Emails I received relating to Aquitania's amazing World War 2 service.
Note: This is one of my very favourite pages on my website. All of the emails and fascinating information below have made my website worthwhile. Please contact me if you have anything to contribute.
If you came to this page from a search engine, you may wish to push the 'up' button above, to take you to my main Aquitania page. If you push 'up' again, you'll then be taken to my main liners page.
If you came to this page from a search engine, you may wish to push the 'up' button above, to take you to my main Aquitania page. If you push 'up' again, you'll then be taken to my main liners page.
June 2002 |
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Hi Rob-- great site! I enjoyed the pics and the stories.
Do you know anything about the use of the Aquitania to transport troops from the US to Scotland? My dad was transported on the Aquitania in 1943 to the Firth of Clyde. Do you have a schedule of the exact date and from where they departed the USA (New York?) and what date they landed in Scotland?
If you're interested, here's what Dad wrote about the trip (There's not much description of the ship, but more of the experience):
Thanks for any information you can give me.
Susan Ghandehari in Sunnyvale, California
Troopship Days By Robert Towle
In 1943 I was zig-zagged across the Atlantic in a rusty old troopship called the Aquitania. It was the older sister of the Lusitania. It wasn't very fast, but it was sure elusive. It changed course every nineteen minutes because it took twenty minutes for a German submarine to get through the complicated process of firing its torpedo. Unless they made a very lucky guess where our next course would be we were relatively safe-- at least, that's what they told us. But every course change had its rumor that a sub was sighted, which meant never a dull moment. It must have taken us ten days for a five day crossing, as we went twice as far in a zig-zag pattern.
We troops were bunked three decks below the waterline which added frustration to our discomfort of crowded conditions. About 50% of our time was spent standing in the chow line as the mess hall seated two hundred and we were five hundred. It was a continuous operation with about a hundred men in line at all times. Fortunately, the mess hall was above the waterline so it actually became a relief. A small percentage spent the voyage leaning over the rail. They claimed they were looking for periscopes, and no, they didn't want anything from the mess hall.
Anytime GIs get together poker games spring up like crabgrass in a new lawn, but this time it was with English money and very few of us knew how to count it. It gave us the impression of playing with coupons and bus tokens. At that time, a one pound note was worth about $4.20, but to us it was "bet a buck". Some of those pots that were full of "bet a buck" coupons would pay an Englishman's salary for a month. We didn't know or care, because we always had a few American dollars in our pocket as this stuff looked like play money.
I don't know how many German sub skippers we eluded, but we finally reached Scotland's Firth of Clyde and switched to temporary quarters ashore. It didn't take us long to find the local pubs, but also found we couldn't speak the local language. Scotland is an English speaking country, but their English didn't fit our ears. However, we knew they had ale and we had English money, even though we couldn't count it, but the problem was solved by laying a handful of coins on the bar and letting them take what they needed. We assumed they were honest, but it really didn't matter as this strange form of money had no value to us, it was like using bus tokens. I'm sure they knew we were coming, as they didn't run out of ale.
The pubs closed at ten o'clock and when leaving, everyone tied a white handkerchief around their arm. Seemed strange to me, but once outside, the only thing visible were little white markers moving down the street. This was the blackest blackout I had ever seen. I followed along, but the only way I kept to the road was by the sound of gravel crunching underfoot. No gravel, no road. Eventually, I reached the camp, but only by following the white markers bobbing in front of me and white rings painted on the trees.
Two days later I was on a two by four train heading south. Every hundred miles the language would clear up a little and when I reached England both the money and the language were understandable.
August 2002
Hi Rob,I just want to congratulate you on your web site. I came across it by looking up Aquitania through Google.
I thoroughly enjoyed the email that Susan Ghandehari sent in about what her Dad wrote about the trip. The reason why I enjoyed it so much was that I have had the same experience. I too, zig-zagged across the Atlantic on the Aquitania in the middle of the winter in 1943. I was in the RCAF and we left New York on either January 1 or 2, 1943. The reason I am not sure of the date is that we left Lachine Manning Depot ( suburb of Montreal) very early in the morning of January 1st and I can't remember if it took us overnight to get to New York.
Susan's father was three levels below the waterline, I remember I was in F deck, which I believe was the lowest level. We to did the zig-zag as I was in the stern of the ship and at night I could hear the clanging of the rudder chain as they changed course every 20 minutes. We were told that we didn't have an escort as the Aquatania could out run a submarine. Some how I don't get that impression from what Susan's father has written. Would you happen to know if the Aquatania could out run a submarine? (Rob -- yes - easily - although slower than some of the liners at the time, Aquitania was still considerably faster than any Sub)
I understood that there were 10,000 troops on the Aqu i tania of which 2,00 were RCAF and included RAF, RAAF and RNZAF trainees. It took us 10 days to cross and a real welcome sight when we saw a Sunderland flying boat as we approached England, not realizing what other part it would play in my life. We landed in Scotland and traveled by train to Bournemouth which had a Personnel Reception Centre. I too, was taken aback when I first saw the two by four train as Susan's father called it, as our trains are monsters beside them. However it quickly turned to amazement when we looked our the window and saw the countryside whizzing by. In Bournemouth I was posted over to Northern Ireland to Castle Archdsale which was a base for Sunderlands and Catalina flying boats.
