Convoy WS21 from the Clyde 29 July 1942

[MaxD]

An awfully cliched response but you two are awesome, your willingness to spend time on a fairly minor element of a service career and your depth of knowledge are both appreciated and much admired!  I bet if I asked what colour was the ships' cat you would both ask "the big one or the small one?"

I asked the question on behalf of Rootschat friend JenB who I am helping in a small way with her father's record. His record says only "embarked ship E6 Gourock" and the assumption is that it was with the men and equipment of his battery.  I don't know whether that helps with the quayside/tenders/Clyde/Glasgow  questions you raised?  The battery war diary doesn't start until they are in Egypt in October that year (we haven't read it)  and, as I said before, my feeling is that it is unlikely to hark back to the very start of the overseas voyage.

I'll check off line with JenB who may, unless the rest of her family who are doing a Grand Designs around her haven't severed all the electrics, be watching the thread with interest.

maxD

[cpercival]

If embarking at Gourock it must have been by tender.  Should have picked that up first time around.  This gives us TAMAROA, NARKUNDA or CIRCASSIA.  They all completely disembarked at Durban to allow earliest return to UK for WS24.  The first of these to complete were TAMAROA and NARKUNDA which sailed again on 31 August.  MaxD's record says our subject disembarked 30th which suggests one of the above is likely.  Interested to know what led SW to CIRCASSIA, he may have some info I don't.

CP

[JenB]

I'll check off line with JenB who may, unless the rest of her family who are doing a Grand Designs around her haven't severed all the electrics, be watching the thread with interest.

The electrics aren't severed yet, but might be tomorrow 

I must thank you all for the detail you are going into over this, as Max has said it can only to be described as awesome.

I have looked again through his service record, and I can't see any more detail.
the entries are as follows

Posted to 225 Coast Bty RA, Gorleston 30.11.41
Embarked ship E6 and T.O.S  M.E.F., Gourock 27.7.42
Disembarked ship E6 Durban 30.8.42
Embarked SS 'City of Paris' Durban 19.9.42
Disembarked SS 'City of Paris' Tewfik 11.10.42.

on another form the details are these:

Selected to embark o/s (Serial no. 33968)
Embarked UK 27.7.42 Disembarked Mideast 11.10.42. To 226 Coast Battery 22.10.42

I have a vague recollection that he said that the vessel also put into Freetown en route for Durban.

My grateful thanks again for everything you are putting into this 

[seaweed]

"Interested to know what led SW to CIRCASSIA"
 No real reason. Just tossing things around at the moment. CIRCASSIA sailed from Greenock very near to Gourock.  TAMAROA from the Clyde which would suggest she loaded in the Clyde Anchorage. However, she did not arrive there from Avonmouth until 28/July/1942, which would eliminate her as the troops JenB is interested in embarked on the 27/July/1942. Would troops be able to embark from Greenock? If so then could we eliminate CIRCASSIA?

I take it that Embarked ship E6 and T.O.S  M.E.F., Gourock 27.7.42 is Taken on Strengh Middle East Force's.

I think we need the convoy reports  and possibly the various logbooks from TNA. Anyone visiting in the near future?

[MaxD]

Your interpretation of the hieroglyphics is correct.  He and his battery became part of the MEFon embarkation.

maxD

[cpercival]

According to my source CIRCASSIA, NARKUNDA and TAMAROA all embarked from tenders in the Clyde anchorage.  With TAMAROA out on grounds of her late arrival that leaves a 50/50 bet on either CIRCASSIA or NARKUNDA.  I can't come up with a compelling case for one over the other.  Although CIRCASSIA may be listed as sailing from Greenock as SW says, that is not far from Gourock and if she were at that end of the anchorage the log might well have stated Greenock as the departure point even if loading by tender was from Gourock.  Gourock was used a lot as a tendering point, presumably for logistic reasons to reduce traffic at Greenock and Port Glasgow.

CP

[seaweed]

Concur with CP. It is between  CIRCASSIA and NARKUNDA. Problem is which one.
I still maintain that a look at both vessels logbooks may give us a clue.
Admiralty Merchant Shipping Instruction 221 forbade the entry of dates places and times of sailing in the Merchant vessels logbook. In the best traditions of the British Merchant Navy,This instruction was almost universally ignored. That said in the case of Troopships it was taken on board and there maybe no details of any use.
You could download from TNA the movement cards of both vessels but these can contain errors and do not give the same detail as the vessels logbook.

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8649645

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8654256

[MaxD]

From me, as the intermediary, many thanks to you both.  I'l leave it to JenB to decide whether to stick with the two possibilities at this point or whether to carry on with the movement cards and/or log books.

A pleasure doing business with you again.

maxD

[seaweed]

Max
 " I bet if I asked what colour was the ships' cat you would both ask "the big one or the small one?"
The big one is a Ginger Tom, the small one is a Mousey Grey Ratter.!
SW