A comparatively brief sea faring career with outstanding memories of a wonderful privileged life that gave me perhaps the most satisfying period of my working life.

It produced a host of friendships that have grown stronger over fifty years and which continue to grow through the Union-Castle Pursers’ Association.

Whilst Second Purser on Edinburgh Castle, the Nursing Sister Betsy Mullineaux and I became engaged and were married on my return as Purser on the final East Coast voyage of Braemar Castle in December 1965.

Very pleased to report that ex Purser, Mike Morley is a recipient of the Merchant Navy Medal in 2018 for services to a maritime charity.

Following our marriage I made the decision to ‘Swallow the Anchor’, but after a year with Barclays Bank followed by 18 months as Bursar of Lucton School in Herefordshire, I returned to Union-Castle working in Rotherwick House Passenger Dept. and Greenly House Pensions Dept.until 1977 when I left to take up an appointment as Bursar of Alleyn’s School in Dulwich where I remained for the next 20 years.

In the summer of 1977, together with Colin Deller, Graham Donald and the late Mike Irwin, all of of us having worn the Pursers department braid at some stage of our careers, we met up in a  Greenwich wine bar and over an extended lunch floated the idea of a “Pursers’ Association”