101-0005-010

Interview with Osmond John Brahim

Former seaman, Osmond John Brahim, is interviewed about his experiences as a sailor between 1949 and 1966. He describes the various roles of each crewman, the ranks from deckhand to captain, the food he was served at sea and the different places he sailed to. After describing life at sea, Brahim lists the names of other seamen he knew who are still alive and living in the Cardiff area.

Item

2 Compact Audio Tape

BHAC

English

Copyright situation unknown/other, contact HCE

Contact HCE if you would like to use or reproduce this item

Duties on board ship; old seamen he knows; different nationalities on ships

Osmond John Brahim

No

Osmond John Brahim [OJB] describes his experiences as a seaman from 1949 to 1966, moving up through the ranks from deckhand to bosun. He speaks in detail about positions on the ship such as deck boy, able-bodied seaman, bosun, chief officer, chief engineer, chief cook, and chief steward and the specific tasks they were responsible for. OJB describes the hierarchy of command on the ships, work done in the engine room and provides an overview of the food served on different ships. Beginning at 21:45, he lists many of the places he travelled to such as Australia, Brazil, the Suez Canal, Sudan, and Switzerland. Two female speakers, one of whom is assumed to be the speaker’s wife, enter the conversation and a discussion begins about other seamen that Brahim knew who are still living in the Cardiff area. They discuss the interviewee’s father, who was born in 1894. They speak fondly of a man named Amazir, with one of the female voices saying ‘Everyone knows Amazir’ [31:10]. They also discuss Hagi Harris, Crazy Sally (Dr. Sally), Albert Michael, Jeffrey Kelly, Ozzie Abrams, and Dr. Jackson. They advise that the interviewer speak to Billy Inkly, the old shipping master who would know much about shipping out of the bay.

Side One: 45 min. 27 sec.
Side Two: 5 min. 34 sec.

Yes

Glamorgan Archives and National Library of Wales

Open

UNLW023/9