Mal's Memories (From Penarth Times)

Mal's Memories

DO you remember the old paddle steamers which were part of P&A Campbell's famous White Funnel Fleet?

When I was a boy my parents bought season tickets every year and we sailed to ports of call all round the Bristol Channel.

I particularly remember the Ravenswood, Glen Usk, Glen Gower, and of course the pride of the fleet - the Cardiff Queen and Bristol Queen.

There would be queues of people on Penarth Pier, all waiting for the first sight of whichever paddle steamer appeared round the Head on its way out from Cardiff. Someone would call out its name and there would always be a special cheer if it was the Cardiff Queen.

Actually the Bristol Queen was a little bigger and faster, but local pride would not allow anyone to dwell on this mere detail.

My favourite destinations were Weston-Super-Mare, Ilfracombe and Lundy Island. We spent several holidays at Weston and I learned to swim there in the glamorous outdoor pool.

As a boy I always fancied myself as a sailor and as far as I was concerned the rougher the weather the better. It was a real thrill standing at the foremost part of the bow, feeling the wind in your hair and experiencing the pitching motion in the pit of your stomach.

Even I had a bit more than I bargained for one day, though.

There was a lot of commotion on board, the ship came to a complete stop, and all the passengers were herded away from one side of the vessel.

We could see members of the crew leaning over the side with long poles but no-one really knew what was going on.

It was not until we got home that we heard on the news that the boat had come close to an old war-time sea mine.

How it got there was a bit of a mystery - but for all anyone knew it might still have been live!

* Malcolm Davies is a former editor of the Penarth Times. Mal's Memories are on the Penarth Times web site www.thisispenarth.co.uk