Roddy McConnell passed away suddenly at his home in New York on 30 December. He was 59 and had been in previous good health, but died as the result of a sudden and unexpected heart attack.
Roddy joined P&O as an Engine Cadet in 1975. After a period in College, his first ship was ‘Oriana’ in 1977 and he spent the whole of his subsequent career with P&O, P&O/Princess and Carnival. He retired as Chief Engineer Officer of ‘Emerald Princess’ in early 2017 and had been about to take on the role of an assessor at the Carnival Training Centre in Almere, Holland.
Derek Warmington
On 24 December, Tracie Abba passed away in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where she had been living with her husband, Mark and 11 year old twin sons. She was 56 and had been suffering from Motor Neurone Disease.
As Tracie Lynch, she joined the P&O London office in the late 1980’s in Sales and Marketing before joining ‘Canberra’ as an Assistant Purser in 1989. She then transferred to Princess Cruises continuing to work at sea until 1999, by which time she had risen to become a Deputy Purser.
Her husband Mark Abba was Director of Casinos with Princess Cruises prior to the take-over by Carnival.
Derek Warmington
Martin North passed away in Hobart, Tasmania on the 18th December after losing a long battle with cancer. He was 63.
Martin was a Deck Officer with P&O General Cargo Division in the 1970’s, but left to join E&A Line in Australia in 1980. He then left E&A in the late 1980’s to become a Port Pilot in several ports around Australia.
Derek Warmington
Colin Stevenson passed away on the 16th December. He was 76 years of age.
Colin joined P&O as a Deck Cadet in 1958 and left in 1966 by which time he had become 2nd Officer. He then moved to Australia where he joined the Australian National Line (ANL), continuing his seagoing career and eventually becoming Captain. He commanded a number of their ships before leaving and returning to UK where he eventually became an Academic and Lecturer and then Maritime Programme Professor at the University of Trinidad.
Derek Warmington
Ken Hewitt passed away on Tuesday 21 November at the age of 93.
Ken joined Hain Line, part of the P&O Group, as a Deck Cadet in 1939. Two years later in 1941, when he was serving aboard the cargo ship ‘Trelawney’, the ship was sunk by shellfire after the Officers and Crew had been taken prisoner. Ken spent the following four years in a prisoner of war camp in Germany.
When he returned to London in 1945, he found that there was no position for him with Hain Line, so he initially joined the office of the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen in Cardiff before joining P&O in 1947 in Pursers Cash (later Pay Department) working in the London Docks. In the 1960’s he moved to the Officers’ Department (later Fleet Personnel Department) and became the Senior Fleet Personnel Officer responsible for the appointment of all Engineer and Electrical Officers until his retirement in 1984.
Derek Warmington
Chris spent his whole career at sea, initially with BI and then from 1971 onwards with P&O Princess. He retired in 2001.
Derek Warmington
John Shields died in Southampton November. He was 74 years of age and had been suffering from cancer.
John was a Barman in ‘Sun Princess’ in the 1970’s.
Derek Warmington
Stephen Daff passed away on the 18th October. He was 73 years of age.
Stephen joined P&O in the early 1960’s as a Steward in ‘Iberia‘ and remained at sea until 1986. His last ship was ‘Oriana’ where he was a Section Waiter.
Derek Warmington
Richard Hein passed away on 2 October at the age of 81.
Richard Hein was a Director of P&O Australia Ltd from 1970 until 2005 and served as Managing Director from 1990 until 2005.
Derek Warmington
David Dickinson passed away on Friday 15 September. He was in his early eighties and had been suffering from cancer.
David joined the Orient Line as an Assistant Purser in the 1950’s and sailed in Otranto and Orontes. He then left the sea and moved to Australia where he worked in the Orient Line (later P&O-Orient Lines) Passenger Booking Offices in Melbourne and Sydney. He was also involved with the opening of the P&O-Orient Lines Office in Canberra ACT.
He then took a senior position with Apex Travel for a number of years, before leaving to run the Post Office and General Stores on Dangar Island on the Hawkesbury River in NSW. More recently, he and his wife had moved to Port Fairy in Victoria where they ran a Café.
Derek Warmington
Captain Michael Thomas de Meaune passed away on the 29th August.
He was in his late eighties and had been in a Care Home in Elizabeth Bay, Sydney for a number of years, suffering from dementia. As Michael Thomas, he attended HMS Conway and joined P&O as a Deck Cadet in 1948, but in the mid 1950’s he changed his name to Michael Thomas de Meaune after a distant relative. He left P&O around 1957 and moved to Australia where he continued his seagoing career with BHP, achieving command in 1972. In the mid 1970’s he left the sea and joined the Australian Department of Trade as a Surveyor and Examiner of Masters and Mates. Later, he was a Foundation Member and Director of the School of Navigation in Sydney. He held the rank of Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Australian Navy Reserve.
