocated to Wiltshire one of my new neighbours turned out to be the former Chief Accountant at the main Lovell/Seawheel/BSNC office, a small world.

I was offered a permanent job with BSNC after gaining my Master’s Ticket but whilst keen I had doubts about the future of the organisation, rightly as it turned out as the company ceased in 1981. However, by staying deep sea only postponed the inevitable and by 1983 the Merchant Navy and I parted company for the last time.