大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Graham Lewis for Three Counties Action on behalf of Mr Edward L. Hancock and has been added to the site with his permission. Mr Hancock fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

For the voyage to India we were first sent to Gourock in Scotland and there, in the dead of night and in silence, we embarked on the 28,000-ton Strathaird. Her sister ship, the 25,000-ton Strathmore, was alongside.

We passed through the Bay of Biscay. Until then, all was well, but the mountainous waves there caused the ship to rock from side to side, which is the main cause of seasickness. Men dropped like flies and lay all over the place. I slept for a while on the mess table because there were so many bodies on the floor and I couldn鈥檛 get into my hammock. You had to engage in a pitched battle to get into the toilets.

At meal times I went down to the kitchens (galleys) and collected meals for ten men, returned to my mess deck, ate my meal and returned the meals for all the others untouched to the kitchens. It took a lot of persuasion to be allowed to collect just my own meal until we had passed through the Bay of Biscay and the sick had recovered their composure and appetites.

Our convoy went around the Cape and it took nine weeks and four days to get to Bombay. The time was spent playing bingo, doing regular boat drills and learning Urdu, the Indian Army language enabling one to converse with many people who came from different parts of India and spoke different dialects and languages. On passing the exam I received 100 rupees (拢7.50).

At Durban, South Africa we were met on the quayside by a lady singing well-known war songs. We had been told to expect this so when we arrived in port everyone rushed to the quayside of the ship which tilted alarmingly, and the captain had to order us to return to our places if the ship were not to capsize.

We spent a couple of days in South Africa and on the second night there we had the most magnificent meal ever.

From Bombay we travelled in discomfort in wooden carriages in stifling heat. A fan blew air and dust into my face during the entire journey. For toilet purposes there was an empty carriage which had a hole in the middle of the floor. The experience of relieving oneself in a wildly rocking vehicle whilst poised over a gaping hole through which dusty air was being blasted was never to be forgotten. One could quite easily have fallen through the hole while in a state of undress!

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