Ernest Haylett's Last Years

My father, left, with his father Ernest in the garden at the Wanstead house, was working in the west end of London for a company which imported dress materials, such as laces, from France, a job his mother had found him. She always considered him to be delicate and felt that he could cope with the work. Ernest had other ideas. He organised Cecil a job as an office boy with his old company, Scruttons, who, although they had sold their ships, retained their interests on the docks, mainly in providing labour. My father enjoyed this work much more, particularly as his employer was very good to him, often lending him his season ticket to the Oval so he could go to watch cricket.

Ernest Haylett expected more of him so found Cecil another, much more ambitious job - with a ship’s agency in Port Sudan, working for a Greek called Contimichaelos Darke. My father left England in 1923 and worked in Port Sudan for five years, where he saw his father (pictured together above in 1924) whenever he came through on his ship.

In 1928 Ernest felt that his son should move again, so he obtained him a job with T.B.F. Davis in Beira.

In 1930 Ernest's ship Defender (below) called at Beira, and on going aboard Cecil found him very ill, so ill that the Chief Officer was very concerned for him. He had an ulcer and found eating anything difficult, so the Chief used to mix him condensed milk with a shot of whisky.

The old man became much worse on the voyage home after leaving Cape Town and the Chief obtained permission to divert to Madeira where Captain Haylett was admitted to hospital. He was eventually put aboard Highland Princess, a Royal Mail ship, whose captain volunteered to take him to England, but he died in the English Channel. Cecil always regretted that his mother insisted on Ernest's body being brought home instead of being buried at sea.

Ernest's grave is in the City of London cemetery in Wanstead, east London.