John Brian Sharples

In late April, 1959, I left Liverpool on the RMS Nova Scotia eager to start a new job in Canada. I was a little disappointed because my departure meant that I had to miss the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium and not only was my team in the final (Wolverhampton Wanderers) but they subsequently were victorious! I had had the opportunity to serve as a steward at the Stadium which guaranteed that I would have had a perfect view of the game, but my travel arrangements had been made months in advance so I could only read about the victory when the English papers finally reached Canada.

The Nova Scotia was a passenger/freight ship with about 100 passengers. On the trip I recall an evening when we had a dance which was quite exceptional because due to the rough seas you didn't have to do too much fancy footwork but merely slid from side to side as the boat lurched on its way! We spent a day or two in Newfoundland while the freight was unloaded and I recall my disgust at the dirt accumulated on the store windows along the waterfront. My trips inside the stores were a disaster as I could not understand what the store clerks were saying and they could not understand me! (What it must be like to arrive in a new country not knowing the language - my heart goes out to all those who did it and still do it). I vowed that if Nova Scotia was as bad as my Newfoundland experience I would catch the next boat home!

This of course was not the case and upon arrival at Pier 21 I was greeted by a representative of my new employer who helped me cope with the formalities and find my luggage in the mount heaped onto the Pier. They had arranged for some temporary accommodation for me and it did not take too long for me to become acclimatized to my new life. I subsequently married a wonderful girl from Digby County, we raised three beautiful children and are presently blessed with two grandchildren. I think it was well worth my missing the FA Cup Final!