大象传媒

This contribution to People鈥檚 War was received by the Action Desk at 大象传媒 Radio Norfolk and submitted to the website with the permission and on behalf of Frederick Jude
THE STRATHEDEN.

Built in 1937 by Vickers, belonged to P & O line with gross tonnage of 24,000 tons. Her decks 鈥淎.B.C.D.E.F.G.鈥� now occupied thus: 鈥淎鈥�, Bridge, cabins for the Captain, Chief Engineer and a few Senior Officers aboard this ship. 鈥淏鈥� cabins occupied by Commanders, Sub-Commanders and some of our very high ranking army officers, it also has a very fine and spacious lounge. 鈥淐鈥� deck Lieutenants, both navy and army, on this deck others are permitted to take airings. 鈥淒鈥� Warrant Officers and Sergeant, 鈥淓鈥� for naval men below the rank of Sergeant with some troops and the hospital is at this level. 鈥淔鈥� devoted to troops and kitchens with three luxurious dining halls lavishly furnished with modern highly polished dining suites. These are for all officers aboard and the food served there is very different from that dished out to the troops. 鈥淕鈥� deck houses the bulk of soldiers, it is well below the water level so air is ducted in and needless to say it is far below the level required.
Pre-war the Stratheden was designed to carry 1,500 passengers and crew. Today she carries 5,000 soldiers and crew who are expected to share the same facilities for washing, bathing, toilets and sleeping, and who bears 90% of these torturous conditions? Non commissioned ranks of course.
Tuesday, 19th Jan., 1943.Today we are acclimatising ourselves to this 鈥淏lack hole of Calcutta鈥� method of living.
Thursday, 21st Jan., 1943.We now find one day is much like the other, but such beautiful scenery I have never seen due no doubt to the fact this is my first visit to Scotland. Rumours say we will move off at mid-night, but such rumours come daily and are treated with 鈥� 鈥榩erhaps鈥�!
Friday, 22nd Jan., 1943. We are herded like diverse swine to the decks above, firstly to make way for the mess orderlies to clear this dishevelled den of its refuse and filth after breakfast and secondly to relieve our overtaxed lungs of their accumulated deposits of carbon dioxide.
Saturday, 23rd Jan., 1943. Still we lie within Gare Lock anchored in precisely the same position as taken up last Monday.

Sunday, 24th Jan., 1943.At last at 01.00 hrs. the mighty engines of the Stratheden were put into motion and together with her accompanying craft she moved off in the stillness of this moonlight night to the mouth of the Clyde. I must say the escorting craft has far surpassed my expectations. I raise a cheer for the Admiralty for the organization of this transportation of some 60,000 men. So far I have observed 28 vessels including troop and cargo carrying boats varying in sizes. The escorting craft includes: one large Aircraft Carrier 鈥淎rgus鈥�, 2 Armed Merchant Cruisers, each carrying a fighter aircraft amidships, 8 Destroyers and 2 Corvettes.
As each hour passed so the waves became more furious and intolerable, by 16.00 hrs. 80% of 9th Brigade were feeling very poorly indeed.
Saturday, 30th Jan., 1943. We have now completed a week鈥檚 sailing and how nice it would be for the sight of land.
Sunday, 31st Jan., 1943. Today the weather is glorious, evening comes with its darkness, as I gaze over the railings of 鈥楥鈥� deck I begin to realise that on land man does not assume his littleness, whereas the sea has a wonderful power of correcting that delusion.
Monday, 1st Feb., 1943. Land has been sighted, real solid land, after 8 days of seeing nothing, Some 50 miles distant it takes the shape of a mountain range. Most wish it were the White Cliffs of Dover, I would prefer the rugged rocks of Sheringham and Cromer.
Thursday, 4th Feb., 1943. The mountain we spotted has been identified by the Bridge to be one of the Canary Isles. Another reminder that we are now in the tropics as is the fact that for today鈥檚 lunch we were advised to drink iced lime-juice and issued with a tin of anti-mosquito ointment.
Saturday, 6th Feb., 1943. Today at 11.57hrs we weighed anchor within the harbour of Freetown, Sierra Leone; all around us lie the sister ships that have been with us throughout the past fortnight. Except for a few palm trees I see little difference in scenery from that of Gare Lock although we are 7 miles north of the Equator, known as the 鈥渨hite mans grave鈥�. The temperature here is most uncomfortable, doctors constantly reminding us to use mosquito nets and take Mepacrin daily.
Tuesday, 9th Feb., 1943. Goodbye Freetown harbour! Today we passage the Tropic of Capricorn, here we have invaded waters where the sharks keep unceasing vigilance for prey, human or otherwise.
Thursday, 25 Feb., 1943. Behold we arrive at Durban, how good it looks and what a sincere reception! As we landed we were overcome by invitations received from local European residents.
Friday,26th Feb.,1943. Here we are at Merebank a transit camp outside Durban. Someone says he has heard that pythons exist here. Apparently these monstrous reptiles have been known to swallow the entire carcass of a cow and stories abound that spiders have been known to spin a web nine inches thick around these pythons which slowly strangles them to death.
Sunday, 28th Feb., 1943 We arrive at the assembly point station to take up residence aboard 鈥淭he City of Paris鈥�. I think this so-called ship was around in the days of Horatio Nelson. We hear she has already been torpedoed and sunk once in the Humber, no history about this tub would surprise me.
Monday, 1st March, 1943.Goodbye Durban!
Before arriving there we had been warned by the CO not to comment on any treatment to the natives we might consider to be inhuman, we were told the South Africans knew how to run their country without any help from us.
Thursday, 11th March, 1943 This morning we watched the Stratheden sail away toward the eastern horizon, Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, I shall have no problem observing Lent this year with a weekly pay packet of 10/- and little or nothing in the canteen.
Saturday, 13th March, 1943.For ten hours each day we endure a Turkish bath, the sun beats down on to this boat with more power than ever and at mid-day it is quite impossible to touch the ship鈥檚 railings for fear of suffering a burn.

