John Johnstone McKay

John J. McKay (Known as Jock.) with his pin - up Elizabeth Taylor.

Born in 1936, John McKay went to sea as a young man on whaling factory ships in the 1950s.  Mr. McKay sadly passed on in 2002. The following picture galleries are taken from original photographs kindly supplied by his son William, who has asked that the pages be dedicated to his fathers immediate family.  Click here for the family photograph.

Copyright of all photographs - Mr. William McKay.

With most of the whaling and factory ships being registered in Leith in Scotland, it must have felt strange for the ship's crews to find themselves on the other side of the world in a place named Leith Harbour. As an Edinburgh man, John would have been very familiar with the name Leith!

Some surprising photographs appeared in the shape of Prince Philip and the Royal Yacht Britannia during a visit to one of the factory ships in 1956.  John's discharge on the 6th of May 1956 in South Shields was from the Southern Harvester, so the pictures must have been taken on Southern Harvester's voyage home.

GALLERY IN PROCESS OF BUILDING