Troopships

Hi Dolmetscher,

Fags 20 for a shilling. Thats what made them a valueable commodity for the black market.
We used to receive a chitty on payday which entitled each of us permission to buy 140 cigarettes, 2 bars of chocolate and one bar of soap. The non smokers would sell off their chitty for a few bob.
..................................................
Back to Troopships, what memories do the usergroup have of their times aboard a troopship and where would you place the ships in a league table of comfort/food/accommodation etc.

jimsigs1

Jimsigs .. I have an easy life, I have a Mac and I use a program that comes as the Mac package .. I'm sure that Windows must have the same or similar program.

Len (Ciphers)

I recollect we went to Germany by ferry and car. However the family sailed to Hong Kong around 1955/56 on Troop Ship 'Nevasa', took 6 weeks. Now in retirement I am still cruising but on nice ships.

Would troop ships have taken British Soldiers to Germany?

Quote :

Would troop ships have taken British Soldiers to Germany?

Took them as far as the Hook of Holland, then they got a train..

All I know about troopships is that a pal of mine went to Hong Kong on the Empire Fowey. Said it was awful.

From what i have read on here that`s all you want to know Dolmetscher

i travelled on all three , parkestone,wansbeck, and the old vienna which i thought was the worst , new years eve ,1958 i caught the train from liverpool street to harwich returning tp germany, it was absolutely crazy , a battalion of argyles was on the train en route to baor , i have never seen so much whisky swigged in all my life , but what a great bunch of blokes those jocks were , the best bit was the ships rsm locked himself in his cabin for the whole trip . which meant no boat drill half way across the north sea ,mind you the mess on that boat was disgusting the next morning , happy days ginger .

I remember the customs at Harwich and how finickey they were. I had just travelled from Herford via the red train to the Hook and over to Harwich on the Vienna when we were all confronted by HM Customs. It was Christmas 1953 and we were all eager to catch the train that was waiting for Liverpool Street. We all had Christmas presents etc and they really took their time and search every blinking suitcase/kitbag. One young chap had a bottle of whisky and a customs fella said he would have to pay whatever it was. The chap refused so they tried to confiscate the bottle. He was having none of that so dropped the bottle on the stone floor saying 'if I can't have it for my Dad then you ain't getting it for free' He was duly marched away by the redcaps.
Anyway, none of us caught that particular train and had to wait ages for another.
Just think - that's 57 years ago. Where have all the years gone !!!

Jimsigs1

Beachley Boy wrote:

I recollect we went to Germany by ferry and car. However the family sailed to Hong Kong around 1955/56 on Troop Ship 'Nevasa', took 6 weeks. Now in retirement I am still cruising but on nice ships.

Would troop ships have taken British Soldiers to Germany?

Hi Beachley Boy, That Ship's name was a blast from the past. I went on Her in 1967, she was then a vessel used for educational cruises. Sailed from Southampton and around the "Med".

Anyone ever travelled on HMT Fowey or Asturias. Went out to Korea on former. Came back from Korea to Egypt on Asturias. Should have returned on Georgic but we were delayed due to extra duties.

Jimsigs1

Talking of customs, and of course much more recently, in the 70's we used to travel Zebrugge to Dover. 4 in a car and the car went free, so we used to leave camp after duties on friday and make the midnight sailing out of Zebrugge. drop the lads off in london and i would go on to Bracknell, thenpick the lads up on sunday and het back in time for parade on monday morning. The things you would do for a girl eh ! anyway, four of us were coming through dover customs, and the customs guy said, OK lads what have you. i think in those days it was one bottle and 200 fags each. Well we had too many fags, so we were up front and said to the guy we have 1,600 fags. What did you say he said, 1,400 fags ? No i said 1,600. No he said i am sure you said 1,400 didnt you, and i could let you off with that. I was about to object again, when i cottened on. Left 200 fags on the desk and we all drove off quite happy

Steve,

Your story reminds of an occasion in which our last national serviceman, who's name was Clarke and was a Clerk, drove home on leave with 3 other mates from Munster. Thet took 3 jerrycans of petrol with them from saved up BP petrol coupons and headed off to Ostende.
On the way through Belgium they stopped off at what they thought was an easy to recognise place, paced out so many paces, dug a hole and buried one full jerrican which would enable them to complete their journey on the return.
Well, having all got to London, split up and have a jolly good two weeks leave, they headed back to Dover, over on the ferry and so onward through Belgium. Now this is where the map reading got confusing. No satellite GPS's in those days, they stopped at what they thought was THE SPOT and searched in vane for the elusive jerrycan. Nothing was found so pooling their shirt buttons etc to have enough to buy some petrol, they just about made it back to Munster with a sweat.
They scanned the foreign press for weeks afterwards to see if some poor Belgium farmer might have had a accident or his tractor blown up ploughing the fields etc.
I wonder if Clark the Clerk living up there in Rotherham remembers that occasion way back in 1962. I have a good chuckle when I think about it.

Jimsigs1

the customs in harwich. in 58 i was on leave for christmas , i had a terrific lot of stuff for the family . 4 boxes of cigars , about 3 thousand ciggies , two swiss watches . and about six bottles of booze, plus acouple of musical boxes . i drew out a lot of credits andmoney from posb , to pay the customs duty , when asked anything to declare , i told them the lot , the customs officer actually thought i was taking the mickey and threatened me with the mps at the same time as marking crosses on my luggage . i got through with all those goods for nothing , never had the same luck again , does anybody remember the scams the redcaps caught the lads with , button undone , 100 ciggies or i will charge you , they were a greedy lot of so and sos were the little red monkeys , ginger .