Monday, 21st March, 1943. Hail Port Tufiq! Last night the main body of the unit left for Telelacabere. With 12 men and two officers I stayed on the docks guarding the 1098. Of all conditions and races of mankind I have thus far, never seen anything so filthy, immoral and obnoxious as the people here.
Thursday, 24th March, 1943. For five days we were stranded on the stinking filthy docks at Tufiq, but today we arrived at 5 Base Ordnance Depot, Telelacabere. Unloading kit bags and 1098 stores at the depot I will always remember the sight of local women clutching their babies and squeezing their breasts to spurt milk over newcomers. I later learnt that this filthy habit was part of the initiation ceremony intended for the amusement of the troops permanently stationed at the depot.
Saturday, 10th April, 1943. Cairo at last! My first day off and together with Jock Stevenson we make our way to Cairo and the pyramids. The Great Pyramid is all and more than I expected, covering as it does at its base 13 acres of ground.
Wednesday, 21st April, 1943.The 9th Army Ordnance Field Park is no more, we are split asunder, sections of about 20 to 30 men going off in all directions. I am drafted into section 2 of the 56th London Infantry Divisional Field Park with Ted and Jerry who have been great friends of mine from our transfer to Ordnance. Goodbye to Lt. Massey, Lt. Wright, Capt. May, Cpl. Brown, Ade, Hallet, Kirk, Keighley, Randels, Deacon, Thomas and SQMS Warren, they were good men.

Wednesday, 28th April, 1943. On Monday we received our first air graphs from home. What a shock I had at being told I was to become a Dad! It should not have surprised me greatly I suppose, bearing in mind what went on after the party in Leeds with Grace back in January in celebration of our embarkation leave.
The thought rather thrills me, but poor Grace, having to face all the uncertainties accompanying these events on her own makes me feel a bit of a cad. I am likewise surprised to hear my sister Flick awaits a new arrival in August 鈥� so much seems to have happened back home since I left. Already some of my mates are calling me Pops in recognition of my impending Fatherhood. I鈥檓 rather chuffed!

Sunday, 2nd May, 1943.
After covering something like 300 miles we are now west of Benghazi. The train jolted through Al Alamein, Mersa Metruh, on we go until we enter Mussolini鈥檚 empire Derna.
Friday, 8th May, 1943. Today we had a blinding sandstorm, it was sheer hell stopping all traffic for some time and created sand dunes in the middle of the so called road.
Rumours are current and red hot that Tunis and Biserta have fallen and Gerry severely beaten in his attempt to evacuate has capitulated. If only this is true 鈥� thank God!

Saturday, 15th May, 1943. The war has been over for three days and we have seen thousands of Gerry prisoners convoyed inland together with masses of their equipment. Little excitement exists here for the simple reason there is nothing with which to celebrate except warm corned beef and biscuits accompanied by a million flies and blinding heat.
We work hard in this Field Park supplying various Divisional Units with parts and technical items. I am the Accountant Clerk in charge of the office which issues authority to the storemen.
Sunday, 23th May, 1943. Tomorrow we say goodbye to Enfidaville, this will be remembered as the spot where war ended in North Africa and it follows three weeks after our arrival at this advanced post.
Wednesday, 2nd June, 1943. After a four day journey from Enfidaville, we are now settled eight miles from Tripoli. Letters from home are still few and far between, no doubt the 鈥楿鈥� boats and enemy aircraft are taking their toll on our mail.

Wednesday, 22nd September, 1943.
I now find myself lying between clean white sheets having been admitted to the 93rd General Hospital at Sabratha, fifty kilometres from Tripoli. I was admitted on the 15th September with pleurisy in both lungs. It was nice to find one of the orderlies at the hospital came from Fakenham in Norfolk.
4th October, 1943. It is now three weeks since the invasion of Italy, this means I have lost my Unit who I am told are now in Italy, so when I am finally released from hospital I will be drafted to a Transit Camp.
Monday, 25th October, 1943. At last a letter arrives to tell me that I am the father of a baby girl born on 1st October. What a relief, I feel I鈥檓 walking on air.
21st November, 1943. What is fate playing at? It seems I am never destined to leave North Africa.

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