A DESERT RAT'S STORY
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CHAPTER 4
GOING OVERSEAS
ON THE S.S. BRITANNIA
The day we boarded the S.S Britannia in 1940 was my sister Kitty’s
birthday, the 10th September. Conditions on board were disgusting. We lived
below decks and it stunk of sweat and other smells from hundreds of bodies.
Only after a long while was it possible to get a good night’s sleep
in the hammock. During the day our food was brought down in vast metal containers
and was doled out in the rectangular mess tins which were part of our issued
equipment.
Very little air filtered down from the hatch. Each day when a junior officer
came down to inspect, we could clearly see his nose wrinkling with the stench
and he got out as soon as he could. Every morning we would parade on deck
for another inspection to see whether we had shaved and had dressed properly
as discipline had to be maintained. We never saw Captains as they stayed above.
Each Captain had a single cabin, a batman to look after his needs, a proper
restaurant to eat in, and apart from the occasional scare from submarines,
he could look on it as a pleasant cruise.
Class distinction was appalling. A rope was in place across a certain part
of the deck and all below officer rank were forbidden to cross it. Also on
board were some young nurses and members of our Women’s Army enroute
to take up positions in hospitals and base camps, but fraternising was not
allowed, not for us Squaddies. However, where there is a will there is a way!
Ted Hartland, from 1940 or thereabouts
Boxing as a pastime was introduced on the upper deck and became very popular
among all ranks. I recall a contest between a Captain who was a titled nobleman,
and a Sergeant, both heavyweights. When they shaped up I could clearly see
the class of the Sergeant and the spirit of the officer who took a bit of
a beating but never gave up. The officer got an enormous voice of appreciation
from the crowd.
Among the hundreds on board were a vicious gang of “scousers”
from the Liverpool area. Some got in the ring and started to challenge onlookers
to come in for a fight. I really didn’t want to get in as I didn’t
fancy roughing it, but one of them specifically challenged me so I had to
enter. I looked a bit soft and innocent in those days.
At the first bell he came tearing across the ring with his arms swinging wildly.
I stepped aside and let him fly past me. A roar of laughter came up and in
a flash he came at me again with his face contorted with fury. Once more I
stepped aside but this time I hit him a cracking punch on his jaw as he fled
past me and then another as he started to fall. He lay in a crumpled heap
for some while. I expected some troubles from his pals after this but none
occurred at all. They accepted that he had asked for trouble. After that my
victim gave me a smile every time he saw me which pleased me very much.
On board also were a large contingent of reservists from Scottish regiments,
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, Black Watch and other famous clans. They
had been recalled and were going out to rejoin their regiments. These fellows
were really tough as well as great companions to each other. Every night the
canteen opened and those that wanted it could get bottles of beer. Non-drinkers
would allow the Scots to take up their share but with disastrous results.
They would quarrel and fight amongst themselves, and then were friends again
when sobered up the following morning. Most of these men died in action not
long afterwards as the Scottish Regiments were always in the thick of things
when our war really started. The Scots were really very proud and brave.
Now and again the alarm would go off and we would rush to our
allotted points with our life belts on. We were made aware that submarines
were nearby causing enormous damage to our shipping. Of course we never saw
any as we had an escort of warships and the subs kept below the surface. We
made huge detours towards the Atlantic in the direction of the United States
as the Krauts were very active in the Bay of Biscay area. This added a week
or so to our journey.
We awoke one morning and saw a beautiful sight – land. We were near
Freetown off the coast of Africa and could see lots of green vegetation. Rumours
abounded that we would be able to go ashore for a few hours, but after taking
on water and some stores previously arranged for, we sailed away and kept
on for days on end. We were not told of our final destination, only that we
were headed for the Middle East, which covers a wide area and which could
have been a stopping off place for somewhere unpleasant. None of us wanted
to be shifted to Burma as it seems so far away.
