Author Topic: TROOPSHIPS 1939 - 1961  (Read 50311 times)

Offline barryd

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Re: TROOPSHIPS 1939 - 1961
« Reply #18 on: Monday 04 November 13 20:03 GMT (UK) »
The last Troopship I know of was the SS Canberra 1982. British Falkland Islands and return. I have fond memories of her. She transported my wife and I to Port Everglades, Florida from Southampton 1981 as fare paying passengers.

Offline joboy

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Re: TROOPSHIPS 1939 - 1961
« Reply #19 on: Monday 04 November 13 22:14 GMT (UK) »
I have details of her movements from 30/Oct/1952 until 27/Aug/1957
I left Southampton on her October 1948 bound for Australia as a free passage ex serviceman.
She was still in troopship mode ........ but the meals were fantastic.
Joe
Gill UK and Australia
Bell UK and Australia
Harding(e) Australia
Finch UK and Australia

My memory's not as sharp as it used to be.
Also, my memory's not as sharp as it used to be.

Online HMac

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Re: TROOPSHIPS 1939 - 1961
« Reply #20 on: Monday 04 November 13 22:39 GMT (UK) »
Hi Seaweed,

Would this include ships that repatriated men held as Japanese POW's?

They don't seem to be listed on any incoming passenger lists to the UK, and so I assume they must have been returned on Troopships?

Unfortunately I don't have a ship's name, and so that probably makes looking for my late Uncle, Ernest Rencella Wilson, (1897 - 1957) a bit like looking in the proverbial haystack!

Romilly.

Hello Romilly,
I am sure we have been in touch before about your uncle as his name rings a bell. I have checked all my PoW files and his name is not mentioned. I take it that there is no mention of his return in ADM 340/147/21 - http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/Details?uri=D8294305


Regards
Hugh
Merchant Navy Research
ss CITY OF CAIRO

Offline seaweed

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Re: TROOPSHIPS 1939 - 1961
« Reply #21 on: Tuesday 05 November 13 00:06 GMT (UK) »
I have details of her movements from 30/Oct/1952 until 27/Aug/1957
I left Southampton on her October 1948 bound for Australia as a free passage ex serviceman.
She was still in troopship mode ........ but the meals were fantastic.
Joe

See http://www.ssasturias.net/voyageandrepairlogs.html
Dim ateb yn well nag ateb anghywir. Nid oes dim yn ddall fel rhai nad ydynt yn dymuno gweld

RIP Roger 10 August 2022


Offline joboy

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Re: TROOPSHIPS 1939 - 1961
« Reply #22 on: Tuesday 05 November 13 02:43 GMT (UK) »
I have details of her movements from 30/Oct/1952 until 27/Aug/1957
I left Southampton on her October 1948 bound for Australia as a free passage ex serviceman.
She was still in troopship mode ........ but the meals were fantastic.
Joe

See http://www.ssasturias.net/voyageandrepairlogs.html
Thanks for that .. she left Southampton 27.10.48 and arrived Sydney 4.12.48.
Joe
Gill UK and Australia
Bell UK and Australia
Harding(e) Australia
Finch UK and Australia

My memory's not as sharp as it used to be.
Also, my memory's not as sharp as it used to be.

Offline Malcolm33

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Re: TROOPSHIPS 1939 - 1961
« Reply #23 on: Tuesday 05 November 13 04:24 GMT (UK) »
The last Troopship I know of was the SS Canberra 1982. British Falkland Islands and return. I have fond memories of her. She transported my wife and I to Port Everglades, Florida from Southampton 1981 as fare paying passengers.

     I sailed in the Canberra in October 1966 when working on board for Thos Cook & Son Ltd selling shore excursions.    I have a full description of what happened in my memoirs and anyone interested may send me a PM and I'll dig it out.       It was a 4 week cruise from Sydney to Japan and Hong Kong and return to Sydney.
Hutton: Eccleshill,Queensbury
Grant: Babworth,Chinley
Draffan: Lesmahagow,Douglas,Coylton, Consett
Oliver: Tanfield, Sunderland, Consett
Proudlock: Northumberland
Turnbull:Northumberland, Durham
Robson:Sunderland, Northumberland
Dent: Dufton, Arkengarthdale, Hunstanworth
Currie: Coylton
Morris and Hurst: East Retford, Blyth, Worksop
Elliot: Castleton, Hunstanworth, Consett
Tassie, Greenshields

Offline Malcolm33

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Re: TROOPSHIPS 1939 - 1961
« Reply #24 on: Tuesday 05 November 13 04:45 GMT (UK) »
     I took snaps of many of the troopships in the Harbour at Aden when I served in the RAF there from March 1952 through to March 1954.     
     We flew in a Lancaster Air Services York from Blackbushe to Luqa then Fayid.   Then after 10 days at El Hamra went down the Red Sea to Aden in the Mohammedi.

     So Seaweed have you got a record of that one?   

     Several truckloads of airmen went down to Abadiyah just past Suez and we spent a whole day in desert surroundings waiting for the ship to arrive.    After it anchored hordes of East African Rifles came ashore, then another long wait.  Finally the word went around, the MO had condemned the troopdecks so a long drive back to El Hamra.    Very late at night before we had got bedding and a tent again.  Then I was woken around 1am, and my name being on a short list was told to be up and ready at 6am.   This time only one truck and we went straight on board to be given StateRooms would you believe!!!     We blew a boiler on the way down the Red Sea which no one complained about as it turned the voyage into a 4 day cruise.

