Question: Could you tell us what were your
responsibilities as a bellboy? What was it you were expected
to do?
Well, they had several jobs. I mean there was a travel bureau
where you had two boys that done with people's hotels when it got
to New York and things like that, bookings, Waldorf Astoria. You
delivered brochures to them, you delivered tickets if they're going
from here to Canada or whatever it might be, that was the travel
bureau. Then you had the purser’s office that dealt with
everything, communication from the Captain, radiograms coming in
and things like that, and then you had the radio office, radiograms
where you … one boy sat up there. Then you had the doors where you
open the doors to the dining room and let the passengers in and
out. And a Chief steward’s boy, and that was about it
actually.
Question: So you were assigned sort of like as messenger
boy...whatever was needed?
Messengers boys all over, yeah. Take the morning papers
around, you know The Ocean Times used to get printed you know and
you used to deliver them. Mostly you just had to take them to
the pantries and put them in, and the BR would put them underneath
the doors of the passengers. But I remember one trip we had,
Lord Beaverbrook and Lady Astor and they both had to get their
paper at exactly the same time, apparently for some reason Lady
Astor had got her paper early and something in there was
interesting and so she phoned Beaverbrook and told him and he
hadn't had his paper so there was a big noise made about it, so,
that trip I was in the Purser’s office and we were both detailed
that we had to go out, the assistant Purser would say, ‘right’,
give us a paper each. And one went to Lord Beaverbrook’s and
put in under the door at exactly the same time as I would be
putting it under Lady Astor's door. Things like that.
Question: What would your typical day be like
then?
Up in the morning, we used to do gym, go up in the gym and you know
do a few exercises. Then we'd come down, get changed, go and
have breakfast first, and then get on our uniform, muster at 8
o'clock or half past 7 in the morning for inspection, where they'd
inspect your fingernails and things. Make sure your uniform was
clean and tidy, shoes polished, hair cut, you know to go on duty
that day. And then you'd go all through the day whatever job
you was on, and … some of you have to walk dogs. I mean if we
were in the Purser’s office or the second steward would send for
you and say, ‘go up to the dog kennels’ and it might be Jennifer
Jones' dog or somebody...I remember who it was time because they
came across to do the command performance and you used to have get
detailed to go up to the kennels and pick up these dogs. And
we used to get some terrible little dogs too sometimes, know what I
mean? Fighting each other. And you'd have to drag them
around the deck for about half an hour, take them to see their
owners on the promenade deck and then take them back to the kennels
and ... then at night you'd go for a swim in the first class pool,
7 o'clock. That was more exercise that you were obliged to
do. Of course we used to enjoy it. In fact Johnny
Weismuller come across on one trip, and in the Queen Mary you'd
come down and you had an elevator and there was a back door opens
the elevator and it comes into the swimming pool. So he come down
dressed in his trunks, and it’s in the winter and of course the
ship's rolling. I mean one minute there’s no water at all and
the next minute it’s ... and he just dived right off the
balcony. Of course all us kids...’that's Tarzan you know’, so
we all jumped on him and he's throwing us all over the place and
picking us up. But great fun. Marvellous man. And
he used to come there every night religiously then like and have a
swim with us.
Question: So what time did you have to be in bed?
No time. I mean if they caught you running around the ship,
well actually we never because what we used to do, when the first
class dining room finished, we used to go up to the kitchen when
they come out of the dining into the kitchen they'd be bringing all
the fruit bowls out and all that, and we used to be up there and as
the fruit bowl come out, with the waiters bringing them out, take
them back to the fruit room, we were up there nicking all the
grapes and oranges and peaches whatever it was.
Question: What kind of meals did you have then?
Nothing great for us because we would have to eat at say half past
five at night and you'd go up...one man was the cook, whoever was
on that afternoon, it was always an afternoon cook on watch, it was
his job to serve you, you know. I mean it was always roast
beef, prime ribs of beef and things like that, but they made us
have these dinners. I mean we used to like get a big plate of
Saratoga chips as they called them, which was crisps to us, and
that would do us, and a bottle of lemonade. But they made you
eat the main course whatever it was, you know.
Question: What about the Pig and Whistle at night, were
you allowed in there?
No. I mean you could, you could walk through it, but I
mean...well, you could go up and get a bottle of lemonade or bottle
of Coke in the pub but...
Question: So what did the boys tend to do in the evening
for entertainment then?
Play cards. Or read comics, all mad for Yankee comics you
know. Mind you, you'd had a hard day so most times you'd be
in your bunk anyway, have a shower and get in your bunk and read a
comic, write letters home to Mum, you was only away a week but you
still wrote to Mum, you know.
