Caronia's Engineers (2)
…and the Inevitable Parties!
Neil Clarke's birthday party gathering
Photo: Courtesy of Neil Clarke
Ralph Stubbs, Neil Clarke, George Peterson,
Danny Kennedy, Mel Pratt (Bare Chested)
George Simpson, Unknown, John Sargenson,
Cliff Hughes, Trevor Gratton, Vic Coles, John Young
Billy Ardren - electrician with cigarette,
John Garrity, Robin Chalmers, Jimmy Parsons.
Robin Chalmers writes…
Mel Pratt was an interesting guy. He was in the British Army Military Police stationed in Hong
Kong prior to joining Cunard. When we were in Hong Kong during the 1965 World Cruise we had
Chinese workers who would come down into the boiler room to do repair work on the boiler walls.
Mel would sit down with them during their meal break and converse with them in Chinese. I heard him do it and it really shook the workers up at first. Shook us up too, because we didn't expect it. …made a nice change from listening to scousers all the time.
One of the Caronia cruise staff, Terry Conroy, was also stationed in Hong Kong as an MP in the
same regiment as Mel Pratt. Conroy went on to become Cruise Director on QE2.
Thanks to George Peterson for corrections made 31 July 2006.
Can you add more information or identify anyone depicted here? If so, do please get in touch!
