Question: The Aquitania was your first ship. What kind of requirements did you have to have to be a stewardess then?
Miss Prescott was quite a stern lady. We always had to wear a hat when we came off the ship. We never had to come down the gangway without a hat on. We were never allowed to wear makeup. She never allowed any of that. And we weren't allowed to go out with the male members of the crew really, but of course it was done. In those days, the conditions then for us girls was very strict to what it is today.
Question: Did you have to be a certain age?
Yes. You had to be 27 and if I remember rightly our wages were £27 a month, and you bought your own uniform. It was a grey, well like a gaberdine, morning dress and then afternoon we changed into sort of a silky material with white collars and cuff and our white caps and grey stockings and black shoes. Later on the uniform was changed and we wore white and white shoes and stockings and still white caps.
Question: Could you describe to us what you would do, what did your job as stewardess entail?
Well you came on duty in the morning at 7 o’clock. You would probably have a list of your passengers who either needed early morning tea or coffee, or their breakfast served in their cabin. So, you had to get all your tables and trays all laid up ready to take that in. So after that was done and people began to leave their cabins, you and the steward would go in. You would see to the ladies’ beds, make those, and you'd clean the washbasins and do all the glass stuff and things like that, and the steward would do the bathroom and the hoovering. You didn't go into a gentleman's cabin, the steward always did that. After that was done, of course you had quite a number of cabins to look after. It was according to what section you was working on. Sometimes you might have had as many 20 odd cabins and you never seemed to stop, you were on the go the whole time. Lunchtime would come. Some passengers would go down to lunch, sometimes they wanted it in their cabin and there was all the performance of laying up tables, going to the galley, carrying all the stuff up, and taking it into them. Clearing up again and some of the passengers had children. There was always the children's meals to be got and taken to the cabins. You were supposed to have two hours off in the afternoon. Portside would go first and then starboard side, from 2 to 4 and from 4 to 6. And you had to cover the opposite side. The girl who was on the last watch, she'd have to get children's meals all ready to take in. Well then, after that was done people'd come back to their cabin and they'd get ready to go down to dinner. There again, some would go, some not and you had to take dinner to the cabins. Well it was quite heavy work when it was all what they call 'silver service' which was...and it was very heavy and hard work to do. And then you tidied up the room, remade beds that needed it, turned them all down, put all the covers away, get that all ready for them. Sometimes they'd want cocktails, which the steward usually got. You'd be on and really never finish ‘til about 10 o'clock at night. And in the meantime you were supposed to have your own meal. Well often as not you'd get it. You'd have to have it in your pantry. Well it was nothing for a passenger to put their head round the pantry door, 'oh sorry to trouble you but do you mind getting so-and-so' and so you'd have to leave your meal and go and get it. So time that 10 o'clock come you were just ready for your bed. And that's how it went on. And of course you didn't get leave, only every … about three and a half months you see and then you have a trip off.
Question: When you did get your time off at 10 o'clock, how did you relax?
Well you'd go down to your cabin and you'd get a bath. We used to have a cross alley where I was, and there was six of us girls in that cross alley, and we'd take it in turn to get our baths and while they were doing...probably they would iron a dress for tomorrow and getting things ready for the next day. And then you were just ready to get into bed.
Question: So you never went down to the Pig and Whistle?
We were never allowed in my days. You were never allowed to go in the Pig and Whistle. That was forbidden.
Question: Did you read or...play cards ..?
Normally you were too tired to read, you just wanted to get to bed.
Question: Were there any shows or entertainments that were put on for the crew particularly that you were able to see?
Yes. A lot of the members they used to get together, the males really, the majority of those were gay, but they used to put on some wonderful shows. They really did and there was some talent amongst those people, piano playing and some of the shows were really wonderful and it was quite a break you know that was.
