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Chapter 7 - page 1

1954 – 1970 Retirement

In 1957 father’s health was sufficiently restored to allow him to go out to South Africa for a month, our ship’s passed at Las Palmas he on the ‘Athlone Castle’ outward bound myself on the way home to study for my 1st Mate’s certificate.   We were not to meet again for some while for I passed for Mate’s whilst dad was on his way home again, I remember sending him a telegram, I have never believed in saying in two words what can be said in one, ‘PASSED’.   Dad’s in his reply was rather more chatty, ‘WELL DONE’, good would have been enough.   I must say at this point how generously he was treated by Sir Nicholas Cayzer and his friends in the London office, Captains Elvish and Wilcox.   It was quite clear that after such a long illness that there could be no question of father returning to full duties again but here in lay a problem.   Under the pension fund rules if you retired even though through ill health before the age of 60 your pension was reduced to almost nothing, father had to somehow manage to continue in the Company for another year.

After returning to England Geff went back to his old office in Canute Road, I am careful not to say resumed as Marine Superintendent because this was clearly impossible.   Another person who made father’s easing into retirement possible was Captain Norman Hodgson his assistant who had taken on the role of Superintendent without having the title.   It was think everyone in the Company repaying old Mickey Mouse for his years of kindness and conscientious dedication to the Mail Service and the people who made the service what it was.   And so my father retired from life as the Marine Superintendent, so typical of him he told nobody and asked London to keep it strictly confidential.   The manager, Major General Prior-Palmer passed him on the Wednesday afternoon in the office, “See you in the morning Captain”.   “You won’t” was dad’s somewhat ungracious reply and upon being pressed as to the reason simply said, “Because I have retired” and walked on.   Again in his blunt way he asked Captain Hodgson to come to see him that afternoon; “well you are the Marine Superintendent now, I have retired”, getting up walked out of his office for the last time - as he wanted it, no fuss, no fanfare. 

It was agreed that father would go out to Cape Town for a year; he was given the title of ‘Cargo Coordinator’ which sounded sufficiently important whist meaning nothing at all!   His instructions from London were that on no account was he to take on any responsibility, neither was he to regard himself as being bound by normal working hours.   In fact it was made clear to him that he was not to work at all.
It was a grand year, I was either on one of the mail ship’s as 4th or 3rd mate of a fruit ship, I was always able to arrange my port watches to make sure I had the time in Cape Town free to spend with dad.   We would drive off up country, exploring the small towns on the way to George or spend the time together in Cape Town just chatting.
Dad stayed at a hotel in Seapoint the Riviera; long since pulled down to make way for high-rise blocks of luxury flats.   The Riviera had been built round about 1900, it was very typical of residential hotels common then in South Africa, the guests being mostly retired colonel Blimps and their wives, retired clergymen and widows, always a gang of them!   They treated dad like royalty, even wanting to darn his socks!   Four years later they would make the same fuss over Lynette when she stayed there for the night before our wedding.

During this year father took my cousin Christopher under his wing, Chris was in his last year of music at the University of Cape Town.   A brilliant musician and talented instrumentalist Chris could take up and play any instrument, but precocious as many such artists are.   I am sure dad saw in Chris the musical talent of my mother, Chris always short of money lived in digs in Mowbray and dad would make sure he had at least a couple of good meals a week.   Then of course there were the aunts, my mother’s sisters with whom over the years dad had kept up a weekly correspondence.
This year in South Africa worked wonders, dad returned to England in remarkably good health to a life of retirement.   Did he miss his ships, I’m sure he did but already there were signs that the heydays of passenger ships were over, for some years now the mail ships were only full one way depending upon the season, now they sometimes sailed even in the season nowhere near full.  
One tragedy for dad was the fate of poor Mr. Dunn the retired Superintendent Engineer, I was home when he called for tea with father, it had become a weekly routine for the two to meet and reminisce and out the world to rights.   Mr. Dunn had the night before parked his car in his garage, the next thing he knew he woke up to find his car had driven through the wall, fortunately he was unhurt but mentally he was badly shaken.   From that day he steadily declined, finally my father would be his only visitor in the nursing home, his mind completely gone Mr. Dunn couldn’t recognise dad, but the weekly visits continued until Mr. Dunn died.

Between voyages I would usually have a couple of weeks leave when dad and I would take off in the car for what we called ‘a long weekend’, it was usually for a whole week.   Whilst I was away dad would frequently go down to see his sister in Barnstaple, Gladys now lived in a cottage outside the town with Barbara who was now teaching.