Then we came upon another great sight as we sailed into Cape Town Bay. Table
Mountain was just as we expected it to be, absolutely glorious, and we wondered
if this time we could get off the ship, even if only for a few hours. The
announcement came that we were staying for at least four days and that we
could depart from the ship after breakfast the following morning. As we walked
down the gangplank we saw the entire dockside lined with luxurious cars. Waiting
at the wheel of each were well dressed and attractive ladies, carrying on
a tradition of welcoming all troops who called on their town enroute to the
war zones.
Les James and I were invited into the first car and were sped away, finally
arriving at a superb and huge house. Our hostess was a charming and intelligent
lady who did her best to put us at ease. Several coloured servants attended
to our needs. Wearing our thick and ill-fitting uniforms with heavy boots,
we made ourselves comfortable and waited for her husband to arrive. We had
a splendid lunch together and were later shown the sights of this beautiful
town. After a wonderful day we were driven back to the ship.
The following morning we again took the first car in the line and had just
as good a time visiting another luxurious house. Our hosts did all they could
for us and we left them at around 4.p.m. as we wanted to walk around the town
on foot.
We visited a few shops but did not have enough money to buy anything. Coming
into the main street we asked directions from a couple of very good looking
girls of our own age group and strolled along with them. After a while an
elegant looking gentleman called us aside and asked, “Do you know those
girls are coloured?” We were astonished as he was darker than the girls.
This was the first time we ever heard of the colour bar. We completely ignored
his question much to the pleasure of the girls.
All of us were now in high spirits as we returned to the ship that night.
Having been told that morning that this would be our last visit to land for
some while, we made the most of the last few hours. When roll call was taken
it was found that ten men had either missed the ship or had deserted, probably
mistaking the friendly welcome of the South Africans as an invitation to stay
on, hoping no doubt to get a job and forget all about the war. This was a
serious matter with severe punishments in wartime. They were likely rounded
up by the police ashore and put on the next ship that called. The convoy that
preceded ours was full of Australian troops who surely made an impression
on the inhabitants and sunk quite a lot of the local brew, but this was all
taken in good spirit by the locals.
We set sail early the next morning. I looked behind and saw
a large banner held aloft which said, “Good Luck Britannia” or
maybe “Britannic,” I’ve never been sure. It was quite an
emotional sight as most of us would never see the place again. Having tasted
the joys of the luxury homes with decent food, we hoped that our next port
of call would be Durban, a few thousand miles away. Sadly we passed it by
and we never got to hear the lady in white who sang to all the troops and
about whom we heard so much for many years from those who had arrived after
us.
Most of the day was spent on deck as below deck was now unbearable with the
stench and the lack of fresh air. We still ate below and longed for the journey
to end. The morning inspection continued to take place with the usual 2nd
Lieutenants on parade. Boxing still went on, but this time weights were evened
out. After three or four fights I got tired of the whole thing. Having boxed
for the previous ten years, I did not want to take advantage of the inexperienced
but willing lads, all of whom I liked.
For the first time we saw enormous quantities of flying fish. We never saw
land and the weeks drifted one into the other. Now and again we got some snippets
of news about the war. Invasion by Germany to our country now seemed not to
be imminent and the possibility that we could lose never came into the equation.
We all somehow were convinced that we were on the winning side, we always
were.
From the direction of the ship and the odd clue from some of the crew, we
now knew for certain that we were headed for some other part of Africa. The
favourite spot suggested was Port Said although there were plenty of other
places on the way. We felt immense relief that it was not further afield.
Not one person in the whole ship wanted to be taken to the Far East. Despite
the fact that we had been told that Burma and Singapore had their attractions,
it seemed just too far away. Many of the pre-war soldiers had such a good
time in India they wanted to return. They recounted how nearly all of them
had a servant to take care of their laundry and many of the other tasks, making
peacetime soldiering much easier. Most of the population were so poor that
menial employment for the thousands of troops kept them from a rather squalid
life. All Indian Regiments were first class and well trained and led at the
time by English officers.