      Two years later when tour expired I was down to return on the Empire Windrush.  But the days went by and she still didn't arrive.    The Georgic passed her in the Indian Ocean and those of us well over our tour of duty in Aden were transferred to the Georgic.

      Would you have those dates please, Seaweed?

       This time it was a ten berth cabin, and since all duties had been allocated to bods who embarked in the Far East, we only got to get down on our knees on one day sloshing water and sea soap about to clean the corridor.

       I shall never forget arriving in Liverpool within sight of the Liver Birds.    Howls of derision went up from the troops lining the railings when we saw our fist Teddy Boys on the Quay side.  They beat a hurried departure.    But the worst was the news that morning that the Empire Windrush had gone down off Algiers.   Had I not been transferred to Georgic I would have arrived home wearing French Foreign Legion uniform.   4 men from the Engine Room were lost.

      Another memory of that morning was when queuing up for travel rations and as a burly docker came by the Tannoy Bell rang out.     'Was that fer Lah?" he said in some surprise in broad Scouse.

MOD COMMENT: IMAGE REMOVED AS PER ROOTSCHAT COPYRIGHT POLICY
Hutton: Eccleshill,Queensbury
Grant: Babworth,Chinley
Draffan: Lesmahagow,Douglas,Coylton, Consett
Oliver: Tanfield, Sunderland, Consett
Proudlock: Northumberland
Turnbull:Northumberland, Durham
Robson:Sunderland, Northumberland
Dent: Dufton, Arkengarthdale, Hunstanworth
Currie: Coylton
Morris and Hurst: East Retford, Blyth, Worksop
Elliot: Castleton, Hunstanworth, Consett
Tassie, Greenshields

Offline seaweed

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Re: TROOPSHIPS 1939 - 1961
« Reply #25 on: Tuesday 05 November 13 14:26 GMT (UK) »
EMPIRE WINDRUSH suffered an engine room explosion and caught fire 30 miles off Algiers. She was abandoned at 0630 on the 29/March/1954 and sank at 1100 hrs the same day.
The only voyage of GEORGIC any where near that date is.
Arrived Aden 6/March/1954 sailed same day
Arrived Port Said  10/3 sailed 11/3
Arrived Liverpool 19/3 Disembarkation complete 0930hrs
De stored by 22/3 and returned to civilian role.
I understand she made further trooping voyages in late 1954/early 1955 and later served on the migrant service to Australia. She was broken up Faslane 1/2/56.
MOHAMMEDI made several voyages on the route  and timescale you describe in early 1952. She was returned to her owners in July 1952.
Dim ateb yn well nag ateb anghywir. Nid oes dim yn ddall fel rhai nad ydynt yn dymuno gweld

RIP Roger 10 August 2022

Offline Malcolm33

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Re: TROOPSHIPS 1939 - 1961
« Reply #26 on: Tuesday 05 November 13 20:25 GMT (UK) »
Many Thanks Seaweed.    Just shows how things get a little muddled in the mind after 60 years.   So it was ten days after I got home that the Empire Windrush went.    I had so much disembarkation leave and accumulated leave I had a lot more on my mind I guess.

But I had another near miss and that was definitely on the morning that I was on my way to join the Batory Cruise from Southampton.  That time I was selling shore excursions on board for Cook's in Berkeley Street, London.

I'm pretty sure that it was on 23rd December 1963 when I stopped first of all at Berkeley Street to pick up the tickets.    While waiting for the guys in Cruise Dept to arrive I naturally had a word with my mates in Overseas Reception.   Hadn't been there long when the phone rang to tell us that the Lakonia with Geoff on board was on fire somewhere south of Portugal.    From memory I think the Lakonia set sail on 19th December and she caught fire in the hairdresser's salon.    We had 4 staff on board including a young lad from Watford only 19 years old.    He was killed when jumping into the sea - his life jacket broke his neck they said.

     About a month earlier when we got our sailings Geoff tried every persuasion to get our cruises changed.   He wanted the Batory as he had been to Madeira and the Canaries so many times, and the Batory's itinerary was Southampton/Cadiz/Palma/Malta/Tunis/Cagliari/Algiers/Gibralta/So’ton.   Geoff had never been to Cadiz Tunis or Cagliari.    Fortunately for myself Geoff was senior to me and they needed someone in charge on the Lakonia.    They were in the Cinema when the alarm went and 'Abandon Ship'.      Geoff made it to a lifeboat, but many didn't.    He was picked up by a freighter and landed in Madeira.  When he finally flew from Lisbon to Heathrow the BEA steward was none other than our neighbour and good friend Albert.

     Two other small ships I sailed in across the North Sea came to grief a few years after I was on them, Kronprinz Frederic burned out in Harwich and another the Duke of Lancaster which got cut in half when hit by a freighter.

     It was a tragic year for Geoff as a month earlier he had gone to Malta on holiday and another good friend from Cooks was drowned while swimming there.
Hutton: Eccleshill,Queensbury
Grant: Babworth,Chinley
Draffan: Lesmahagow,Douglas,Coylton, Consett
Oliver: Tanfield, Sunderland, Consett
Proudlock: Northumberland
Turnbull:Northumberland, Durham
Robson:Sunderland, Northumberland
Dent: Dufton, Arkengarthdale, Hunstanworth
Currie: Coylton
Morris and Hurst: East Retford, Blyth, Worksop
Elliot: Castleton, Hunstanworth, Consett
Tassie, Greenshields