Phobos

[Tam & Di]

I was just sent a copy of this - I believe it may have been taken by Rolt but I've not seen it before:

 

[Rob-M]

I'm sure I've seen that picture somewhere before but can't recall where.

[Leo No2]

It was used in the Telegraph's obituary of Sonia but sadly no attribution for the image.

[alan_fincher]

I presume the photo must be from 1945, given the slogans?

She, of course, worked Phobos (and Moon, I think) during the War, but would she still have been as an election approached, or was she actually off the boats before then?

 

I think she also married George Smith in that year, but her involvement with Rolt also seems to have dated from about that time.

 

There's no evidence I have heard of who the photographer might have been, though.

[Laurence Hogg]

We have that in the archive, I think it was a newspaper picture at the time.

[bargemast]

I presume the photo must be from 1945, given the slogans?

 

She, of course, worked Phobos (and Moon, I think) during the War, but would she still have been as an election approached, or was she actually off the boats before then?

 

I think she also married George Smith in that year, but her involvement with Rolt also seems to have dated from about that time.

 

There's no evidence I have heard of who the photographer might have been, though.

 

Funny thing with names is that they tend to come back, with different people having the same name and sometimes even working the same boats.

 

I'm friends with a George Smith and his wife Helen who used to steer butty "Moon", while George was on the motor "Petrel".

 

Peter.

[spadefoot]

Did Phobos get used as a hotel/holiday boat in the 70s?

[Tam & Di]

 

I'm friends with a George Smith and his wife Helen who used to steer butty "Moon", while George was on the motor "Petrel".

Who of course have been working the automoteur Floane in France for many years as you know, but have finally decided to retire and are back at Braunston where their UK canal involvement started.

[alan_fincher]

Did Phobos get used as a hotel/holiday boat in the 70s?

 

Not sure of it's exact status then, but "yes" something like that, I think. Described elsewhere as working with Ara, which remained unconverted and provided "extra bunks".

 

My brother took pictures of the pair, but I can't find many he published. This isn't one of the best, but has already been on CWDF.

 

[Copyright: Mike Fincher]

 

 

EDIT:

 

Found a much better selection of Mike's photos of Phobos and Ara in this old post.

 

I'm friends with a George Smith and his wife Helen who used to steer butty "Moon", while George was on the motor "Petrel".

 

Peter.

 

Except when Helen was at the tiller of Petrel, of course, which I remember her as being quite regularly!

 

It's Helen at the tiller in this photo......

 

Edited November 12, 2016 by alan_fincher

[Tam & Di]

 

Except when Helen was at the tiller of Petrel, of course, which I remember her as being quite regularly!

 

It's Helen at the tiller in this photo......

 

 

As you say, Helen mostly steered Petrel. She also worked the youth boat "Angel of Islington" for several years. I'm having a mental block at the moment about who owned Phobos and Ara - they were often in the Uxbridge area.

[Tam & Di]

A slight topic wander, but I just dug out this recent photo of a random chance meeting of working and ex-working UK boat people from the 60-70s at Condé sur Marne on the Aisne-Marne Canal - Helen and George with the loaded Floan en route for the south, Di talking to George, and Dave Warren who had Tadworth after BWB sold it to Ashby Canal trust (?) and now cruises his barge Peke with his wife.

 

 

Helen very much the crew here ;-)

 

 

 

Edit to take final "e" off Floan! - Thank you Peter

Edited November 12, 2016 by Tam & Di

[Bee]

There are a lot of people who really ought to write books, would really love to read Helens boating stories.

[BuckbyLocks]

I was just sent a copy of this - I believe it may have been taken by Rolt but I've not seen it before:

I can't prove it, but as it is in the same format and size as several other photos which are known to have been taken by Sonia's 'Captain' Merrioll Trevor, I believe it was taken by Merrioll. It was indeed taken in 45, when they were giving up their wartime activities for GUCCC and just before Sonia married George. I have a copy taken from an original in Sonia's Photo album and she was insistent that I didn't use it in my talks as her views had changed over the intervening years. She would not have been happy at the Daily Telegraph's use of it in her obituary.

[bargemast]

Who of course have been working the automoteur Floane in France for many years as you know, but have finally decided to retire and are back at Braunston where their UK canal involvement started.

 

I only know of them working an automoteur named "FLOAN" without an "e" at the end

 

 

I spent a nice couple of days with them in the beginning of june, having sleepless nights because of the french news that George loved to show me to make me worry even more about the river conditions in France and the breach at Montcresson.

 

Here's a photo of Helen steering "Moon", with George on "Petrel" towing.

 

 

Peter.

Edited November 12, 2016 by bargemast

[alan_fincher]

Always good to see new pictures from that era.

 

I'm loving this thread.

[Athy]

Me too, though perhaps for different reasons: for you, many of the photos must evoke nostalgia and you must recognise many of the boats and people in them. For me, as I was not involved with canals until very much more recently than you, they're new, exciting and educational.

[Paul H]

 

 

Not sure of it's exact status then, but "yes" something like that, I think. Described elsewhere as working with Ara, which remained unconverted and provided "extra bunks".

 

My brother took pictures of the pair, but I can't find many he published. This isn't one of the best, but has already been on CWDF.

 

[Copyright: Mike Fincher]

 

 

Just for the record this particular picture is of Callisto and Ara as owned by Bob Longman.

Edited November 13, 2016 by Paul H

[alan_fincher]

 

 

Not sure of it's exact status then, but "yes" something like that, I think. Described elsewhere as working with Ara, which remained unconverted and provided "extra bunks".

 

My brother took pictures of the pair, but I can't find many he published. This isn't one of the best, but has already been on CWDF.

 

[Copyright: Mike Fincher]

 

 

Just for the record this particular picture is of Callisto and Ara as owned by Bob Longman.

 

Thanks for the correction.

 

I'm fairly certain it was claimed to be Phobos in the thread I took it from, but I'll admit I had my doubts at the time!