February 1942: My impatience had come home to roost: . Standing on a cold wet dockside at Grenoch, loaded to the gills with kit and gazing up at an ocean liner of great proportion, not pristine in P & O colours but grey and forbidding.:

P&O Liner "Stratheden" and my Ticket to Ride: P&O, Posh, Port out starboard home:

Within weeks of volunteering I was on my way to Hednesford to be kitted out with tropical clothing, vis: Shirts KD 3, Shorts KD 3, Slacks KD 2 Bush shirts KD 1, Sock Long KD pairs 4 etc and a bloody great Pith Helmet, or "Bombay Bowler" as it was better known. Another Kitbag to lug about of course with a blue band round it for some unknown reason.

The "Stratheden" like so many other great liners including the "Queen Mary" had been converted to a troopship, and equipped to accomodate, if that is the correct word, something like 3000 troops.

As a cruise liner, accomodation for passengers stopped, and here I may be guessing, at 'D' deck. We were down on 'G' deck close to the water line, one deck above the hold, 'H' deck,

The deck had been compartmented and between bulkheads were rows of lino covered tables. Above each table, which were about five feet apart hung hammocks, so each side of a space approx................can't really say now but rows of tables and rows of hammocks. During the day the hammocks were stowed and we ate on the tables, about six or eight to each table. At night, one slept in the hammock, one on the table and one under the table..............we were at sea for six weeks.

"B" and "C" decks were Officers only

Somehere around 30,000 tons she was and in quite a large convoy escorted by HMS Warspite , which left us for Gib,, the 'Illustrious" aircraft carrier which also left us for Gib. and numerous Destroyers and Armed Merchantmen.

I suppose the best word to describe mine and probably every one elses state of mind at that time was total disorientation. Apart from the crew that was. The general concensus was that we sailed west and formed convoy somewhere in the North Atlantic. Seasickness was rampant of course but luckily not for too long. I won't attampt to describe conditions below deck at this stage but kippers for breakfast was not an attractive option. Imagine the excitement though of standing at the stern of the ship, taffrail is it? and as she rose to the peak of a huge wave one could see the whole convoy stretched out around us and the next moment as she rode down the otherside all you could see was a huge wall of water as we sank into the trough. Amazing

3000 odd troops have to be kept busy of course so duties such as mess orderly (serving the grub), drill, PT, deck games and polishing certain ships artifacts were invented to serve the purpose.

Queing for the NAAFI consumed a considerable amount of our time, a whole morning even. This small hatch way located on "D" deck served fags and the usual stuff of course and .most times the queue ran twice round the whole deck.........nothing else to do so what the heck!.

Her last port of call had been Canada so all the Fags were Canadian. Unfortunately 'Sweet Caporals' are the only brand that I can remember.

Our first Port of call was Freetown in NW Africa. No going ashore but the Ship surrounded by "bum boats" selling everything from bananas to dates to souveniers and African kids diving for the pennies we threw overboard. Wonderful.!

Then back out into the Atlantic, following God knows what route to avoid the 'U' Boats of course. Calmer seas and flying fish and porpoise, and plenty of sunbathing as the days passed into weeks

. Finally, and I don't remember after how long, and with only one Submarine Warning, we arrived in the port of Durban.

This time being allowed to go ashore. So dressed in our Sunday Best, Khaki Drill and brightly polished brasses we hove down the the gangplanks to be welcomed by a vast group of South African families waiting to fete us. Amazing. We were taken in twos and threes by these kind people to there homes, wined and dined throughout the day until time to return aboard in the evening, three sheets to the wind and very happy...................... a belated thankyou to anyone still around.

Back aboard and refuelled and restocked, this time with South African fags and chocs we set sail for Bombay.

I think our original destination was Singapore but as it fell to The Japs while we were at sea we were now in plan "B" so with no Naval escort, relying apparently on our speed for safety, we, a Dutch Liner and an Armed merchant cruiser raced across the Indian Ocean to the land of the Raj.

 

The countries above are to be my home for the next four and a half years.

 

 

Back to top

Down to Business