大象传媒

This contribution was submitted by Major Arthur V. Marment from his diary of 1944 and is added to the site with his permission.

It is Thursday February 12 and we have left the Golden Lion at Leeds and at 0350 the train left. It was a good journey. Seeing the might and size of Newcastle as we passed through and at 15.00 arrived at Greenock on the South bank of the Clyde and after waiting about on the tender, pulled alongside of the Duchess of Bedford carrying 4,000 officers and men in its 22,000 tons. It is very cramped but David Anderson has got a magnificent four berth cabin for Coulfield Kerney, Bob Danick and myself. It has a bathroom and palatial compared to accommodation available to the remainder of the drafts.

We were all comfortably warm and very tired but slept well. The food is first class and in large helpings and nearly up to 1st class standard with tables of 10 in the main officers dining room with professional stewards. A special breakfast menu as far as Durban was figs, stewed raisins or porridge 鈥� fish cakes, egg 鈥� fried, boiled or poached 鈥� bacon and kidneys, toast and marmalade or jam, tea and coffee with soda scones.

It is Friday the 13th and the Medical Officer would not let the ship sail. The ventilation wasn鈥檛 satisfactory for a voyage that would take at least 8 weeks. Our fate was settled. We all returned after VJ day.

On Saturday the 14th cruised around the massive 鈥渉arbour鈥�. The mouth of the river was packed with shipping. A submarine came in during the afternoon and we saw the Aircraft carrier HMS鈥︹�︹��. And there was a hospital ship anchored close by and looked to be forming up as part of our convoy. Much speculation as to how many nurses were on board.

The hills around the anchorage look magnificent, some capped with snow and the houses tucked away look ever so snug. I went to Holy Communion on Sunday in the Smoke Room and everybody hopes to have some post before we sail.

The top of the line battleships the Gneisesenau, the Shornhorst, with the Prince Engen have escaped from Brest with the object of going to Helegoland. We are losing cargo ships by the dozen in the North Atlantic and this has caused a certain amount of merriment and speculation. We hope we get well clear before these three very warships get out.

Mr. Churchill gave a broadcast in the evening. He gave a clear warning to those who weren鈥檛 doing their best. 鈥淚t is better that a millstone about his neck鈥� The fall of Singapore is a tragedy and repl that bastion of complacency this last 20 years. The convoy has formed up but still we don鈥檛 leave. Singapore has altered everything for the 鈥淒uchess of Bedford鈥�.

We weighed anchor at about 21.00 and in the darkness I saw a very young B.O.R. (i.e. private) released a racing pigeon. I didn鈥檛 do anything. He looked a decent young man letting his family know that he had sailed and I can imagine how his father in his Glasgow loft was feeling. My judgement was right. If I had arrested him, he and I would have been taken off the liner when the pilot left and who knows what would have happened to us both.

On Shrove Tuesday by 0900 the convoy was making slow but steady. I could count 14 large vessels and two destroyers, but I鈥檝e no doubt that I couldn鈥檛 see the biggest part of it. It was cold and the sun had tried to put in an appearance. In the afternoon it shone and what a sight. I counted 16 large ships and what an escort 鈥� HMS Glasgow with at least five destroyers.

On Ash Wednesday, February 18th there were horrible sounds of people being very ill penetrated the darkness. There are no doors on the latrines and it is getting rougher every moment. I can see the bows and stern of HMS Malaya disappearing alternately. The troops below deck were lying about the floor in bundles not bothering if they ever saw the light of day again. If their officers had any drive they would get them up on deck out of this dreadful atmosphere. During the night two cargo vessels left the convoy for Iceland. It was blowing a gale all night and many failed to put in an appearance for breakfast.

The meals are wonderful but I cannot but think that the butter, eggs and meat should have been left at home as well as a large supply of sweets and chocolate available at the ship鈥檚 shop. The weather has improved but the ship has developed a terrific roll so that the crockery was swept off the table at the third sitting. Nights were unusual and one rolled from one side of the bunk to the other, otherwise warm and well tucked in.

David Anderson is the senior officer in our cabin, and as a Supplementary Reservist is one of the most senior in the officer draft of officers, about 100 odd with the rank of Captain or 鈥淪enior鈥滾ieutenant. He told me this morning that three other ranks died of sea sickness during the night. I would court martial the officer in charge of that draft or unit. It is the 26th February and I had my annual T.A.B. and anti-tetanus.

It took us 14 days to reach Freetown and we celebrated St. David鈥檚 Day there with a good sing song and a silent Prayer of Thanks for the Family Background I had inherited. Our cabin was drinking too heavily, and this was encouraged by allowing the local natives to come alongside with strong and very strong brews, which of course had to be stopped.

After a few days in this sweltering heat we got underway again. Just as well too鈥�.the behaviour of a minority of B. O.s began to show鈥�..I suppose it is usual in all drafts, but is a disappointment to me.

We had the usual variety of lectures on various subjects, some witty, some very bad, but all useful in different ways. Soon we were speculating our welcome in Durban and appreciate that it must be a lovely city.

