Michael James Pengelly

June 29th, 2010 by JCB
Posted in Obituaries | 1 Comment »

30th September 1949 – 1st January 2010

Eulogy

Given by Captain Keith Cederholm

Tuesday 12^th January 2010.

1030

Centre Chapel Landican

In Memory of

CAPTAIN MICHAEL JAMES PENGELLY

30^th September 1949 – 1^st January 2010

Eldest son of Captain and Mrs. Ron Pengelly

(Ron and Hilda)

Husband of Lynne

Father of Caraline and Ross

Grandfather to Joshua

Brother of David

And

My Best Mate

Mike was born in Swansea on 30^th September 1949. His dad Ron was a merchant navy officer and they lived on the Wirral; however when dad was away mum Hilda would go and stay with her family in Swansea. As a result Mike spent a lot of time in Swansea and would go to the Vetch and watch the Swans. He was, all of his life, a “closet” Swansea fan and his proudest moment was when they played Liverpool at Anfield in the FA Cup 3^rd round in 1962. Swansea won 2 – 1 (Ronnie Moran missed a penalty for Liverpool) He has all of the newspaper cuttings and would describe every kick of the game to anyone that was prepared to listen.

He went to school in Bebington and the New Ferry Secondary School where in his third year the career’s master spoke to his class one day and suggested they should all talk to their parents that night regarding the jobs they should be looking towards.  Mike went home and after tea asked his parents :

“What is the best job in the world?”

To which without hesitation his father replied;

“You want to be a Liverpool Pilot.”

So the seed was planted!

About the same time Ron and Hilda moved with the boys to West Kirby and by coincidence my father and Ron where colleagues in the MD & HB. My father told me they had moved in nearby and I should go and introduce myself as they had a son about my age:

SO WAS BORN A LIFELONG FRIENDSHIP

Mike and I were just ordinary lads who passed our time doing things lads do! Along the way Mike had developed an allegiance with Tranmere Rovers (and didn’t very often mention “The Swans!”) So when we teamed up I was duly inducted into the “Cow Shed” at Prenton Park, where we spent many a Friday evening and latterly our sons did likewise; although by then we all had to sit down and behave ourselves. Throughout the rest of our time at school we became bigger and bigger friends because we both shared a common burning ambition:

You see my father had given me exactly the same advice Ron had given to Mike – “Be a Liverpool Pilot!”

Time advanced, Mike joined the service and was appointed to No3 Pilot Cutter, as Mike was a year older than me it was to be another 12 months before I was finally appointed as a boathand to No1. Due to a technical hitch (No1 ran aground the morning I was due to join) so it was off to No3. I arrived on board to be greeted by Mike Smart with the words “You’re Twiggy’s mate aren’t you?”

“Who on earth is Twiggy I thought?”

Then he appeared in the mess room, it was Mike!

Can you imagine anything less like Twiggy?

It was a chequered career Captain Smith marked on our files that we were not to sail on the same cutter together (we fancied ourselves as union convenors)

One thing a lot of people here will not know is that at one stage early in his career Mike almost made a decision which would have changed everything. He actually resigned from the service. However the senior lad on No3 was John Curry (who was also the senior apprentice in the service at that time) dragged Mike up to the office and managed to get Mike to apologise and withdraw the resignation and for Captain Smith to actually overlook the whole thing –So was saved what turned out to be a magnificent career. Thank you John Curry.

Throughout our leave periods we upheld the best traditions of boathands by continuing our nautical life at West Kirby Sailing Club and the Cabin Club, at only one of those establishments did you have to keep moving or else get stuck to the carpet. When not at the aforementioned venues Mike’s pride and joy was his Triumph Spitfire with its great big fat “Go Faster Wheels!” The wheels certainly did their bit as one day on the New Ferry by Pass with the roof down, he was stopped by a motorcycle patrol and booked for doing 50 in a 30. As the officer handed over the ticket he asked Mike what is the uniform (we had just left the boat) Mike replied “We are apprentice Pilots” to which the officer retorted “Be thankful I haven’t done you for low flying then!”

On another occasion when we had forsaken the Cabin Club for “Leighton Court” it was 3AM on sailing day morning and those hot wheels did it again. Straight through a hedge and onto a beautifully manicured lawn.

Panic ensued,

find a phone box,

call dad.

“Dad, bring two of my old wheels to Heswall quick.” Dad arrives in an extraordinarily pleasant frame of mind. Change wheels (still on lawn) throw damaged ones in dad’s boot. Rush home get changed. Onto 0630 train at West Kirby and join the boat as if nothing has happened.

Not long after this Mike met Lynne at I believe “Leighton Court” their romance grew and eventually they became engaged and of course my mate had other things on his mind so I was relegated to having to give them one night per week on their own!

As things did not go entirely to plan in the Pilot Service we apprentices did not get our licences at the end of our time due to major downturn of trade in the Port. So instead we were asked to follow a sea going career and wait for our letter! Mike joined Booth Line as 3^rd officer and after a couple of trips he gained his 2^nd Mate ticket and was promoted to second officer. About 6 months later whilst I was now looking for a berth, I received a phone call from the Marine Superintendent, who, on Mike’s recommendation, was appointing me as 3^rd officer on Dominic, where Mike was currently serving as second officer. That goes down as the fastest interview I ever had!