I sent an email to Susan who replied and told me her Dad is 88 this year and thought that I should be getting up there too, well not quite I will be turning 80 in November of this year. She suggested I contact you as she said you were very interested in every detail. I sent a little account of my experience on my voyage. It was similar to her Father's account, we were issued English currency too, but except with the gambling, Canadian and American currency was on par, but the British pound was $5 Can or US, like her Dad said it was $4.20 US ( I can't recall what it was in Canadian currency, but it must have been around $5). I will add a copy of what I wrote to her at the end.
I noticed you have that the Aquitania web site is n o t complete, does that mean that there is more to come? I read Career, First and Second Class and enjoyed the history of the ship and the pictures and description, as it says it must have been the "Princess" of the of the ships. .
Again I am very impressed with your web site, you certainly have but a lot of work into it.
Regards,
Peder Pedersen
PS Here is what I sent Susan :
That is some web site that Rob has. I just came across it by chance looking up information about the Aquitania.
As that trip was almost 60 years ago, it is kind of dim in the memory bank, but I can pass on a few reflections. It was New Years Day, 1943 that I left by train from Montreal for New York and we went on board right off the train. It was daylight but I can't remember if it was the same day or the next. I do remember the Red Cross ladies handing out Heresy Bars as we got onto the ship, in my shyness I only took. Later I wished I had been more forward and taken more. The was a POX on the ship, but it was only opened an hour, I think, a day. The lineup was long and most of the time when it got to be your turn or just before, it shut down as they had to ration the supplies. We were fed in two shifts, mine was 6 AM and 6 PM. We were issued a mess kit which didn't include a cup, just two sections that fitted together with your knife, fork and spoon inside, so the beverage was in with everything else. Showering was a cold undertaking as it was sea water which was salty and regular soap was no benefit. Like you Dad said, gambling was the only pastime, it would go for about 24 hrs.. We were issued English currency too and didn't know how to handle it. We had 3 currencies to handle, Canadian, American and English. I have no idea that the exchange rate was at that time between Canadian and American , but it was an even swap. However, we knew that the British pound was worth more and it went for $5. Then there was boat drill, that was to get us up on deck in an orderly fashion, like fire drill, only this time it meant we might have been torpedoed. Our bunks were three high, that meant only one person could get dressed at a time. When the horn sounded for boat drill you had to get out of your bunk, get dressed and put on your Mae West as you know is a Life Preserver. Well it took about 20 minutes before we started to move to go up onto the deck. When I asked why they didn't start from the bottom, I was told the orders were to save as many persons as possible so they started with A deck and worked down.. We landed in Scotland 10 days later and were sent by train to Bournemouth in the south of England as it was a Personnel Reception Center. From there I was posted to Northern Ireland
Well I hope I haven't bored you to much, but you seemed interested in the Aquitania, and this will give you a little more insight. Unfortunately like you Dad I can't give you much information about the ship. I do remember there was a grand staircase going up to some large room By the way, while I was born near Montreal, Quebec, I now live near Athens ( no, not Greece), Ontario.
Take care and please give your Dad my best regards and tell him I wish him well.
Regards,
Peder
December 2002
From: Frank Spencer ([email protected])
To: Susan Ghandehari ([email protected])
I ran across the Aquatania website while researching other items.
I, too, made the crossing from New York to the Firth of Clyde on the Aquatania, as did your father. As for the date, I would have to look it up. I do recall that the French vessel Normandiewas to have been our transport, but she burned to the waterline in the dock in NY which delayed our leaving by some weeks and we were assigned to the Aquatania for a very, very cold trip while on deck--It was March as I recall, and we spent a good deal of time on deck as we reportedly were the object of German U Boats.
My regards to your father.
Sincerely, frank spencer, Albuquerque, NMFrom: Susan Ghandehari ([email protected])
Sent: 19 December 2002 18:12
To:Frank Spencer ([email protected])
Cc: rob @ roblightbody.com.
Subject: Re: Aquatania - from RobLightbody.com
Thanks for your note, Frank. It's really wonderful to hear from others who were on the Aquatania with Dad. He is visiting my brother in Chicago for the holidays, but I have forwarded your message to him. I'm sure he'll get a kick out of it.
So, what happened to you after the Aquatania? Dad was in the 8th Air Force stationed in Glatton, England. On his 8th mission, they were shot down and he was captured and sent to Stalag Luft 4. He never has talked about it, but I found a great website which tells all. Obviously, he made it out OK, though not without life-long affectations. The more research I do, the more I admire you guys who went through it. You fought and risked all to protect our freedom, and now it seems that the new generation is willing to trade it all away for a false sense of safety. It makes me sad.