March 4. As we wait in the natural harbour, we can see the wreck of a French vessel with a broken back, scuttled by Vichy France, and the lovely spectacle of a large three generation family bound for home. They all flew to the rail of their ship as they passed us, cheering and waving in a very friendly manner. I鈥檝e no doubt that they were lean in the eyes of the old grandfather. Finally we sailed on March 6th. Soon after we had an electric storm during the night and the convo was continually lit up by flashes. This was accompanied by torrential rain but no thunder.

March 8th: An unpleasant incident in the cabin. David has lost 拢4 from his suitcase, but I doubt that it was 鈥渓ost鈥�. There has been some very heavy drinking by the other 3.

March 9th: Very calm and terribly hot as we 鈥渃rossed the line鈥�. It was not celebrated in the usual way, but nothing like as hot as I have been led to believe. No flies and always a pleasant cooling wind on deck.

March 14th: Captain Turnbull gave a very interesting talk on the 鈥淏attle for Arras鈥�, and I must have been thinking of Chris Furness of the Welsh Guards where he was killed counter attacking and was awarded the Victoria Cross. He won the only one the Regiment received in the 2nd world war 鈥� although the late Capt. GD Rhys-Williams from Miskin Manor was recommended as Adjutant in the 8th Army.

March 16th: Barbara鈥檚 21st birthday. May God bless and look after her always and may she always be very, very happy. Perhaps if God will, I will return and marry her. But whatever happens I will always be hoping that she marries a decent chap. Strange to relate, she is the only girl who has managed in two years, to make Heather a back number. Poor Heather, I often wonder if she will ever find happiness or will it always be 鈥渢oo many rings around Rosie鈥�

March 17th: Mother鈥檚 birthday. I hope the weather is fine at home and that you will have a lovely birthday, and that you will get my letter and find the K.S.L.I. Brooch that it tucked away in my wardrobe. May God bless you and protect you. It will be a great day when I slip off the train at Cardiff General and see you. No mother has made greater sacrifices than you in order that I shall get on and enjoy myself. No one has shown more love, or put yourself out more than you, and I always want you to know that I love you very, very much, and never forget all you have done for me. Mothers like you are one in a thousand.

March 18th/20th: The convoy is splitting up and the weather is getting distinctly colder, and we have reverted to Service Dress in the evening and everybody is getting excited as we approach Durban. What will Ted James鈥檚 cousins be like, and will Durban really welcome us?

March 21st: The 鈥淟ady in White鈥� welcomed us as we approached the quay. She has a very powerful and a beautiful voice. Convoys will never forget her.
Went ashore after changing money, and witnessed something that I never forget. Firstly none of the native Indian officers would go ashore, and secondly, a policeman kicking a kaffir on the quay with his boot.
And so on to the County Club; with a kindly welcome to an evening meal for me as well as Ken Jemmett and John Fowler. The dinner was magnificent but beautifully served very early on. All the servants go home very early, there is no such meal as afternoon tea. We had a very pleasant evening chatting and laughing. Two daughters Miss Francis very charming and Barbara about 18, and obviously the last of the large family of seven. Good fun and kind enough to invite us to a tennis tea on Monday with some of her friends. They had a lovely house and with a beautifully kept garden at 408 Innes Road.

Sunday March 22nd: Went to see the Valley of a thousand Hills after lunch at the Balmoral. The lunch at this excellent hotel was beautiful, but the Valley on a disappointment an extraordinary earth formation. The woman driver could well have been one of the Fuhrer鈥榮 part-time spies the way she questioned everything, but she did introduce us to a beautiful area and we all went to the Balmoral for dinner

Monday March 23rd: In the morning I sent off three parcels to Mother, Aunt Constance, and Barbara Weale, followed by a very pleasant lunch (My Jove I enjoyed the ices) and so on to 408 Innes Road for the tennis party of 8. Ken Jemmett and John Fowler weren鈥檛 there, but the 8 made excellent company and some fine games before going on to the Playhouse to see the film Sergeant York. The cinema was the most beautiful I鈥檇 ever seen with a 鈥渟ky with stars鈥� for a roof and 鈥渉ouses鈥� all around the walls. After that we went on to the 鈥淒olls House鈥� where you sit in your car and waitresses bring the food (supper to your car and hook the trays on the door of the car). It was very romantic!!

I shall always remember this lovely family and the kindly hospitality they gave me. I kept in touch with them all for a number of years through Christmas cards and when I got married. I tried hard over several years to meet them when Mr. and Mrs. James came to London where his family farm had their office in the City. Alas time 鈥n them
Many things amazed me in this beautiful city where the quay came right into the town. The lovely hotels, the colour bar, the American cars, the Jewish population, the lack of showmanship in the shops, the fruit and the cheap food, the apathy as to the war, in spite of the fact that
General Smith has pulled back the only South African Division from the North (i.e. 8th Army)
The colour bar and the slightly sullen yet efficient Indian population. It was hard to converse or to get a smile out of them
It was lovely to meet Barbara and Betty and it made the visit a lasting memory. Ted James (K.S.L.I.) did me a very good turn.

We pulled out at 0900 Amid cheers and hooters blaring from every boat. Everybody was beginning to realise the Japanese Navy might one morning put in an appearance. The S.S.Navy was very small and one realised that we had been protecting them for the last 50 years.

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