Crew Ephemera

This and the next page offers a selection of various pieces of official ephemera gathered or used by crew members during their career with the “Green Goddess”, or the Merchant Navy generally. Several items shown here were issued to Miss Patricia Sparks, a Lady Assistant Purser on Caronia in the mid 1950s.

The page begins with a really unusual artefact that has survived. On the left is the inventory board listing the removable contents from Female Crew Cabin B90. It's interesting to note that in a 6-berth cabin for ladies, there was but one chair and two stools! Perhaps Cunard can be forgiven with their generous allocation of pillows…
[Image: Courtesy of Rob Mason]

Back in the 1950s and 1960s diseases like Yellow Fever and Smallpox were still very common around the World. Before a Seaman could sign-on to join a ship he/she needed to have current vaccination certificates against these diseases.

The Yellow Fever certificate had to be renewed every 6 yrs, but for Smallpox it needed renewing every 3 years. Ouch!
The certificates are shown below…

Smallpox Certificate

Yellow Fever Certificate

[Images: Courtesy of Emma Kinsella from James Loftus’ Album]

Note also the formality of the letter. It looks like Patricia was hired, but her first assignment to the Caronia didn't happen until June 1954 when she did the North Cape Cruise and a return Transat.

Her next association came ahead of the 1956 Great World Cruise. The “gods” in Cunard's Southampton office would have a massive influence on anyone's career with the company and could pluck you out of one ship and transfer you into another at a moment's notice.

With us more lowly crew this didn't happen so much, but Patricia would probably have had little choice over which ship she could be moved to, certainly once she'd signed ship's articles. It was all down to the exigencies of the service!

Blood Donor Card

Roger Birch has provided a donor card for St Clare's Hospital Blood Bank in New York. This was just a few blocks away from Pier 92, and the first stop for many deckhands on Caronia's arrival in NY. (the second being The Market Diner, or the Seamen's Mission)

Blood Donation card held by Roger Birch
< Click on image to flip it >
[Images: Peter Stevens Collection]

If you're wondering why there was any need? The payment, at approx. $3 to the GB Pound exchange rate, was the equivalent of more than a full day's pay for a senior rating, and something like 3 days’ pay for a junior. It should be borne in mind that not everyone on board was able to earn big bucks from the passengers!

Posting Dates Itinerary

Ahead of any long period away from the UK, like the 1959 North Cape Cruise, among the papers you could collect at the point of signing-on was a schedule of last posting dates to reach Caronia at any given port. These you'd hand on to those who would send letters from home while you were away.

1959 North Cape postal itinerary Cover / Back Page
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[Images: Peter Stevens Collection]

1959 North Cape postal itinerary Pages 2 / 3
< Click on image to flip it >
[Images: Peter Stevens Collection]

Back to July 1959 page

Catering Officers’ Party

This invitation card probably raises more questions than answers. A party at 10pm in the Gymnasium? That can only be for crew, but which crew? The RAOB held their meetings in the gymnasium where you could accommodate a maximum of maybe 30 attendees.

This is purely a guess, but these invites were probably issued to various heads of department and those who dined in the Petty Officer's mess. People like the Chief Boots, Baker, Stewardess or Laundress, etc.

Departures from Villefranche were not always calm. Indeed, the next day Caronia was being buffeted by a storm. Being a cramped and enclosed steel box, right above the propellers, it was a space where you would not want “falling down water” in much quantity!