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I was eventually told to report to the East India Docks shipping office to sign on the British India Steam Navigation vessel SS Itinda, along with Chief Sparks, Maclaughlan and Second Sparks, Stan Wright, remembers Harold Taylor. We made our way down to the Royal Albert Docks where the vessel was lying and got our bearings. The ship was not sailing till the following day so we were able to go ashore and get into any mischief that took our fancy.
Harold had joined the Merchant Navy in 1943 during the Second World War when in his mid-teens. His first voyage had been to Morocco via Gibraltar then back home for a week's leave before reporting to the East India Docks shipping office. Harold continues:
I returned home and was able to tell where I thought we were bound and when we expected to set sail. I got back to London late and spent the night after closing time in a pub near Victoria Station called The Shakespeare.
I subsequently booked into the Eccleston Hotel in Eccleston Street, behind Victoria Station. The ballroom below ground had been turned into one huge dormitory with rows of divans. There was a mixture of service personnel of all nationalities, mostly Americans. I think it cost me 12/6p for bed and breakfast.
In the morning I made my way to Harvey Nichol's, the tailors in Leadenhall Street to pick up the tropical uniform I had ordered the previous day, hence I had been aware of where I was headed. With this extra gear I then headed for the ship, getting there near lunchtime. We spent the rest of the day getting acquainted with the ship. Stan had sailed in her before on the previous trip.
We found that nearly all the officers were doubled up. This being a company ship, they were actually taking out extra officers to transfer to other ships already out there, which probably had never returned to these shores since the time they were built. This was the customary manner of these Foreign Service vessels owned by the large companies.
We had also to sign on for 2 years and agree to transfer to any other company vessel whose radio officers were due for their two-year leave. The date of my signing on is listed as 1st February 1944.
That night we had dinner aboard and I remember it was pigeon, the first time that I had eaten it. We spent that night aboard and there was considerable bombing activity. I heard the sirens and noise and confusion. Some railway wagons alongside the vessel had been set alight.
We sailed the next day and went to the lower reaches of the Thames to await a convoy up the coast to Methil where we joined another convoy going round the top of Scotland. I am not sure what happened after that, whether we went into Oban to pick up another convoy or picked one up on the run. This may have been Convoy OS 67 as it had a similar composition to the one I was in and arrived off Gibralter at a similar time. However we were eventually formed up into probably one of the strongest protected convoys of all time.
The captain was Bird, a reclusive type of individual who was rarely seen away from the bridge. He is reputed to have spent a very long time in an open boat after a torpedoing in the Indian Ocean in which he was one of the very few survivors. The Mate's name was Marsland, a friendly and likeable fellow. The second officer was Bridgeman, also very likeable and a nonchalant individual, and the third officer was Gibbs, who was very scatterbrained.
The engine room staff were Chief Wright, 2nd Henderson, 3rd Lambert, 4th Duncan Wallwork, and 5th Charlie House. The cadets were Peter Short, Higham and Stevens. There were also nine gunners and the doctor, Peacock which comprised the white crew. The Purser was Eurasian by the name of Gray. The rest were all lascars except the carpenter who was Chinese, a total I think of 97. There had been more initially but some had transferred.
At this time the War in the Pacific had been going on for a while and our side had been taking a hammering. The hope was that the tide would turn and part of this convoy was part of that tide. We had three mini aircraft carriers with us. These vessels were basically designed to carry grain in bulk, but also carried 24 planes and had a flight deck like any other carrier. The planes they carried were Grumman Martlets for fighter cover and Tarpons for torpedo attack.
Whilst at sea the whole convoy would exercise with these carriers, manoeuvring through a series of 90 degree turns. With a hundred or more ships, this was some feat.
About the 13th or 14th of February we had our first alert. We were about to enter the Mediterranean when the alarms sounded and the rumour was that we were about to be attacked by a Fokker Wolfe Condor, which was one of the Germans' long range aircraft that specialised in shadowing and attacking convoys with guided bombs. Most, if not all the aircraft took off and went screaming up and down in columns, but we saw no incident.
Later that day on the news there was a report that a Fokker Wolfe Condor had been shot down whilst attacking a convoy off Gibraltar. We presumed this incident to refer to us, because just after all our aircraft had returned to their vessels, a Sunderland flying boat had flown over the convoy. On the other hand, it may have been put out to conceal the fact that we were sailing in company with aircraft carriers.
Later on during our passage through the Mediterranean there was another occasion when we were attacked and another Fokker Wolfe was shot down by our own fighters. On this occasion it was announced. We passed close to and in sight of Crete, which was still occupied by the Germans, but we did not receive any abuse from that direction.
We eventually arrived at Port Said on 6th March where we had a day ashore awaiting our turn to go through the Suez Canal. We also lost most of our surplus officers who either transferred on the spot or waited ashore for the ships they were due to transfer to, to come in. We were supposed to transfer to a troopship called the Talma, but she was late arriving.
Harold's ship went on to visit many more ports. In Sudan Harold discovered the Dervishes and experienced immense heat. In Mobassa they discharged their cargo of submarine cable. Then onto Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam and Beira. Here the ship took on new cargo of copper, chrome and cobalt.
Together with some other members of the crew Harold had an experience in one of the local brothels. Apparently there was nowhere else to obtain a drink. Whilst there they got chatting with the Madam who informed the MN boys that all her girls were ill with malaria although one of them was working that night and to Harold's embarrassment, decided to keep his lap warm! Shortly after this trip Harold went down with malaria himself.
The ship then set sail again, this time for Capetown where they loaded asbestos and rubber onto the ship before heading for Sierra Leone. Here is the only place in the World where they had to maintain full listening watch whilst in port, awaiting messages of imminent tornadoes as Sierra Leone is notorious for them. Luckily they did not experience any whilst there.
Their last port of call was Dakar where the SS Itinda had to undergo some repairs which took three weeks. To pass the time away Harold and his colleagues played football with crew from some of the other British ships in the port, as well as a spot of fishing. The town was out of bounds due to an outbreak of Bubonic Plague.
July 1944 and it was back to good old England and Liverpool.
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