Well, time will tell about all that. In the meantime, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours!
Best regards,
Susan (Towle) Ghandehari
Sunnyvale, CA
November 2003
Here is a letter my Dad wrote about his experiences aboard the Aquitania [Note: I'm sure my dad would love to hear from anyone else who was aboard the Aquatania. You can contact him at the above address, or e-mail him through me at [email protected]. Thank you,
Betty (Anderson) Gilliland--------
From: Wade L. Anderson
1502 County Road 295
Hico, TX 76457
1-254-785-2614
To: Whoever might be interested in the R.M.S. Aquitania
I went aboard the Aquitania in the fall of 1943. Unlike the fellow who went aboard in January of that year who took 10 days to cross, we crossed in 7 days. By that time the Allies had gained control of the Atlantic. I'm sure there were still plenty of German U-Boats out there, because we did a lot of zigzagging. We had sub-chaser escort for about 4 hours out. Then we went ahead solo. I stayed aboard as part of the American gun crew for 2 years. We manned the forward guns, 20 mm, 40mm & 3 inch guns. I was part of a 4-man crew on a 40 mm, 4 hours on duty, 8 hours off.
We sailed from Pier 84 in New York and occasionally from the Boston Navy Yard or Nova Scotia. We always dropped anchor in the Clyde River near Port Glasgow, Scotland. We generally carried about 10,000-12,000 troops. Sometimes nurses & WACS & WAVES were aboard. Once we brought back a load of German prisoners. We also brought back lots of G.I.'s who were wounded, had flown a lot of missions, made beachheads, etc.
We never encountered any opposition from the air. Lucky I guess. We were in a major hurricane for 4 days in 1944. Don't want to do that again! We sustained no damage that couldn't be repaired quickly. The Queen Mary & Queen Elizabeth were in it also, but were not so lucky.
I transferred from the ship in August 1945 to Staton Island.
October 2003
HI ROB,I AM IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING A SLIDE SHOW OF MY WW II EXPERIENCES. I PUT AQUITANIA IN MY BROWSER TO SEE IF I COULD FIND A PICTURE OF THE SHIP I WENT TO ENGLAND ON, AND LO AND BEHOLD, I FOUND YOUR SITE.................
I SAILED ON THE AQUITANIA IN NOVEMBER OF 1943, I BELIEVE IT WAS THE 17TH THAT WE LEFT NEW YORK, BUT CAN'T BE POSITIVE ABOUT THAT. WE LEFT CAMP SHANKS ACROSS THE HUDSON AND BOARDED THE AQUITANIA AFTER DARK. MY MEMORY ISN'T AS SHARP AS IT ONCE WAS, BUT I BELIEVE WE LEFT NEW YORK THAT NIGHT BECAUSE I DON'T REMEMBER SEEING THE STATUE OF LIBERTY ON THE WAY OUT AS I DID ON MY RETURN TRIP 2 YEARS LATER................
SINCE WE WERE AN ANTIAIRCRAFT (40 mm) GUN BATTALION WE WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO BE ASSIGNED TO MAN THE GUNS ON THE TRIP OVER, THAT OF COURSE, GOT US SOME PRETTY "PLUSH" QUARTERS ON "A" DECK. NOT GREAT, BUT A LOT BETTER THAN SOME OF THE OTHERS BELOW DECKS. WE WERE STILL PACKED IN, BUNK ABOVE BUNK ABOVE BUNK WITH NARROW ISLES BETWEEN. WE TRAVELED ALONE, NO CONVOY, THE SHIP CHANGED COURSE EVERY EIGHT MINUTES TO THWART THE THREAT OF GERMAN SUBS. FROM THE STERN, IT LOOKED LIKE A BUNCH OF Zs BEHIND THE SHIP AS FAR AS YOU COULD SEE. FOUR AND A HALF DAYS LATER WE PULLED INTO AN AREA THAT LOOKED LIKE A HUGE LAKE SURROUNDED BY MOUNTAINS. THE NEAREST CITY WAS GOUROCK, SCOTLAND WHERE WE DISEMBARKED AND WENT TO BURY ST. EDMONDS, ENGLAND A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER. THAT WAS THE LAST I SAW OF THE AQUITANIA, BUT I WILL NEVER FORGET HER.
JIM PIERSON AT [email protected]
March 2004
Copy of email originally sent to Jim Pierson (see email above)
Hi Jim,
I came across your e-mail regarding the Acquitania on a website for a Rob Lightbody. It sounds like you and my father crossed the Atlantic on the Acquitania during the same voyage. Before he passed away, he told me that he left New York on November 16th and arrived in Greenoch, Scotland on the 24th.
My father was in the 45th Evacuation Hospital. After arriving in Greenoch, his unit took a train to Wooten-under-Edge in England where they stayed until D-Day.