What a privileged experience for both of us that turned out to be. We visited places that most people – even today – only ever read about in National Geographic!

Macapa, Salinopolis (pronounced“Salinas”), Belem, Obidos, Itacoatiara, Manaus, Iquitos,

…. Mount Gay….

THE AMAZON RIVER…………….. WHAT AN EXPERIENCE

We even saw the pink dolphins and no that is not as a result of the “Mount Gay!”

SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT MIKE

At the end of that long voyage we returned home in the summer of 1975 when we were both due to start at Byrom Street for tickets in September and Mike and Lynne were to be married in the Christmas break. They did me the honour of asking me to be best man at their marriage. However on 11^th August 1975 prior to college and the forthcoming nuptials it became very apparent that sports cars, Mike and Me just did not go together, when Mike went head first through the windscreen of my MGB when we were involved in a rather nasty smash.

Once we had been patched up at Clatterbridge Lynne came to collect us, back home there was a reading of the riot act when Lynne announced that if those scars ruined her wedding photos then I was for the high jump, or words to that effect!!

Mike passed his 1^st Mate in the spring and returned to sea with United Arab Shipping Company and his career developed. In due course Mike and Lynne were blessed with the arrival of Caraline, their first child. I was honoured to be chosen as her Godfather. Of course I could not mention the birth of Caraline without saying that we wet her head magnificently, in fact, at one stage we probably would have drowned her! As I walked home afterwards I somehow managed to take the knee out of a brand new pair of trousers. Upon reconvening the following day we reconsidered the efforts of the previous evening and decided that on reflection we had better give it another go as Caraline’s head was in fact probably only slightly damp. So a proper job was done and at the end of the evening Mike was so worried about my second new pair of trousers that he loaned me the car to drive home as I wasn’t safe to walk.

It was in the formative years of the breathalyser!

In the natural order of things along came Ross, sadly I was away at sea so Ross did not receive quite the same welcome and Burton’s profits took a dive.

Mike went on to gain his Master Foreign Going certificate and was promoted to Chief Officer. One day he told me he had been offered a position as Pilot in Bahrain and was to start his training in the near future, so off he went; with Lynne and the children to follow on once he was qualified. That duly came and he was at last together full time with his family. That was to prove a bitter sweet time for them as shortly afterwards Lynne’s father Dick passed away and Lynne was unable to return home. By a coincidence Davy Jones a good friend happened to be in Bahrain on a ship so was able to offer a friendly face and words of comfort at that difficult time.

After some time in Bahrain it was time to move on and he accepted an appointment as Pilot in Dar es Salaam. During the time there they made a trip home and came to see us in Boston where I was a Pilot. They brought with them videos of their safari to the Serengeti with close up shots of Lions and Leopards and Elephant and the like. My wife Barbara was enthralled and was able to take them to her school the following day keeping her class transfixed all day.

And so to 1991. Home from globetrotting, finally to live the dream. He was there, he had received his letter!

He was now a Liverpool Pilot.

During his progression to first class pilot his esteem amongst his colleagues and the Masters of the ships he piloted, grew. This led to him being elected a director of Liverpool Pilot Services Limited, a role in which he excelled, discharging his duties as a Pilot and as a representative with great passion. Couple that with the ability to always see the funny side and raise spirits when gloom was all around; I think I can say with certainty that that his colleagues regard Mike as Fine Pilot and as a Top Man. Sadly in 2004 he suffered health problems which led to his untimely retirement. It was not, however, all doom and gloom as in 2006 Ross and Nicki presented Mike and Lynne with their first grandchild, Joshua – Mike loved that little boy so much. In late 2008 came the diagnosis that was to prove to be the beginning of the end, even now there were joyous times. Caraline and Raemonn were married in February 2009 and Mike was able to walk his daughter down the aisle. Shortly afterwards he underwent major surgery going through a torrid time where against the odds he pulled through and for a good part of the rest of last year seemed to be making progress. Unfortunately towards the end of the year he took a turn for the worse and eventually was admitted to St John’s Hospice on 29^th December. On New Year’s Eve I spent 3 hours sitting with Mike and his Mum and Dad at his bedside and we talked a lot about the past, Mike acknowledged things along the way and I like to think that he drew comfort from those words. At this point I need to mention the wonderful act of kindness from Tom Tebay who on New Year’s Day drove through all the ice and snow so that he could meet Ross as he docked in Aberdeen and hopefully get him home in time to say goodbye to his father. Alas it was not to be as Mike turned it in at 2145 on New Year’s Day.

Tom, you are to be applauded for a wonderful gesture.

Finally, on behalf Lynne, Caraline, Ross, Ron and Hilda, thank you all for this magnificent turnout and invite you to join the family at West Kirby Sailing Club for refreshments.

At the end of today I think we then need to give the family space and time to grieve and come to terms in their own way, with this truly tragic loss.

Thank you

Keith Cederholm