Bill grew up in the coastal town of Lymington (Hampshire) and after attending the local secondary school in Brockenhurst he joined HMS Conway to train as an officer in the Merchant Navy. In 1948 he became an apprentice with the Houlder Line. He later served as a navigating officer with Houlder Bros. Ltd and Manchester Liners Ltd. He resigned in 1956 to take up a career in science
Houlder Brothers House Flag SS Argentine Transport
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List of ships
| Ship | Sign On | Sign-Off | Voyage |
| 1 | HMS Conway | Apr 46 | Bangor | Apr 48 | Bangor | Home |
| 2 | Garibaldi | May 47 | Aberdovey | | | |
3 | Cerinthus | 20-Apr-48 | London | 31-Dec-48 | Barry | Foreign |
4 | Cerinthus | 25-Jan-49 | Newport | 07-Aug-49 | London | Foreign |
5 | Cerinthus | 23-Aug-49 | London | 16-Nov-49 | Buenos Aires | Foreign |
6 | Hornby Grange | 30-Dec-49 | Buenos Aires | 16-Feb-50 | London | Foreign |
7 | Ovingdean Grange | 09-Mar-50 | London | 11-Jul-50 | London | Foreign |
8 | Ovingdean Grange | 22-Jul-50 | London | 03-Dec-50 | Liverpool | Foreign |
9 | Ovingdean Grange | 04-Dec-50 | Liverpool | 16-Apr-51 | London | Foreign |
10 | Malmesbury | 01-Aug-51 | Liverpool | 16-Nov-51 | Liverpool | Foreign |
11 | Malmesbury | 19-Dec-51 | Newport | 23-Mar-52 | Liverpool | Foreign |
12 | Malmesbury | 24-Mar-52 | Liverpool | 07-Apr-52 | Liverpool | Home |
13 | Malmesbury | 29-Apr-52 | Newport | 29-Aug-52 | Newport | Foreign |
14 | Argentine Transport | 18-Sep-52 | Antwerp | 25-Apr-53 | Avonmouth | Foreign |
15 | Condesa | 03-Dec-53 | Avonmouth | 14-Dec-53 | Liverpool | Home |
16 | Urmston Grange | 01-Jan-54 | Hull | 02-Jan-53 | Newcastle | Home |
17 | Urmston Grange | 13-Jan-54 | Newcastle | 17-Feb-53 | London | Home |
18 | Urmston Grange | 18-Feb-54 | London | 04-Jun-54 | Hull | Foreign |
19 | Thorpe Grange | 21-Aug-54 | London | 23-Aug-54 | Sunderland | Home |
20 | Urmston Grange | 09-Oct-54 | Liverpool | 27-Oct-54 | Newport | Home |
21 | Charlbury | 08-Nov-54 | Rotterdam | 19-Nov-5 | Newport | Foreign |
22 | Hornby Grange | 07-Dec-54 | Hull | 05-Feb-55 | Liverpool | Foreign |
23 | Hornby Grange | 04-Mar-55 | Liverpool | 05-Mar-5 | Cardiff | Home |
24 | Hornby Grange | 04-May-55 | Cardiff | 06-May-5 | London | Home |
25 | Juno | 26-Aug-55 | Bristol | 02-Sep-55 | Bristol | Home |
26 | Juno | 03-Sep-55 | Bristol | 30-Sep-55 | Bristol | Home |
27 | Manchester Port | 21-Nov-55 | Manchester | 05-Jan-56 | Manchester | Foreign |
28 | Manchester Port | 17-Jan-56 | Manchester | 18-Feb-56 | Manchester | Foreign |
29 | Pluto | 21-Aug-56 | Bristol | 03-Sep-56 | Bristol | Home |
Created 3 March 2002
Photo Gallery of Ships
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| |  | | Ketch Garibaldi 47 | Outward Bound Sea School Aberdovey |
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| |  | | SS Cerinthus 48/49 | Houlder Bros * Copyright John Clarkson |
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| | .jpg "MV Hornby Grange 49/50 54/55") | | MV Hornby Grange 49/50 54/55 | Houlder Bros * Copyright John Clarkson |
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| |  | | SS Ovingdean Grange 50/51 | Houlder Bros * Copyright John Clarkson |
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| |  | | SS Malmesbury 51/52 | Houlder Bros * Copyright John Clarkson |
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.jpg "MV Hornby Grange 49/50 54/55")
