TROOPSHIPS 1939 - 1961

[seaweed]

Empire Ken  (formerly SS Ubena German East Afrika Line)
Southampton to Mombassa June 1951
Lots of memories on this voyage but these are abiding ones.

Sandstorm at Masawa (Eritrea) - had to make sure the vents were closed otherwise you got a cabin full of sand.

Swahili lessons to prepare us for life and communication in Kenya - one 4 year old lad got fed up and went walkabout- he found an opened tin of red paint and a paint brush and amused himself by painting the funnel!

Severe storm in the Indian Ocean between Aden and Mombassa causing us to slow right down and lose a couple of days on that leg of the voyage.

Happy days

radstockjeff

Sailed Southampton 28/June/1951
Arrived Algiers 3/7/51 Sailed same day
Arrived Port Said 8/7/51 Sailed 10/7/51
Arrived Port Sudan 13/7/51 Sailed same day.
Arrived Massawa 14/7/51 Sailed same day
Arrived Aden 15/7/51 Sailed 16/7/51
Arrived Kilindindi (Mombasa) 22/7/51 Sailed 24/July/1951

[sre]

Many thanks for that Seaweed ....

I was a child on that voyage, I remember we didn't get much sleep that night in Port Said as it was fog bound and we were kept awake all night by the fog horns sounding ....

Thanks for your help and keep up the good work

Regards
sre

[Rob7upp]

Hello Seaweed.
Do you know which troopship left Singapore on 24 August 1957 please? I went out to Malaya for National Service on 28.04.1956 from Liverpool, but have no recollection of which ship I returned on.
Any information you can supply would be most welcome.

[seaweed]

Could it be EMPIRE FOWEY official number 180840
Sailed from Singapore 24/Aug/1957
Arrived Southampton  17/Sept/1957
Via Columbo, Aden, Suez, Port Said, Limassol
There is plenty of info on this vessel via the internet.

[pkennedy173]

Hi Seaweed,
Do your lists include January/February 1961?
If so, it would be incredibly helpful if you could find which troopship left Cyprus on or around 28/01/1961 to return to England.
Thank you for the great service you are providing!
Peter.

[Rob7upp]

Thank you very much Seaweed. I had a feeling that it might have been the Empire Fowey, but needed confirmation.

We definitely came into Southampton and moored next to the Queen Elizabeth, which absolutely dwarfed us.

I'm delighted to have been given this information as it doesn't appear on my record of service.

Thanks again.

[seaweed]

Hi Seaweed,
Do your lists include January/February 1961?
If so, it would be incredibly helpful if you could find which troopship left Cyprus on or around 28/01/1961 to return to England.
Thank you for the great service you are providing!
Peter.

OXFORDSHIRE official number 187155 sailed from Famagusta 29/Jan/1961
Gibraltar 2/2/1961
Arrived Southampton 5/2/1961

[pkennedy173]

Hi Seaweed,
Do your lists include January/February 1961?
If so, it would be incredibly helpful if you could find which troopship left Cyprus on or around 28/01/1961 to return to England.
Thank you for the great service you are providing!
Peter.

OXFORDSHIRE official number 187155 sailed from Famagusta 29/Jan/1961
Gibraltar 2/2/1961
Arrived Southampton 5/2/1961

Thank you so much. That is brilliant.
Peter.

[pkennedy173]

Seaweed, very sorry to ask for more information but the ship I am looking for reached Cyprus on 7th July 1959 so it can't be the Devonshire. Have you got a troopship that left England on 1st July and reached Cyprus around that date?
Sorry to have to ask for more help.