I'd like to find out more of the experiences you had while on the Acquitania. Please respond. Thanks.
Jim Kucharski ([email protected] )
July 2004
Rob,Your web site is of great interest to me. Especially the information on the Aquitania. I was a young fighter pilot headed to reassignment in America after my tour with the 8th Air Force in England. My buddies and I boarded the Aquitania on the River Clyde in November, 1944. The ocean voyage was memorable. The ship and passengers penetrated a major storm in the Atlantic while returning to America. I don't remember if we landed at Boston or New York. The storm caused a crack in the ships hull allowing flooding in a baggage storage area. After arriving at our destination the baggage was dumped on the dock as a sodden mass. My cameras, gun camera film, and all records of my duty in England were ruined by laying in salt water for six days. All in all, it was a delightful voyage home.
Do you have any sailing dates for the Aquitania from Scotland for November and December 1944?
Stanley P. Richardson, Jr.
Beaverton, OR
USA
Email : [email protected]
August 2004
(connected to Nov 03 email above)
Robert,Here is a recent letter I received from a man whose uncle was on the Aquitania. It's a great one for your website. I printed it for my dad and he was delighted, because he and the uncle were buddies! Papa wrote a reply and I'll forward it to you also. Then a few days later I received another letter from another person who was on the ship and lives in Florida. Papa got on the phone and called him immediately!
They must have talked for 45 minutes. This is a great service you have done for these veterans just by having this site. I'll get this last letter to you also. Thanks again for your great site.
Hope all is well with you.
Betty Gilliland
Hello Betty,
I read your Aquitania website with interest. I had an uncle, Wesley Ward from upstate NY, that served aboard the Aquitania in the gun crew during all of 1943 and after. I think your Dad and my uncle must have surely known each other. My Uncle Wes was quite a bit older than most of the young men and they called him "Pops" etc.. I had the luck to read his small journal and have transcribed the following entries for your Dad to read, maybe it'll bring back some things.
