Communist made at sea and in port: Maritime class relations during the Second World War

Abstract

This article analyses New Zealand seafarer Gordon Harold (Bill) Andersen’s growing class consciousness as he experienced class relations at sea and in port during the Second World War. Oral histories of New Zealanders who served in the Merchant Navy demonstrate that, despite the pressures of patriotism to supply the war effort against fascism, there were efforts to form solidarities and enact everyday resistances to the brutal conditions experienced on ship and in port.