麻豆官网首页入口

Troopship to Bombay - taken from the diary of Sidney Greaves. He was a radar operator for the RAF. His young wife, Paddy, was expecting their baby, but despite pleas for compassionate leave, he had to sail for the Far East, just two weeks before the child was born.

17th July 1944.Monday. After spending eight days in Blackpool being kitted out for the tropics, was posted from Blackpool arriving at Liverpool about 2 pm. Embarked aboard s/s M----- (?) to find conditions far worse than any of us ever expected. Never have I seen so many people packed into such a small space. After an exhausting day carrying heavy kit around, this was the last straw. Never have I felt so miserable and depressed. So this is a troopship! No room to sling a hammock so slept on floor of rec. room. Restless night.
18th July. Tuesday. Sailed from L鈥檖ool 10.30 am. Lovely weather. During day had two very cheesing boat drills. Apart from stores fatigues, nothing to do. Eating meals is a depressing and unsatisfactory business. Pure white bread only interesting feature about the food.
19th July. Wednesday. Joined rest of convoy in the early hours of morning. Weather cool, but sea fairly smooth. I dread to think of what our conditions would be in the event of bad weather. Boat drill at 10.00 hrs. Sun came out during the afternoon. Nothing else of note, except that today we put back our watches one hour.
20th July. Thursday. Uneventful. Weather perfect.
21st July. Friday. Weather still very hot.
22nd July. Saturday. As Friday.
23rd July. Sunday. Still steaming south, hottest day yet, sea placid and a lovelier blue I have not seen. Clock put forward one hour in stages.
24th July. Monday. S.E. Most of the day, weather really wonderful.
25th July. Tuesday. No change.
26th July. Wednesday. Passed through Straits of Gibraltar during early hours. Very disappointed at not seeing this famous bastion of the Empire. At 9 am sailed close in to Oran, backed by high range of hills. No change in weather.
27th July. Thursday. Very warm but hazy. Passed Algiers at 11.00 am Haze spoiled view but found it very interesting. Algiers nestles in the mountains which sweep down to the sea. Looks quite a romantic spot. 2.30 pm passed Dellys, very hazy, mountains higher, should say about 5000 ft. 4.30pm Bougie passed.
28th July. Friday. Cloudy but very warm. Had difficulty in ascertaining whereabouts. Coast very mountainous, desert in places. At noon went through Tunis Bay, saw numerous mosques. Later rounded Cape Bon, scene of Von Arnhim鈥檚 attempted Dunkirk. Passed numerous other islands, all rocky and high. 7.30 sailed close by Pantelleria, Mussolini鈥檚 鈥榮trong鈥� fortress, an island roughly 15 miles in length, very picturesque, mountains rising to perhaps 5000 ft. Studded with white buildings in parts.
29th July. Saturday. Malta passed during hours of darkness so did not see it. Open sea all day, do not anticipate seeing any more land until Monday. Very hot, sea a most wonderful bright blue. Thoughts for most part of home and my darling Paddy.
30th July. Sunday. Steamed nearly all day along coast of Cyrenaica. Terribly desolate, sandy scrub rising to about 2000 ft. Attended church service on deck in the evening, and later community hymn singing. How is Paddy, she seems so alone.
31st July. Monday. Sun getting hotter, the Mediterranean an even brighter blue. Felt awfully depressed today, could not think of anything else but Paddy. Feeling really worried, only hope there is a cable for me on arrival at Bombay.
1st August. Tuesday. Passed through Port Said 8.30 am which from the boat appears to be a modern town and quite nice. Had our first glimpse of green trees for a fortnight. Started down the Suez Canal at 9.0.am So this is the 鈥淕ateway to the East鈥�; a wonderful piece of work when one considers the surrounding country. The canal is much wider than I anticipated and is not continuous, as the Bitter Lakes form part of the canal, these being as wide as four miles or more in parts. Desolation reigns grim and terrible, especially on the Suez side, which is actually the Desert of Tih. White blinding sand, high escarpments a few miles away, a hot glaring sun beating down from a cloudless sky, not a blade of grass, no sign of life of any kind. The starboard side is more interesting, as the Suez/Port Said road runs down it, and here and there are the Canal Company鈥檚 stations, truly verdant spots although small, and the few trees were restful to tired eyes. Canal defence units, strung out all the way to Suez, break the monotony of the journey and were the cause of many remarks both ribald and otherwise. It would be hard to imagine a worse posting than some of those chaps have, but they nearly all shouted that we were going the wrong way, East, not West.
Suez was reached at 8 pm and I shall always remember it as the first place I had seen for nearly five years where there was no Blackout. How those lights winked and how cheery the hotels, houses and streets looked after the eternal darkness of England. Troops in good spirits and sang their heads off as ship berthed. The night was the hottest I have ever known and did not cool off, even in the early hours of morning. Slept badly.
2nd August. Wed. Suez 鈥渨here East meets West鈥� . A natural harbour backed in West by high sandy escarpments bearing no trace of life. They atoned for this however at sunrise, as they were a most lovely pink, which colour they retained for a few hours. At the foot of this ridge the water was the most vivid green I have ever seen, a strange contrast. Here we stay for water etc. At home (lovely word) Paddy must be getting anxious, only another week now, I pray every night for her. Feeling very fed up of living like cattle, what a relief it will be to get to some quiet Radar station.
3rd August. Thurs. Still at Suez. Very hot now, every movement below decks causes profuse perspiration. Oh for the sight of an English lane, now 鈥淚 could be content to see no other verdure than its own鈥�.
4th August. Fri. Was able to cable Paddy before leaving Suez. Hope she receives it before Monday. Left Suez 4.30 pm. Sky a lovely orange red at sunset and sea as smooth as silk, full moon made impressive sight and threw my thoughts back to happier days, when 鈥渨e鈥� saw a similar path of moonlight from Friars Crag on Derwentwater.
5th August. Sat. Entered Red Sea and it certainly lives up to its name for humidity. Slightest exertion below decks causes profuse perspiration. Impossible to keep cool and dry. Never shall I forget this trip, nor conditions. Meals something to be endured owing to awful heat.
6th August. Sun. Hotter than ever. Worrying a lot about Paddy now. What a time to have to leave her. Attended service on deck and community singing, whilst perspiration rolled down our bodies without cessation.
7th August. Mon. Never shall I forget this 鈥淎ugust Bank Holiday鈥� Had heavy stores fatigues to do which lasted all morning. Perspired to an incredible degree. Felt played out and could eat little or nothing all day. Humidity simply awful. Nothing much of interest seen in the Red Sea so far, except several schools of Porpois, or is it Porpoises? Spent very restless night, felt sure Paddy had gone into the 鈥渉ome鈥�. Later during early hours had feeling that all was over and well.
8th August.Tues. Much cooler this morning. Arrived at Aden 8.30 am. This place reputed to be hottest place on earth, but fresh breeze blowing, and we found it a great relief after that awful trip from Suez. Aden land-locked harbour, but no vegetation anywhere except in one small place on water鈥檚 edge. Picturesque in a harsh fashion, owing to ruggedness of surrounding heights. Buildings appear to be quite modern on waterfront, but naturally Moorish in style.
9th August. Wed. Very hot today. Left Aden 4.30pm. Advance clocks one hour during night, blackout from 6.40pm, an awful bind.
10th August. Thurs. Spent restless night and awoke early with an awful feeling that something was wrong at home. I pray that a cheerful cable awaits me on arrival. Thoughts turning more and more to Paddy. What will our child be? Will it be healthy? Will Paddy be alright after the event? Pray every night for them both.
11th August. Fri. Ran into tailend of Monsoons, very bad swell, sun however very hot in spite of strong wind. Clocks advanced one hour during night. Felt pretty rotten most of day.
12th August. Sat. Swell still pretty bad. Saw some flying fish for the first time, size from a couple of inches to seven or eight (inches). Black, or dark blue, and white, with silver wings. The larger ones fly as much as forty yards a few feet above the water. Wings seem to be used merely to evade danger. Correction 鈥� silver bodies, dark wings. Clock advanced half an hour.
13th August. Sun. Sun deserted us for first time but came out again in the afternoon. Censor cut up rough in respect of a complaint against food I made in a letter. Would not retract statement, very poor show on his part. Should be in Bombay tomorrow, sick of this boat. Clocks advanced a further half hour.
14th August. Mon. Clock advanced half hour. Now five and a half hours ahead of GMT. Bombay sighted 7 pm. Raining.
15th August. Tues. Stayed out in harbour til 8 pm. Received foreign currency at 3.0 am. This was last straw, waited from midnight, hardly any sleep.
16th August. Wed. Disembarked 8.0am. Thank God have seen the last of that hell ship. Arrived Worli Rd Camp, Bombay 8.45 am. After the troopship this place seems like a hotel. Have a whole bed space to myself, incredible. Place is wood and matting, sandy floor. Received mosquito nets and sundry clothing. First impression of camp good. Bombay appears to be a very fine city. Must enquire if any cable from home, feel worried.
Great news from home. Daughter born (1st August) and both well. Today seems like a new opening, the ship with all its mess left behind and now this splendid news of Paddy. Await further news.鈥濃�︹�︹�︹��

My father鈥檚 diary continues throughout his long stay in India and Burma until on the 24th January 1946 he touched down at RAF Lyneham at 6.0 pm. having been returned to England by plane, in recognition of his splendid work at HQ in organising the repatriation of the troops and as an apology for compassionate leave being refused before he left England. 鈥淥nly other passengers were 鈥榯op brass鈥欌��. 鈥淭otal trip just over 48 hrs, actual flying time 26 hours and a wonderful experience 鈥� truly a grand finale to a long sojourn abroad. Only one thought now 鈥� to speak to Paddy as quickly as possible 鈥� and go home to her again鈥�.

As a postscript, some thirty years or so later in 1972, after the birth of his first grandchild, my father writes (in the same little book) 鈥� I sometimes wonder if the numerous units (never more than about 30 of us) made any real contribution 鈥� small cogs in very large wheels. So much time in the Services is spent hanging about 鈥渋n transit鈥�, 鈥渁waiting new postings鈥�, soul destroying when one is young and eager for action. Being newly married 鈥� a few years only 鈥� and being posted overseas 14 days before V. was born is not an experience I would wish on my worst enemy. Lack of regular news from home was the worst aspect of it all 鈥� the discomforts (and dangers) one could put up with, although at times with many a grumble, mainly due to what seemed to us like bad organisation.

Perhaps the worst part was not knowing if and when one would return, yet, years later I look upon the time in India and Burma as an experience I would not have missed, unwelcome as it was at the time, and some day I would like to go back to the foothills and Kashmir. I wonder where so many of the 鈥榗haps鈥� I knew are now and how many are still alive? Being on a 鈥榮ecret鈥� job made for little or no promotion, and only when I was about to leave the Eastern war theatre did news of my posting to an officers鈥� training course come through 鈥� but it did not seem to matter then鈥�.

The round trip had covered 29,550 miles.

Sidney Greaves died on the 26th July, 2005, still regretting that he had not been with his wife when their baby was born and still regretting their 鈥渓ost鈥� years.

Link: My mother's story see "Working in Hull when the men had gone away"

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.