CAPTAIN 'TR' Scarrott's naval career began when he left Thurnscoe Hill Secondary Modern School to take up a place at Hull Nautical College.
He was only 13 when he passed an entrance exam for the naval college in 1956. The lad stayed in digs during the week, hitchhiking home at weekends.
Three years later, Cpt Scarrott, of Worsbrough, joined his first merchant ship bound for India. When he was 31 he became a ship's captain. Both Cpt Scarrott and his brother Peter, now living in New Zealand, made a career out of the navy.
He came from a mining family, his father, uncles and grandfather all worked down the pit. "My father didn't want me to follow them and so Hull Nautical School was a great opportunity for me and I jumped at the chance.
"My headmistress told me I would be wasted at sea. Anyway, I got to the top and saw much of this glorious planet before airborne tourism took off. Without a doubt seafaring broadens your outlook on life and it got me out of a rut."
Cpt Scarrott has loaned to Memories photographs depicting periods of his naval career. One of them shows pupils in his class at Thurnscoe Hill Secondary Modern School where his story began.
He recalls the names of some of the other pupils; Malcolm Birch, Tony Harris, Dave Thorpe, Robert Ramsden, Michael Simpson, David Croft.
On another photograph Cpt Scarrott is seen at a Hull Nautical College Dance in 1956 and on a third, when he became a Chief Officer in 1970.
All the photographs are in this week's Chronicle.
