大象传媒

This story was submitted to eht People's War by Judith Harridge on behalf of Geoffrey Walker. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.
The "Samstrule" remained in the Mediterranean following the invasion of Southern France. She was to dry dock in Alexandria. The ship had run out of pototoes, and for a couple of weeks the crew has to subsist on rice cakes as a substitute, until the arrival in Alexandria. On his first night ashore Geoffrey went immediately to Mohammed Ali Square- the main shopping centre-where he treated himself to a mixed grill with plenty of potato chips, and two large glasses of milk- it was a memorable meal. Ships milk was made up from milk powder and was always chalky and tasteless.
On Christmas Eve 1944 the "Samstrule" arrived in the port of Haifa in Palestine (as it then was). A directive from 'Elders and Fyffes' (who were the ship's charterers)said that all members f the crew were to be given two bottles of beer with the company's compliments and the seasons greetings. Geoffrey was somewhat grieved therefore, when he only received one bottle of beer; after all, he was over 18. He was told by the Chief Steward who was making the issue that Captain Jones considered him too young to have beer, but, out of kindness, had decided he should have one bottle. In vain Geoffrey pointed out that the deck boy who was only 17, had been given two. Geoffrey was quite certain in his own mind as to who had had his other bottle of beer.
After lunch that same day, the entire crew were informed that before any shore leave passes were issued, everyone must have an injection against bubonic plague. A Jewish doctor came aboard, and all the crew were lined up outside the officers' mess for this to be carried out. The needles the doctor was using was, Geoffrey noted, unusually large. The steward, who was immediately in front of Geoffrey in the queue, fainted when he saw the needle, and collapsed on the floor. The doctor simply bent down and injected him before he had time to fully recover. Another steward, seeing this, flatly refused to have the injection, and so was unable to go ashore at all during the six days the ship was in port.
The following morning- Chrismas Day- Geoffrey decided he would go to church. So he set his little alarm clock and got up early. He found his left arm, where he had been injected, had swollen up, and he could not raise it above the horizontal. He was putting on his No.1 uniform with a white shirt and starched collar and he had considerable difficulty with his collar and tie. However, in spite of some pain and suffering, he eventually succeeded and walked down the gangplank and into the quay.
Immediately astern of the "Sanstrule" was another British ship called the "Princess Kathleen (or was it Katherine?). Although she was smaller in tonnage than the "Samstrule" she was an elegant ship, designed specifially for passenger cruising in the Pacific in the years before the war. She was very distinctive, having four funnels. Just as Geoffrey was walking ashore, down the gangplank from the other ship came the assistant purser-also in his No.1 uniform. "Hallo," he shouted cheerily. "Are you going to church?" Geoffrey said that he was. "Do you know where it is?" asked the purser. Geoffrey has to confess that he did not- but he did know that it was called St Luke's and that it was in Mountain Road.
At this point Geoffrey spotted what he took to be a taxi, some distance away. A shrill whistle from the purser, and the taxi turned round came on the quayside and picked them up. It was about 7.30 in the morning. The taxi driver was a veritable mine of information, and chatted to his passengers during the journey. The service at St Luke's was attended by about sixteen people and taken by the elderly Priest-in-Charge. It was the traditional 1662 Book of Common Prayer eucharist with a short sermon and lasted about forty-five minutes. The taxi driver was obviously aware of this, and arrived just after the service to take Geoffrey and the purser back to the dock. Here Geoffrey and the purser parted company,and Geoffrey never saw him- or the "Princess Kathleen" again.

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