9 July 1943, Friday- We are in Gulf Stream, headed toward Scotland
10 July 1943, Saturday- Out of Gulf Stream. Rain all day and night. Airplane out
11 July 1943, Sunday- Rain all the time
12 July 1943, Monday- Still rain, darn bad weather. Whac on deck, 500 on board
13 July 1943, Tuesday- Rain let up a little, getting cool
14 July 1943, Wednesday- Got at Scotland at 11:30AM, cold enough for over coat
15 July 1943, Thursday- Cleaned gun, cool
16 July 1943, Friday- Painted gun, cold
17 July 1943, Saturday- Went shore over night to Red Cross
18 July 1943, Sunday- Layed around all day, little warmer
19 July 1943, Monday- On guard
20 July 1943, Tuesday- Few Canadians come on board & Limies sailors & soldiers
21 July 1943, Wed.- 2200 German prisoners. Expect to sail tonight for NY. Left Scotland 10PM
22 July 1943, Thursday- Cold wind blows hard. Plane out
23 July 1943, Friday- Cold & windy, little rain. Plane out
24 July 1943, Saturday- Getting a little warmer
25 July 1943, Sunday- In the Gulf Stream, nice and warm
26 July 1943, Monday- Big thunderstorm, high wind, porpoise jumping
27 July 1943, Tuesday- B17 Flying Fortress out. Be in NY tomorrow. Nice and warm
28 July 1943, Wednesday- Got in NY 10:30 AM
29 July 1943, Thursday- Went home
1 August 1943, Sunday- Next entry. Came back today. Letta came with me.
2 August 1943, Monday- Shore leave
3 August 1943, Tuesday- No shore leave
4 August 1943, Wednesday- Left for Scotland
5 August 1943, Thursday- Plane out. Warm
6 August 1943, Friday- Plane out. Warm
7 August 1943, Saturday- Plane out at 2:30 PM. Getting cold
8 August 1943, Sunday- No plane today. Cold, little rough
9 August 1943, Monday- 2 subs around, changed corse
10 August 1943, Tuesday- Rain like hell, cold
11 August 1943, Wednesday- Got in Scotland at 10:30 AM
12 August 1943, Thursday- On guard, cold
13 August 1943, Friday- Went to school, cold
14 August 1943, Saturday- Went to school and Red Cross, cold
15 August 1943, Sunday- Back on ship, cold and rainy
16 August 1943, Monday- Left Scotland at 5:30PM, going to NY
17 August 1943, Tuesday- Passed ship, cold and rainy
18 August 1943, Wednesday- Cold stormy, high sea. Got a hard cold
19 August 1943, Thursday- Rainy, warm
20 August 1943, Friday- Rainy, warm
21 August 1943, Saturday- 2 subs nearby. Expect to be in NY tomorrow
22 August 1943, Sunday- Cant make NY until morning sometime
23 Aug 1943, Mon.- Get in NY at 9:30AM. Warm as hell. Limie sailors getting off. Go home tomorrow
10 September 1943, Friday- Next entry. Back on duty Letta came back to NY with me
11 September 1943, Saturday- Cleaned gun. 2 day pass
12 September 1943, Thursday- Went to school through 24 September
25 September 1943, Saturday- Week-end pass
27 September 1943, Monday- Letta went home with Whitie wife
28 September 1943, Tuesday- Cleaned gun
29 September 1943, Wednesday- Carried ammo
30 September 1943, Thursday- Pay day
1 October 1943, Friday- Sailed for Scotland
2 October 1943, Saturday- Cold
3 October 1943, Sunday- Cold
4 October 1943, Monday- Warmer
5 October 1943, Tuesday- Warm
6 October 1943, Wednesday- Warm
7 October 1943, Thursday- German plane attacked. Sub sank
8 October 1943, Friday- Cold
9 October 1943, Saturday- Reached Scotland at 6:00PM
10 October 1943, Sunday- Some of the boys went to shore. The blue watch stayed on board
11 October 1943, Monday- Worked on gun
12 Oct 1943, Tuesday- Cold. Got a helper on gun. Expect to sail tonight. Left at 12 Midnight
13 October 1943, Wednesday- Cold, sea high
14 October 1943, Thursday- Cold, sea still rough. Headed for Halifax
15 October 1943, Friday- In gulf stream, warm sea smooth
16 October 1943, Saturday- Big inspection. Warm, sea smooth
17 October 1943, Sunday- Little cool, rainy
18 October 1943, Monday- Got in Halifax at 8:00PM, rainy, cold
19 October 1943, Tuesday- Cleaned gun
20 October 1943, Wednesday- Went to town
21 October 1943, Thursday- Stayed on ship
22 October 1943, Friday- Cleaned gun. Cool
23 October 1943, Saturday- Left Halifax at 8:30AM with Canadian Air Corp & Americans
24 October 1943, Sunday- Little cool
25 October 1943, Monday- Warm in gulf stream
26 October 1943, Tuesday- Gave men class on gun. Rain like hell
27 October 1943, Wednesday- On watch, getting a little cool
28 October 1943, Thursday- Plane escort. Cool rain
29 October 1943, Friday- Be in tomorrow. Rain & more rain
30 October 1943, Saturday- Reached Scotland at 12:30 noon. Went shore at night
31 October 1943, Sunday- Painted gun in sunshine
1 November 1943, Monday- Rain like hell
2 November 1943, Tuesday- Went shore, got a few Sourbiers
3 November 1943, Wednesday- Put gun back together
4 November 1943, Thursday- Left Scotland at 12:30 in morning. Cool
5 November 1943, Friday- Cold rain on way to New York
6 November 1943, Saturday- Cold, damp. Big inspection
7 November 1943, Sunday- Cool, rainy
8 November 1943, Monday- High sea, getting warmer
9 November 1943, Tuesday- Sea still high, in Gulf Stream
10 November 1943, Wednesday- Still warm
11 November 1943, Thursday- Cool, out of Gulf Stream
12 November 1943, Friday- Got in NY at 12:00 noon
13 Nov. 1943, Sat.- Went home, got at Rochester at 7:00AM. Took bus to Canandaigua
14 Nov. 1943, Sun.- Started back to NY on the 10:15 train from Roch. Letta came back with me.
15 November 1943, Monday- Cleaned gun
16 November 1943, Tuesday- Drank a little gin. Got a present from Nick Mack
17 November 1943, Wednesday- Left NY at 10:00AM. Cold as hell
18 November 1943, Thursday- Cold
19 November 1943, Friday- Cold as hell, headed toward Scotland
20 November 1943, Saturday- Getting warmer, sea a little rough, rain
21 November 1943, Sunday- Warm in gulf stream. Cleaned gun. Airplane school
22 Nov, 1943, Mon.- Sea little rough. Convoy attacked by 6 German planes, 100 miles from us
23 November 1943, Tuesday- Sea high. Biggest rolling sea I ever saw
24 November 1943, Wednesday- Got in Scotland at 6:30AM. Cold as hell. Tore gun down
25 November 1943, Thursday- Rain, cold. Boys went to school. I went shore
26 November 1943, Friday- Stayed on ship. Cold & rainy
27 November 1943, Saturday- Went shore, cold & rainy
28 November 1943, Sunday- Cold stormy
29 November 1943, Monday- Cold, rainy
30 Nov, 1943, Tuesday- Left Scotland at 10:00PM. High sea. Passed 3 mines 10 feet from ship, too close
1 December 1943, Wednesday- Cold, rainy, high sea. Took gun down
2 December 1943, Thursday- Cold, high sea
3 December 1943, Friday- Cold, rain
4 December 1943, Saturday- Cold, snow
5 December 1943, Sunday- Warmer, should be in NY tomorrow
6 December 1943, Monday- Got in NY at 6:30PM
7 December 1943, Tuesday- Expect to get pay today and go home 3 day pass
8 December 1943, Wednesday- no entry
9 December 1943, Thursday- Back on job 12 Midnight. Letta came back to New York City
10 December 1943, Friday- Got shore until midnight
11 December 1943, Saturday- Got shore at midnight
12 December 1943, Sunday- Left NY at 7:30PM. Lots of troops
13 December 1943, Monday- Cold, rough. Plane escort
I'd be interested in anything that your Dad can add to these short entries.
