E14 Cubitt Town, Isle of Dogs, Limehouse, Millwall, Poplar
A donkeyman's storyby Dennis Sibthorpe |
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I lived at 25 Mellish St from the time I was 11 until I went to sea. I worked in an oil storage unit called the Thames Oil wharf for a short time before I was called up in 1946. I was in the 2nd Egypt Command. |
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I can always remember when the lascars came off the City Boats at the Milwall Docks, carrying cans for their ablutions. It was so unusual to see coloured people. When women used to walk along the wharves they used to cross the roads to avoid having any contact with them. But there was no reason for this and they weren’t abusive at all. |
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When I returned from National Service I decided to go to sea. I had to go to Dock St first to see if they would have me in the merchants. They said they would so I went to a training school in Liverpool. I was at the training school for six weeks and then I returned to London and became established at the South West India Dock Shipping Federation. I was a ‘donkeyman’ – I had to look after the auxiliaries, generators, donkey ‘steam boiler’, pumps, ballast and of course cooing water pumps. I didn’t particularly go for that job, since it was 12 hours on 12 off. 8 day with 6 hours overtime (2 meal hours included). It wasn’t so difficult manually, but you did have to know every valve on the ship. Two pictures include my Donkeymans shore pass for Casablanca and my seamens record book. I also include my wage slip. |
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