Charles Rosman

Interviewed by Nancy Johnson on 26 June 1996
Subject: Ferries, First World War

Charles Rosman. After the 1st World War, all the return soldiers that came back used to get deferred pay and it amounted to about a thousand pounds, or round about that. You could get a good passenger boat, say carrying up to 100 passengers for around about a thousand pounds in those days. It would be 15 or 20,000 now. Of course, a lot of the returned soldiers got them and the Harbour was very busy on weekends with picnic parties and all that. That’s how that came about . They gradually worked down, and in the finish there was only three of us left. The others had all gone broke, or went into a different business.

Nancy Johnson. Only three ferry services?

Charles Rosman. Yes, there was only Stannard, Nicholson and myself left.