The speaker at the last meeting was Jerry Crabtree, a member of our club whose talk was entitled “Pull up a bollard and I will tell you a story”.
Jerry explained that the bollard he referred to was a bollard used for tying boats to a quay. He spoke of fate which formed the pathway of his life and probably most of members present. Jerry made us aware that he had not always lived in Meltham and that his family moved to Cleethorpes when he was young. That gave him a connection with the sea which developed into his first career as a merchant seaman. He spoke of being an independent child who, at a young age cycled all over the country staying in youth hostels along his way. At the age of 17 he signed up for the Navy and was soon at seaman school learning the job. At this point, we were educated by his response to a question about the differences between red dusters and red ensigns. After learning many things, including the 32 points of a compass and the art of splicing ropes and wires, he finally went to sea as a deck boy. It appears that the crew initiated him, like many before him with being asked for long stands or a 2 ton shackle. He continued to progress up through the ranks regaling the members with stories of brave action against pirates and a seaman’s life.