San Demetrio London (1943)

Robert Beatty: 'Yank' Preston

Photos 

Quotes 

• Boatswain W.E. Fletcher : First stop England!

  On Board M.V. San Demetrio: Apprentice John Jones : First stop Wales...

  Messboy John Jamieson : First stop Scotland. It's the Clyde we're bound for.

  'Yank' Preston : You're all getting mighty particular. There's a hell of a lump of land ahead of us there somewhere.

  2nd. Officer Hawkins : Good job too. If we fetch up anywhere between Narvik and Gibraltar we'll be lucky.

• 'Yank' Preston : They're singing alright. Here we are rolling about in a gale in the middle of the Atlantic, U-boats all around, no escort, and as far as the British are concerned it still seems to be Saturday night.

• 'Yank' Preston : Ya know, the smell of paint always makes me sick.

  Boatswain W.E. Fletcher : Well, if you are, you can clean that up too.

• Boatswain W.E. Fletcher : Let me give you a tip mate. There's a British Board of Trade regulation which says that no man may board a tanker when he's drunk. And the bosun's there to see no one breaks that rule.

  'Yank' Preston : Bosuns? I eat 'em raw.

• Boatswain W.E. Fletcher : And get a move on Yank. I want that finished by sunset.

  'Yank' Preston : By sunset? What do you think I am?

  Boatswain W.E. Fletcher : A lazy cowson. What do you think you signed on for?

  'Yank' Preston : Why did the chicken cross the road. To get to the other side.

  Boatswain W.E. Fletcher : Well, we signed you on to work. Haven't noticed any other passengers on board, have you?