Bob Roberts was my grandfather. He worked for the Alexandra Towing Company, mostly on the Romsey, for 53 years before retiring in 1958. Sadly he died only 3 years later. The maritime museum in Southampton used to have a model of the Romsey on display - I remember being shown it and told it was 'Grandad's boat'.

My grandfather's elder brother, Bob Roberts, born in Liverpool, was the skipper of the Romsey before the war but had to relinquish command when the Board of Trade introduced formal certification for skippers. He moved to Southampton for Cunard's North Atlantic service and had many years of experience in tugboats.