John Mosher
Robert,
Here is Papa's reply to the letter I just sent to you.
Betty G.
John, Here's the letter Papa wrote for you, also a list of crewmembers he could remember. A few days after you wrote, I also got an e-mail from one of his crewmates. I'll forward it on to you. When I took that one to Papa, he immediately called the guy and they talked for about 45 minutes! I'll also forward all this info to the person who created the website. Thanks again for writing me. Betty Gilliland
Letter from Papa:
John, I wish you had some 1944 entries from Wes. He was my best friend aboard ship -- much older than me. I didn't go aboard 'til Oct '43. I didn't know Wes kept a journal. I would certainly be interested to know if he kept interest through 1944. I always wondered exactly where we were on D-Day. I was in the bed next to Wes, but not on the same gun as him.
We always sent Christmas cards to Wes and he to me until he passed away and his wife felt no longer need to communicate. I remember very well when Letta would come back with him so they might have an extra day or 2 together before we set sail again.
Wes had been aboard for quite some time before I came aboard, because he spoke of going to Australia, New Zealand, New Caladonia, etc, but we always went to Scotland and came back to NY, Nova Scotia or Boston. We dry docked in Boston for 2 months some time in '44.
I wondered where Wes went when we left the ship late 1945. I went to Staton Island.
Here's a list of some of the men on board with us, including some odd bits of things I remember about them:
Kisselstien, "Top Kick" Jack O'Donnel, "Whitey" Stranc from NY, Leroy Streebel(sp?) - from NY, LeClaire, Jim Donavan, Staley Sharp, Curtis Simpson - who came to Chalk Mtn TX in 1949 to see me and my wife, Ernie Simpson, "Bull" Davis, Sgt Roley - from NY, Rymowitz, Henry Dove - from TX, Carl Fraley, Dersnocky - from TX - was on the gun with Wes, Earl Conley - also from TX and who almost got washed overboard once, Robert Kinney - from TX, Billy Borden - from Rosebud TX - he and I have met a few times recently at Waco TX, Jerry Moore - a good friend from Golden CO, "Pop" Beetum, Donald Schrock, "Big Andy" Anderson - (I was "little Andy"), Cpl Tooley, Tate, Tanner, McNamara, Kosack - whom we called "cow sack", Jimmy Walker, Kristie, Kruger, Walter Tackett - whose favorite phrase was "fast women & beautiful horses", Rex Agler, Armbruster, Jimmy Molar, Johnny Morris, Rollison, Alex Balais - a big Greek who went swimming with me in Nova Scotia in a really big pool - he thought it was funny that the British said "stand to" instaid of "attention" so when he sent Christmas cards he always signed them "stand to" - he was from Brooklyn, NY.
Papa later thought of more info, including: In the hurricane off the Carolinas in the Fall or '44 they lost 2-3 lifeboats. The Queen Elizabeth or the Queen Mary had lots of bow damage from the hurricane. Kowsack & Papa played penny-ante dice with pretend money. Papa won about $6.00 of it and Kowsack wanted to go "double or nothing", but then Papa won about $20.00 so Kowsack said Papa should have been in Las Vegas. Cigarettes were cheap, 50¢ a carton, so they all played poker with cigarettes - they'd have a whole pile of them on the table. Two more people were 2nd LT "Shorty" Keith I. Kerr and 2nd Lt Raman - went to OCS school in '46. In Scotland the Red Cross had donuts & drinks & tiny sandwiches, and cots to sleep on. Once at the Red Cross a sailor was arguing with some Limeys - he had a trench knife and cut a Limey's belly (died) and also cut another Limey. McNamara drove the Limeys to the hospital and later commented about how weird it was driving on the wrong side of the road.
Robert,
Here is the reply from John after he got Papa's letter:
Betty, what can I say, I'm blown away. Your dad not only knew my Uncle Wes but was good buds with him. I'm wondering if your dad ever heard Wes speak of "Nig" Mosher, that was Wes's nephew and my father. I know they met several times while in port in NY. Wes used to stay at some Scottish people's house in Scotland. I always thought Uncle Wes had a girl over there. If you'll notice his diary never detail his shore leaves . Tell your Dad I may yet come across some 1944 info from his letters home to Letta but there's hardly any mention of shiplife in them. I have a picture of Wes in uniform, when I get back there I'll scan it and send it along for your Dad.
