- Contributed by听
- Blackpool_Library
- People in story:听
- Bill Dixon of the Blackpool Merchant Navy Association
- Location of story:听
- New York and Blackburn
- Background to story:听
- Civilian Force
- Article ID:听
- A5912615
- Contributed on:听
- 26 September 2005
This story has been submitted to the People鈥檚 War website by Peter Quinn of the Lancashire Home Guard on behalf of Bill Dixon, and has been added to the site with his permission by the staff of Blackpool Central Library.
In 1942, whilst on the tanker British Confidence, we were anchored at the New York oil wharf at Perth Amboy on the River Hudson. We were given a night off and myself and two mates went into the famous Jack Dempsey鈥檚 bar in Times Square.
It was packed with G.I.s and there was a cacophony of noise. Suddenly, in the middle of all the noise I heard this loud voice in a broad Lancastrian accent say: 鈥淎n鈥 I towd 鈥榠m, I wasn鈥檛 doin鈥 that bloody shift!鈥 I was amazed to hear this so I went over to him and said, 鈥淣ethen, wot yer doin鈥 in 鈥榚re?鈥 He turned around, shocked at hearing the familiar dialect so far from home. It turned out that he had been born in Blackburn and before the war his father had had business interests in America and had taken his son with him whenever he visited. After Pearl Harbour the son had decided to join the US Army and was now a happy G.I.
[The author of this piece has written a number of other contributions to the People鈥檚 War website. They are:
My last day ashore
My first ship 鈥 M. V. Wim
Jumping ship then the Ocean Volga
Convoy preparations
A Lancastrian in New York
Thanks Yanks!
Voyage around the world
I meet the "SS Grodno" and the cook!
He has also contributed two poems:
The SS Grodno 鈥 one more trip 1939
The last day of SS Kingswood]
漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.
Recommended story
Story with photo