Letter to Comdt. & Mrs Hayes 5-12-53

Elder Dempster Lines

ON BOARD

“Tamele”

5^th Dec. 1953

Comdt. & Mrs Hayes,

6 Calderwood Road,
Drumcondra,
Dublin,
Eire (Ireland)

My dear Comdt. & Mrs Hayes,

I hope you are both well. We are still chug-chugging along here, we're along by the Gold Coast somewhere just now and savin' your presence we're all just literally dripping – the only consolation is we're all drips together. Perhaps you've read my letter home and so I hope repetition doesn't bore you.

Here's a new bit however, you being bible thumpers, ahem! will see the joke – We have bath-boys you know who fill up the bath with hot or cold salt water (I'll have cold please) and clean them when we've finished. One of the Sisters spotted my bath-boy having a good screw (with himself screwed into a knot) at me through the keyhole so they called me “Susanna” (and the Ancients). Now I plug the keyhole as it was a little disconcerting. The Sister excused him saying he only wanted to see if I was white all the way!

We had a rough time in the Bay of Biscay but since then we're enjoying the trip – I'm as brown as a berry now and there is no such thing as waiting for the next two clouds to roll by to get the next bit of sun. There's not a cloud in the sky and to-day there is a dense haze of heat on the ocean. The danger is that you don't notice till you come in what a terrible roasting you've got.

We passed the Canaries on Fri 27^th and the Chief Mate sent for me to come on the Bridge and get a good look through his binoculars. I could see all the principal buildings including the Casino quite closely. We got our first real taste of tropical heat about Dakar where we called in for refuelling on Mon 30th. We had a marvellous day at Freetown, Sierra Leone, on Weds and then we got our first foot on African soil and it was a great thrill to scout around the town with all its local colour just as seen in pictures and letters. You'd have fallen for Juta Beach a few miles outside the town, to which we went by two taxis (terrible coloured drivers). The beach is down some stone steps and is sheltered off by Banana and Paw-Paw trees. We had a swim there and for the first time in my life plunged right in – no 'ohs' or 'ahs' for the cold. I think it beats Ballyloughane! And I'd forgive Sierra Leone anything for having a beach like that.

We get to Lagos tomorrow D.V, Sunday 6^th, and stay there six or seven days, then its two days trip to Port Harcourt, then an overland trip of about 150 miles to Afikpo. It will probably be broken at the other missions on the way up.

My bathing costume cut a great dash on Juta Beach and was much admired. I also use it for sunbathing with my shorts over it.

Write soon please.

Lots of love,

Emily