The Empire Parkeston, The Empire Wansbeck and the Vienna.......One of them caught fire I believe in 1953-1954.  Yes we were herded in down in the bowels of the ship.  I always raced for a top bunk as all the boys who were poor sailors were ankle deep in "spew" by the time we disembarked.  Dreadful conditions.

My step dad (Ex 1KDG) sailed back from Malaya in the late 1950's on board the Empire Fowey, at least I think he said it was the Empire Fowey!

http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/troopships/pictures/1179_550.jpg

Came across a bombardier when we were waiting for a posting whilst in the Draft Pool at Woolwich.  He'd got the white scarab on a black background div. flash, ( a "U" above a circle)  the Flying A...ehole, which told he'd been out in Egypt. 


Quite famous, he was, had a bit in the Daily Mirror after the troopship he was on ..... Empire Windrush, was it ?......... caught fire. All  squaddies lined up on deck, women & kids had priority places in the lifeboats. The deck RSM said "Right then ! Over the side, jump in!" The bombardier had a problem. "Sir, I can't swim ". he advised. No sweat, the RSM had an answer. "You'll soon learn" he said  and kicked him into the Med. That was worthy of a bit in paper.    They all had lifejackets, of course.   
  'll

a bit wet behind thev ears wos he ,

There is a pretty comprehensive gallery of troopships from the 20's through to the 60's at this site:

http://www.britisharmedforces.org/pages/nat_troopships.htm

I found the site whilst searching t'internet for the Empire Ken, which my mother and myself, then around four or five years old, travelled to Tripoli to join my father, the first of two postings to Libya.

Most NS lads only got home twice from BAOR during their two years, I was luckier in that, inclusive of 48s during a couple of courses & other wangles, I totted up 6 home visits after embarkation leave.  Travelling from Germany was always by sea, always on the Empire Parkeston. I remember one such in particular.  We were queuing at Customs in Harwich, anxious to get on the next train which was filling rapidly.  The squaddy at the counter was causing bother, arguing with Customs about a WW2 bayonet they'd found in his suitcase.  For his dad, an old soldier, he pleaded more than once. Customs were adamant, it was not going through, queue was getting irritated. Customs called RMP, two redcaps took the bayonet & chucked it into the dock,  queue cheered.

We all got on the train, shared a compartment with the lad who'd held everyone else up.  "Tough !" we said " ....... losing the bayonet ...." .  "No sweat !", he grinned. "...... expected they'd find that . This is for the old man, much better".  He undid a gaiter, rolled up his BD trouser leg to show us the pistol strapped to his ankle.

Neumunster was at the end of the line for the Boar train, Hamburg to the Hook of Holand. We were
  always given guard duty, escorting army prisoners back to the UK or Post duty picking up or dropping of mail bags at every  BAOR  station on route. always sailing on the Vienna.

I remember sailing on the Wansbeck.
Coming ashore, to go on leave, after waiting for everybody else and his brother to disembark, there was always a cluster of MPs waiting at the bottom of the gangplank. They used to have the time of their miserable lives, picking blokes up for being improperly dressed or telling them to get a haircut.
Bleedin' meatheads.
(What IS the collective name for a gathering of MPs I wonder ?)
 (I think the appointment title was WATCHDOG).

vienna, wansbeck , empire parkeston , i travelled on all of them . boat drill halfway across the north sea in a force ten , but my fondest memories were the military trains from the hook to germany .those trains in england  would be termed as first class , does anyone remember the changeover at dalheim , the dozens of vendors chasing along the platforms with their barrows selling spit roast chickens 50 pfennigs for half a chicken . 1 mark for the whole bird , bloody lovely, twelve marks to the pound . .a spit roast chicken  for one and eight pence in old money , wonder what it would cost nowdays , ginger

I certainly travelled that route several times in the late '50's
What I would like to know is, as stated, the trains were designated by a colour.
Does anyone know if the train also went by the name of the "Berlin Express", because I was told that Berlin was the final destination?
If so, were any of the Locos preserved?
I was stationed in Munster, Herford and Osnabruck.

Brian

Officially the Trains were always known by the colour of the Boarding Cards issued at the Hook. However two names may have been in use at different years. Crossed Swords was used in the early years in addition to the Red Train which then ran between the Hoek and Hanover via the Ruhr, Bielefeld and Bad O.

Until 1960 the Berlin Train was an overnight service nicknamed "The British Berliner" with a connection from/to the Hook via Red Train which varied over the years from Bad O , Bielefeld and finally Hannover. The nick name continued till its final run in 1992

In the final year of the Hook Sea Service with 2/3 sailings a week and the change of the basic Berlin -Hannover service to daytime service, on sailing days this was extended to the Hook via the direct Osnabruck route (the majority of BAOR Garrisons were now served by airtrooping flight to and from the UK) 

Regarding locomotives the 03 Light Pacifics were the loco of choice throughout but there were variations and the legendary Class 38 4-6-0, the Class 41 2-8-2 and Class 50 2-10-0 were all used at various times on certain legs. Examples of all these locos have been preserved in working order in Germany, with your insider knowledge of the Great Central you will be able to find out the exact locations