Thanks again Betty, still kinda overwhelmed by this, not many relatives left I can share this with.
John
Robert and John,
This is the other letter I told you both about -- the guy Papa called immediately and they talked for 45 minutes!
Betty G.
John (Goldie) Morris
708 S. Ridge Ave.
Tifton, GA 31794
(229) 382-1118
My name is John Morris and my sister found your information on the internet. I also bordered the Aquitania in the fall of 1943. I was a gun captain on a 20 mm gun that was located just above the control bridge on the port and starboard sides.
I have the anniversary issue of the news letter you wrote dated January 13, 1945. I have the complete copy of it. If you don't have a copy of it and would like one, I will have a copy made and send it to you.
If you would like to email me you can send it to my daughter at[email protected] , or you can call me or write me. My address and phone number is at the top of this letter.
I hope to hear from you soon.
John Morris
September 2004
Dear Rob,
Thanks for the Aquitania web site. I thoroughly enjoyed the e-mails posted. I found my father listed as a crew member in one of the e-mails (although his name was misspelled Jimmy Molar). My father, Jimmie Moler, was assigned to the Aquitania during WWII. He was drafted for WWII, and given a choice of what branch of the armed services to serve. He chose the Army because he wanted to stay "on land". His choice did not work out as he planned. In the Army he trained at Ft. Hitchcock, near Galveston, Texas. After training he was sent to a camp in Maryland where he was assigned to a ship, the Cunard Line's RMS Aquatania as a gunner.
The Aquatania once called "the ship beautiful" served on the Atlantic as a troop ship, transporting American service men to Europe, and docked at Brooklyn, NY., pier 18 & Pier 84. He made 37 trips across the North Atlantic from New York to Scotland. The voyage was New York to Scotland in seven days transit transporting troops, seven days shore leave, seven days return to New York bringing back the wounded. They transported 10,000 troops per trip. He sailed from New York and zig-zagged across the Atlantic. They always dropped anchor in the Clyde River near Port Glasgow, Scotland. He said the Aquitania as a WWII troop ship was painted wartime grey.
-Larry Moler ([email protected])
October 2004
Dear all
I saw all your very interesting memories of your trips on the Aquatania. My mother-in-law Olive Owens travelled on the Aquatania to Halifax Nova Scotia in March 1946 and would dearly love to share her experiences. She was married to Bill Owens a Canadian who fought in the war and has since sadly passed away.
I know she would love to talk to somebody about this and other aspects of the war she recently helped Debbie Beavis with some research for her book. Secondly I wonder if you know where she could get a passenger list of the people that travelled on the same passage.
Please reply to [email protected] her granddaughter who will pass the messages on and help Olive reply.
Hope to hear from you or anyone else that wishes to share their experiences.
Emmet Doran
-----Original Message-----From: [email protected]
Sent: Thu 21/10/2004 19:22
Subject: My voyage on the Aquitania
I left Kingston Upon Thames bound for Southampton but prior to leaving we had to spend the night in a London hotel. Needless to say I had a sleepless night having never left my family before and I had not seen my Canadian husband since August 1944 and it was March 1946.
We went by train to Southampton to my first sight of the Aquatania and was full of wonder and apprehension. I had never seen an ocean liner before, she looked magnificent! We all trooped up the gangway with our cases, and we were allocated bunks. I must admit that I was a bit disappointed, the ship was absolutely gutted. It had been used for carrying service men. There were rows of bunks 3 high which I regretted later on. Quite a few of the girls were sea sick even before we left Southampton. I guess they were rather stressed as I was.
As we left the dock a brass band played Auld Lang Syne and I don't think there was a dry eye on board. Our first meal was wonderful-steak!!!- we hadn't seen steak for years! The girls with children and expectant mothers were separated from those of us who didn't have children. I believe their quarters were a little better than ours.
Two days into our journey we hit a dreadful storm, the portholes were blocked but the water still came through. The water was up to my mattress on my bunk and my clothes were soaking wet. I was extremely sick as were the two girls above me. As well as been wet I was also covered in vomit. Most of the crew and nursing staff were ill. They had to stop the engines to perform an appendicitis and 3 babies were born. To go to the washroom you were ankle deep at least in water.
Apparently they also lost radio contact for a while so you can imagine how bad the weather was. Eventually the sea calmed down. Those who were able to were assembled on deck to see some whales. I felt quite ill but seeing those wonderful creatures lifted my spirits a lot!
The crew and nursing staff were excellent-I spent most of my time on the upper deck which was rather beautiful. I lived on hot Bovril and water biscuits -my poor stomach could not take anything else !
Being on the deck for so long I had the privilege of seeing an iceberg with a polar bear on it- I shall never forget that. We were a couple of days late to our destination which was Halifax Nova Scotia. I was below deck when I heard a shout and the ships siren. I rushed on deck with the others and a sailor shouted,"Land Ahoy", at first I could see a black line which gradually turned to pine trees. I was so glad to, hopefully, see my dear husband after so long in New Westminster B.C. The voyage took 7 days instead of 5.
