Stan Mayes

 

1. Introduction

 

I have been corresponding with Stan Mayes for several years. He has helped me a great deal in my research into the history of ships, and has been one of the main inspirations for me to create the Benjidog website. Stan served in the Merchant Navy from 1936 to 1956 then worked as a ship’s rigger from 1956 to 1985. He has been able to provide details and dates from his Seaman’s Discharge Book, diaries, work diaries, documents and pay sheets. And it should be said that he has a wonderful memory and attention to detail that puts most of us to shame.

 

This is likely to be the longest story on this site and is divided into several chapters.

 

This page contains Stan’s own introduction and links to the other pages that complete his story.

This is my life

 

World War II: One by one the dwindling number of survivors fade away and all that will be left will be names and words in history books as no longer will there be men and women who speak of those terrible times at sea.

 

Ships: These floating masses of metal which in years gone by we called home. Some of those ships were like a second home and a good crew were like another family.

 

Good old days?

 

There will never again, ever be so much camaraderie in the seafaring world as we experienced and I feel privileged in having shared these experiences and the camaraderie.

 

To write these memoirs is a vanity, but sometimes a vanity with a purpose, as maybe one day my grandchildren will ask the question “What did granddad do in his life?”.

 

Stan Mayes