Open Writing

Late in 1937 there was a message on the school notice board: ‘A cruise is being arranged by The School Journey Association for 1938. A Norwegian cruise by the MS Dunera. Applications to be received by school secretary by… . . .’

After much pleading with my father it was agreed that I would be allowed to travel. This was an all boys’ cruise, apart from teachers’ wives who were allowed to travel with their husbands in specially allocated cabins.

The British Steam Navigation Company Ltd., owners of the Dunera were members of the P&O group. They possessed a large number of motorships, and it was noted that their name would soon be the only connection with steam.

The Dunera was normally employed as a troopship. She was built by Barclay, Curle and Co Ltd of Glasgow and was commissioned in 1937. Registered at London, she was of 11,100 tons gross. She was equipped with an echo-sounding device and with directional wireless apparatus.

British India Fleet vessels were black. The four troopships, however, Nevassa, Nearalia, Dunera and Dilwara, were exceptions and were white with a single blue band running from stem to stern. The funnels were yellow. The Dunera had been built with the modern cruiser stern.

The following are extracts from a booklet presented to each traveller:-

“Cruise 1: July 23 at Hull sailing immediately after embarkation. July 25 at Bergen, 26th at Loen, 28th at Svartisen, 29th at Bodo, 31st at Aandalsnes, August 1st at Geiranger, 2nd at Bergen, 3rd at Stavanger, return to Tilbury August 5th at 12:00 noon.

Boys: - To reduce the weight of luggage a boy should embark in the clothes that he proposes to wear on the shore expeditions: ordinary suit, boots or shoes, school cap ,and mackintosh or light overcoat.

We suggest six pairs of socks, pullover, two sets of underwear (?), four shirts, collars and ties, sleeping suit(s), four towels, bathing costume (optional), rubber soled shoes for wearing on board ship, preferably new.

Cleaning sundries, toothbrush, toothpaste, boot brushes, boot polish etc. Light haversack suitable for conveying packed lunches, collapsible drinking cup and water bottle (if possible).

All clothes should be marked with the owner’s name and school. In the past much inconvenience has been caused by disregard of this rule.

Each boy should provide himself with a strap for his suitcase so that it may be secured to the rack provided for the storage of boys’ kit.

Pocket money: One pound is sufficient to meet one boy’s incidental expenses.

Identity cards and passports: Each member of the party will carry an identity card to take the place of a passport.

Discipline: Discipline is a necessity in a ship, and although it is the wish of the organisers to preserve as much of the holiday spirit as possible, some rules must be laid down as necessary for the comfort and safety of all on the cruises. The keynote of everybody’s behaviour should be - ‘Am I doing anything that will endanger the success of the trip, expose myself or anybody else to danger, or interfere in any way with the comfort of other passengers?”

Boys’ Timetable:

Reveille 6.15 to 6.30 see Daily Orders
Hammocks stowed by 7.15 am
Breakfast 7.45 am
Clear Decks 8.30 am
Sick Parade 9.15 am
Boat stations and Master’s Inspection 10.15 am
Sports, etc. 10.45 am
Lunch 12.15 pm
Concert, Community Singing, Films 1.30 to 5.00 pm
Tea 5.00 pm
Recreation, Concerts, etc. 8.15 to 9.15 pm
Sling Hammocks 9.30 pm
Lights Out 10.00 pm

Embarkation Arrangements: Special train from King’s Cross, London, arriving at Hull at 4.17 pm. Passengers conveyed to ship by tender.

Northern schools noted are:-
St. John’s, Salford, Doncaster Technical, West Leeds, Hull Grammar. However, not knowing the names of Northern Schools there could be many more included in the list.”

The cruise covered a total of 2,545 nautical miles, and what a time we had. A few memories of this trip of a lifetime.

Bergen: the trip by road to the top of the mountain that overlooks the town, travelling in an old coach, sitting by the driver when the door starts to rattle. I grabbed the door and held on for dear life until we reached the top. The masters went by funicular railway and met us at the top.

Being taken round the town by a Norwegian student trying to improve his excellent English, teaching him how to say “Suck it and see”. We were only fourteen and thought it great fun.

Stavanger: a guided tour round John West’s sardine factory. Saw a young girl spiking sardines ready to go in the ovens. She had a bandage on her finger covered in blood. Put me off sardines for many years.

Loen: Lake Loen was the scene of a great tragedy in 1905. The waters froze and expanded into the mountain crevices and created a terrible landslide. Thousands of tons of rock crashed into the lake, causing a huge wave to sweep over nearby homesteads killing 61 people. We could clearly see the scars on the mountains. There was also a small lake steamer high on the mountain, and we were told it was carried nearly two thousand feet inland.

Bodo, the most northerly port we visited: The town band greeted us as we entered the port. It was while we were sailing to Bodo that the masters and their wives stayed up to see the midnight sun. They told us of how the sun seems to hit the horizon and then bounce back up again. We were not allowed to see this phenomenon.

Geiranger Fjord, famous for its waterfalls, stays in my memory as the place we met ‘The Hitler Youth’. They caused consternation among the Norwegians as they fired off a cannon in greeting as they sailed down the Fjord. They were, we understood, told off in no uncertain manner that this was considered the worst possible taste. Consider Loen and you will realise what damage that could have caused.

Our fortnight at sea on the MS Dunera has always been a high spot in my life, the singsongs on the deck at night, the different shows put on by the various schools. The variations on traditional songs we sang, always finishing the evening with ‘Goodnight Shipmates’ to the tune of ‘Goodnight Ladies’.

‘And All This For Only A Fiver’ as they now advertise on British Gas.