Recently had correspondence with Grandson – the threads below..
1/ Hi there Roy,
I stumbled across the LOF website, I was looking for information about the Ropner Lines SS Clearpool
(my great grandfather Alfred Smith was master but died at sea in 1931 and was buried in Istanbul).
His son (my grandfather), also called Alfred Smith worked for LOF and ended up being the Commodore.
His last command was the ULCC London Pride. I imagine both him and Jonathan Evans would have known each other, probably even worked together.
I have a fair few random photo albums from those times and some other bits and pieces which have been passed on to me.
Good work with the website.
Kind regards
Jeremy
Jeremy Channon Partner
2/ Hi again Jeremy,
I am still looking into my archives…however I have found the following (see attachments) Thanks for these, I have a vague recollection of perhaps seeing these previously…. I certainly remember the garden party photograph as the original colour version was framed at my grandparents’ house.
Although I’m away I am a local and district councillor (Independent) amongst many other projects and still have work
to do whilst away – so bear with me please.
I do remember Alfie living in Wimborne so looks like you still live nearby. My grandparents were living in Scotland near Cleish, Kinross when he retired (one of his brothers, Sir Alan (ex-spitfire pilot, subsequently involved with the cashmere trade) lived up there. They then moved down to near Wimborne (Broadstone) as that is where my mother, Penny, and her sister, Deborah, (pictured in the photo at the garden party) both lived. So, they basically moved down here to be closer to the family. The Poole / Bournemouth connection was because my grandparents for some reason ended up living in Bournemouth after Africa, and both my mother and aunt were at school down here.
I guess they didn’t want to move to South Shields / Sunderland for whatever reason. None of my grandfather’s brothers ended up back there.
My grandfather’s father (my great grandfather, also “Alfred Smith”) died at sea at the age of 52. He was master of the SS Clearpool which was a Ropner Lines vessel. As the ship was destined to either end up at or at least pass near to Istanbul, that is where he was buried (as per attached photos). All the sons were still quite young at the time.
I also remember the unfortunate death of one of his daughters in a car accident I believe – I sailed with him shortly after it happened and having a one-to-one with him recalling the events – very tragic so say the least.
This was my father (his son in law) Robert Chadwick. My mother (Penny survived), but there was another couple in the car and that woman died (so two died and two survived). My understanding is that my father worked aboard London Craftsman (second officer?) and this was where he met my mother (who was aboard ‘travelling’ with my grandfather). It was, as you say, very tragixc at the time. I was a mwere toddler and my mother was pregnant with my younger brother at the time of the accident.
I also recall an event which I’m having trouble remembering fully, but I think it goes something like this –
When Alfred was a second officer he somehow was sent to East Africa and he and a team had to dismantle a ‘ship’ and transport
it across vast amount of land to one of the African Lakes where they had to rebuild the vessel and test/sail it around.
I have some of the paperwork associated with this. Ostensibly he was hired with the title “deck officer”, but was really more of an official in charge of administration and transport in the area around Lake Nyasa (now Lake Malawi) and he was based at a place called Monkey Bay (with my grandmother and my young mother).
The ship, M.V. Ilana II, was transported inland to the lake in pieces where it was assembled in 1951. It is still operating now! It even has the posterity of its own wiki page!:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Ilala#:~:text=MV%20Ilala%2C%20formally%20Ilala%20II,then%20returns%20to%20Monkey%20Bay.
In one of the pictures attached is the Chief Engineer of the London Pride Campbell Dobie, he is still living in Australia, and I have copied him in this e-mail (never mind GDPR) He would have sailed with your Grandfather probably more times than myself – maybe he can come up with some more history.
I lived and worked as a lawyer in Sydney for a while (I also lived in the Cayman Islands for a few years). My youngest brother lives and works there now (as an architect). I think we’re all due to go down there as a family some time this year (in September, Byron Bay for a week and then I’ll probably head back to Sydney for a few days). I have another cousin who lives in Perth (wonderful place).I sailed on the Endeavour from Fremantle to Cape Town when I left school. My step-father (who only retired a few years ago in his early seventies, for him it was his calling and vocation in life) was a life-long crab and lobster fisherman working out of Poole (at one point running several boats). Hardest work I have ever done!
If I find any other information, I’ll be in touch
3/ From Campbell Dobie (living in Australia)
Hi Jeremy
Glad to be able to help you to find out a little bit more about Alfie’s life at sea. He was very good at his job and he was well-liked by all, he didn’t try and ‘lord it’ over his officers and crew. He was a good lad, with Alfie you were in safe hands.
I see you and your family have travelled around a fair bit yourselves. Good to hear. I have an old schoolmate who still lives a few hundred metres from where we went to school and has never been out of Scotland. Some people don’t know what they are missing.
I have one last story for you of Alfie bending the rules a little.
The Pride had just finished discharging cargo in Curacao in the Caribbean and we’d sailed early on the morning of 24th Dec 79
With the ship under way, Alfie came along to my cabin with a mischievous grin on his face saying he had a wee favour to ask. He was interested to know if I had any spare fuel up my sleeve. (Chief Eng’s have been known to squirrel away 50-70 tons of fuel just in case……)
I said maybe why? He said it’s Christmas day tomorrow and I want to get the hell out of the Caribbean and out of the sea lanes so that we can safely have a proper Christmas party and partake of a few libations to celebrate Christmas.
Well, Campbell he says can we fiddle the books? Of course, I agreed.
We immediately increase speed from 12 to 15.5 knots and after burning 40 tonnes of extra fuel (my stash) we duly arrive in a ship-free part of the Atlantic in time for a long Christmas lunch.
Note. When The Pride was travelling in ballast and not under contract the ship would normally travel at 12 knots to keep fuel cost down. To increase speed to 15.5 knots would cost 50% more fuel for the extra 3.5 knots. (90 tonnes per day for 12 knots and about 135 tonnes per day for 15 knots.)
All the best
Campbell
Master Mariners Certificate 28th January 1970 – Alfred Smith.