Merchant Navy Radio Officers

Alfred Coutts, Radio Officer, 1941 – 1953

(1924 - 2006)

     As a schoolboy in Liverpool, Alf would often take the railway around Liverpool docks to view the ships. That and the fact that a family friend was a ship's captain started a passion of the sea and ships that would last for the rest of his life. He joined Liverpool Wireless College in 1939 and joined his first ship mv Sobo in 1941. He sailed on many ships during his twelve years at sea and kept a scrapbook of pictures, radiograms, certificates and log book.

     His ships were: ss Fort La Maune, ss Port Caroline, ss Llancarvan, ss Empire Unity, ss Barrington Court, ss Fort Senneville, ss Inventor, mv Kistna, mv Moorby, ss Memnon, mv Royal Daffodil, ss Lord Gladstone, mv Pelayo, ss Clan MacFarlane, ss Indian Trader, mv British Lady, mv Sheaf Mount, and ss Successor.

Of all these ships his favourite was the mv Kistna which he joined in June 1944 until March 1946. It was while he was on board the Kistna, which was acting as a supply ship off Manus Island in the Pacific Ocean in May 1945, that as Radio Officer he received the historic End of War message from the Admiralty.