Sunday, 1 April 2012

On Board
'Tamele'
Off North Coast of Africa



26th November, 1953



My dearest Mammy & all,


I hope you are all well. This is first of all a thank you for getting me 'off' as I am sure I'd never make it in years if I had to get ready myself.

I will have to excuse the writing, since added to my own bad efforts there is a mighty storm at sea this morning and we're being tossed about at an awful rate. We were greatly surprised to wake up and find a furious gale blowing as yesterday was lovely and calm. We are still in our woolies and are somewhere off the North coast between Madeira Island and Casablanca. We passed the Straits of Gibraltar yesterday about noon and we did 322 miles/24hrs (for Seamus!). Our first stop will be at Dakar and the next at Freetown. We will have a week's delay at Lagos, I think. We hope to reach Dakar about Sunday 29th D.V. We've all decided that it's certainly not a luxury trip, but we're not doing too badly. Now I've kept a diary* and I'll give you a run over it.

19th Nov. Thurs 
Very nice crossing to Liverpool. Everything done for us in Liverpool by Mr. Devlin and his colleagues. They were terrific and spared nothing. We got confession on Fri night.
21st Nov. Sat
Called 7.00. Mass 7.30a.m. Went to Docks at 9.15a.m. Tickets, baggage etc. checked. Went by special bus to ship's side. The ship was much smaller-looking than we imagined it would be. There are 38 passengers, each in a 3 bunk cabin. One with me is an oldish Scottish presbyterian missionary teacher who has spent 15 years in Africa. The other is a 19 year old good-looker who is going out for a year to her brother who works with one of the trading companies. She has already been to India. She is from Kent. 
There is a lounge and a dining saloon, 4 tables in the latter. The 6 Fathers and 3 Sisters, Chief Mate and I are at one table and we seem to get more laughs than any of the others. One priest, Fr. Gilmore, of the Holy Ghosts (5 are + Ghosts) is a real veteran of the travelling game. He has been all over the world as an army chaplain.

The meals are very good eg. 

Breakfast 4 or 5 course: 1. Grapefruit or other fruit, 2. cereal, 3. fish, 4. bacon & eggs.


Lunch 5 course


Dinner eg. 1. Soup, 2. macaroni, 3. entré, 4. main dish, 5. sweet, 6. icecream, 7. coffee, cheese & biscuits 8. fruit (silver finger bowls!) to follow.

There is an elaborate menu card for each meal and we have discovered that one must be very explicit when ordering. If you say I'll have that and then that they bring the 2 together on one plate. Sr. Ruth got her figs + cornflakes all on one plate, mixed up together. We all put our names on a bath list and the bath boy calls each for his bath at the time he wants and has the bath ready and cleans up afterwards. The bath is hot salt and cold salt water so you can get no lather in it but they leave a tub of fresh hot water on top of a bath rail so you can lather up from that first. I'm in a lower bunk and Merula O'Leary (the 19 yr old) is above me in the upper bunk. We have Mass and Holy Communion every morning. I get up about 6.35 or so and get about 3 masses.  We have a siesta after lunch from about 2 – 4 or 5. The ship is very quiet then. I'm not as bad a traveller as I thought. I did not get really sick at all T.G – just felt a bit seedy a few times – some of the passengers were quite ill. Of course I was careful what I ate and had to just take the minimum while we were going through the rougher seas. The coloured boys in their white jackets are quite impressive in the dining salon and when they march round the ship with a big gong announcing meals. They do all the work – cleaning our cabins, making beds etc. Our beds are made up again after siesta also. We play Pontoon and Housey Housey Horse-racing – with little lead horses Tote etc. Deck Quoits started today. Very warm to-day.

Saturday 28th
It's very dull to-day – warm but no sun shining. The sea is covered with a haze and has not a ripple on it. The sky and sea are the same grey colour and according to the crew this is great weather as we are actually in the tropics and should be scorched. I sat on deck this am in my Broderie Anglaise blouse, white cardigan and plaid silk shirt. I've discarded my woolen underwear of course. Last night was most awfully hot and sticky and the Fathers thought they'd be getting into shorts to-day but its quite cool to-day with a nice breeze blowing.

We are just off Cape Blanco now ('just' doesn't mean we can see it but according to the map!) The Chief Mate sent for me to be brought up on the Bridge yesterday just as we were abreast of the Canary Islands (we did not call) and let me have a look with his binoculars. I could see the Cathedral, casino and several of the big buildings quite well (in Las Palmas) which lies between two ridges of rocky mountains in the north end of the islands.

The vineyards and fruit farms are all in the valleys and cannot be seen. We shall be in Dakar – our first port of call on Sunday morning D.V. I'll get this posted there. We just spend 2-3 hrs there and then get to Freetown on Tues midnight – leaving Wed midnight so we can have a prowl around there. I went down to the Surgery with the ship's doctor this morning and examined a few of the 'native' crew. They seem to understand English fairly well. The ship's doctor is a UCC man, 3 years qualified. The Chief Mate gave me one of the Track Charts of the journey so I will enclose a tracing.  Our 'track' is in yellow. This is a bit scrappy but it's just whatever comes into my head. There's a book “Black Man's Town” by Isobel Ryan 15/- Publisher Johnathan Cape, 20 Bedford sq. London/ which gives a pretty accurate description of life in a place like Lagos say.**  If you're interested you will probably have to write away for it. It very rightly divides boat passengers into 3 - Government, Commercial and Missions.  They all talk about “on the coast” which is how they describe West Africa and the “coasters” or “he's an old coaster”. Food is always called “chop”. The crew will be changing into whites after Dakar, that's on Mon 30th.

Sunday 29th
We're in the Tropics now! Lying out on deck in sun-suits. It's just as hot as the very hottest day in Ireland but would be much worse if the ship were stationary. We can expect the bad heat from now on I think. I got an awful shock at dinner tonight when the Fathers all appeared in sports coats and ties – coloured ties, it does give one's sense of decorum a land but I expect its just not being used to it. I have to rush this now to be posted in Dakar in the the early hours to-morrow. 

The Chief mate brought Sr. Ruth and I on a tour of the inner workings of the 'bridge' and ship yesterday evening and today presented us with a huge lump of his Christmas cake. He is very good to us really. Gives us books on the various places we're passing etc. We're scheduled to arrive in Freetown on Tues midnight staying to wed midnight by the latest bulletin! (I may be repeating myself but I'm writing it in relays and forget what I've said before.) Then we get to Lagos on this day week Sunday 6th and staying there until Thurs 10th. Then Port Harcourt on Sat 12th. So its not so long. Actually its most enjoyable now since we left the rough waters behind and we're not feeling sick anymore and can eat all we want. The days seem to fly really.

I was playing deck Quoits this am. We went to 7.00 am mass (in the lounge) and then we had a 'formal' mass in the dining room at 10.00am for all Catholics on board.

We had a Whist drive last night. I won a box of sweets (2nd prize).

I really must close now as I'll be late. Love to all, Emily

* Note 1
** Note 2  
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