Derek Warmington
Paul Hartstone passed away on Tuesday 15 August at the age of 83.
Paul joined P&O as a Deck Cadet in 1951 but, unfortunately, when he completed his cadetship in 1954, he failed the required eyesight test that would have enabled him to continue his career as a Deck Officer and he had to leave. However, after National Service in the Royal Air Force, he re-joined P&O in the Import Freight Department in London and this led to him returning to sea as an Assistant Purser between 1956 and 1959.
His wife Yvonne (Dillon) was a Nursing Sister, who he met when they were both serving in Himalaya.
Derek Warmington
Jean Goater passed away on Saturday 5 August in a Care Home in Ashford, Kent. She was 87 and had been suffering from Alzheimer’s.
Jean was a Social Hostess and later Entertainment Officer with P&O in the 1960’s. She may possibly have been the first female Officer to be promoted to this position, equivalent to that of Cruise Director today.
After leaving the sea, she worked in Barbados for a while before returning to her original profession as an Almoner at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington in London until her retirement.
Derek Warmington
Julian Hustwitt passed away on Thursday 27 July at the age of 74. He had been suffering from Leukaemia.
Julian was an Assistant Purser with the Orient Line and with P&O between 1960 and 1969. His last ship was Orsova.
He spent most of his subsequent career working in the Middle East where he met his Thai wife, Joy and, when they retired, they moved to Chonburi, near Pattaya, in Thailand.
Derek Warmington
Mary Dornan passed away on Saturday 15 July at the age of 92.
Mary was a Telephonist in the Briton Street and Dukes Keep Offices of P&O Cruises in Southampton until her retirement.
Derek Warmington
John Howell, retired Chief Engineer Officer, passed away on the 8th July aged 90. He had been retired since 1985.
Derek Warmington
Anna Stokoe passed away on the 19th June at the age of 77.
As Anna Franklin, she was an Assistant Purser with P&O in the early 1960’s.
Derek Warmington
Captain Peter Clark passed away on Sunday 18 June in Poole, Dorset, at the age of 85.
Peter attended Warsash College before joining P&O as a Deck Cadet and serving in passenger and cargo ships during the 1950/60’s. His wife Anne (Thompson) was a Nursing Sister who he met in Canberra. Later he was seconded ashore to assist with the setting-up of OCL, before returning to sea to take command with OCL/P&OCL until his retirement in 1990.
Derek Warmington
"Sorry to be the bearer of such sad news, but last night (12th June) at 2130 Martyn Elliot lost his fight for life in hospital with his family by his side.
Chris would be very grateful if you could pass this message on to all the many colleagues and friends ashore, afloat and retired.
Martyn joined P&O as an Engineer Cadet on September 9th 1968. His first ship was the SS Pando Cape in 1970 and his final tour of duty was completed on Queen Victoria as Chief Engineer in January 2011.
Our thoughts are with the family at this sad time."
Derek Warmington
Marty's ashes were scattered from Mv Arcadia at 1000 hrs the 20th February 2018, local time.
Derek Warmington writes on 19th June: "I have just received the sad news that Robert (Bob) Phelan passed away some time last year (2016). He had been living in Singapore for the previous 45 years and would have been aged in his early ‘70’s.
Bob Phelan was at sea with P&O in the early 1960’s, initially as a Purser Cadet and then as an Assistant Purser, sailing in Iberia and in Oriana He then joined a Merchant Bank in the City of London and in 1972 he was transferred to Singapore.
A couple of years or so later, he left to set up his own Company selling insurance to Banks. He retired in 1991 after selling the Company.
I regret that I have been unable to obtain any further information."
Derek Warmington
Mancil “Maxie” Jones passed away on the 7th May. He was 80 years of age.
Maxie Jones was a Ship’s Carpenter with P&O between 1957 and 1986.
Derek Warmington
Maurice Marriott, former Chief Engineer Officer with P&O Cruises, passed away on 24 March at the age of 88.
Maurice’s career began with the Medway Steam Packet Company before joining BI where he rose through the ranks to become Chief Engineer Officer In 1957 he transferred to P&O serving in a number of ships during the years that followed. He will be particularly remembered as the Chief Engineer Officer of ‘Spirit of London’ for the maiden voyage in 1972.
In the early 1980’s he transferred to P&O Ferries where he rose to become Engineering Superintendent, but decided to take early retirement after the merger with Townsend Thoreson.
Derek Warmington
He had spent his whole career with the company, having originally joined P&O Princess as an Engineer Cadet in 1991.
Derek Warmington
Gerald Wallington-Hayes passed away on 8 January after losing a long battle with cancer. He was 86.
Gerald was an Assistant Purser with P&O in the 1950’s but in 1957 he left to become a Chief Steward with Ellerman Lines. In later life he was a councillor with Tendring Council and Harwich Town Council and was the Mayor of Harwich. He was awarded an MBE in 2003 for services to the community.
Derek Warmington