One thing I will never forget is the sight of a young man waiting at the dock. We were told that he had been waiting for 6 months for his bride watching every ship that came into dock. I often wonder if she finally got to Canada.
Olive Owens
Please e-mail me at [email protected]
May 2005
Hi Rob.Thank you for all the information about this great ship.
In April 1942, my mother, my sisters and I traveled on the Aquitania from Honolulu to San Francisco. We were military dependants being transported out of the war zone. There were hundreds of us.
When we arrived at the mouth of the San Francisco Bay the ship had to set outside and wait for the tide to go out before entering the harbor. The ship was too high to make the required clearance of the Golden Gate Bridge at high tide.
While we were at sea we were fired upon by a Japanese sub that had only two charges left. The torpedos passed behind the stern. The rumor was that 'the cook' had thrown potato peels overboard, thus drawing the attention of the Sub. The radio operator picked up the radio message from the Sub reporting us sunk. There were no more threats for the rest of the journey. None that we heard about anyway.
Jeannette Atkins (Jeannette Kingery [jnkingery @ comcast.net])
Pearl Harbor Survivor
Jeannette,
Thank you so much for your fascinating email. I read it on the train to work and it completely lifted me out of the daily grind and to another time and place. I've shared your email with my colleagues and they are equally fascinated.
The potato peelings story is marvellous, although I suspect her fine speed might have had more to do with it! Was it travelling at speed at the time? Liners were very difficult to hit by torpedo when moving at full speed, because they were around double the speed of a sub...
Do you mind if I incorporate your email onto my Aquitania page? I'm sure others will be equally fascinated to read your memories.
Many thanks,
- Rob Lightbody
http://www.roblightbody.com/liners/aquitania
Good Morning, Rob.
I don't mind if you share this story on your web. I don't know anything more about how the Japanese Sub found us. The speed of the Aquitania surely had a great deal to do with the torpedo miss, and too, the stormy seas. The torpedos were close enough for the watch to see them go by. I was seven and the potato story was good for me. Anything else was above my thinking or was kept from the passengers.
As to the speed of travel: We were traveling with the Lureline from the Matson Line so that ship probably set the pace. We were in a storm for most of the trip with heavy seas. The L would go down in a trough and we could barely see the stacks. She would rise on the crest and we would slide down.
I'm in the process of writing the story of our years in Honolulu and the journey back to the States.
There are a few men from the military still living with untold stories. And then there are the children with stories.. We are the forgotten ones. No one has asked us about it. So I'm writing the one I know.
As I read through the history of the Aquitania last night I found mention of two trips she made from Honolulu to San Francisco, but not mention of why?. So I wanted to add that she had been converted to a British troop ship, with a British crew, evacuating military dependents and other civilians to the states.
Sincerely,
Jeannette Atkins
(Jeannette Kingery [jnkingery @ comcast.net])
November 2005
Greetings,
Yesterday I discovered a journal my mother kept on her evacuation trip aboard the Aquitania from Honolulu to San Francisco. (She graduated from college in 1941 and took the Lurline to Honolulu to live with her great aunt and uncle for a year.) The year was cut short by the bombing of Pearl Harbor.I have been searching the web this afternoon looking for additional information about this sailing of the Aquitania.
My mother departed Honolulu on Saturday, Feb. 21, 1942 according to her journal. The night of February 28th - March 1st she noted that around 2-4AM the ship stopped. Guns were fired and depth charges set off. They could not leave their cabins, so they didn't know until later that a Matson freighter was sunk by a submarine and 30 survivors were picked up. Later that day, they landed in San Francisco. They had to wait until low tide to go under the Golden Gate Bridge....
Monte Hind
monte.hind at comcast.net
August 2007
Hello!
Thank you for your web site on the Aquitania!My father was born in Belgium, he wrote my mother for 9 years before going to marry her and bring her to America. He had gone before her to establish himself while courting her by mail. She had some callers she admitted, and could have married a wealthy industrialist she claimed, but so enjoyed my father's company she waited for him to come and get her.
My mother was 97 on Friday, August 24, and in a conversation she recalled a storm she encountered on the 6 day/6 night trip over in 1927.
I was wondering if it was possible to get a passenger list from that year's voyages. Or if there were any accounts of the storm they encountered on the trip.
Thanks again for your research and interesting stats.
Sincerely,
Victor L. VandenBulcke
Harrision Township, MI.
Vic Van [[email protected]]
September 2007
Hi Rob,
Have you got any more e-mails other than the half a dozen I found. I was on her in 1942 sailing from Egypt via the Suez canal with over 2,000 German POW. There were also some jolly Italians as well. We took them to Boston, USA, for internment in Canada. It took some weeks and it was the most memorable journey of my life.
Regards,
Clive.
Clive Muskus [Clive.Muskus at hemscott.net]
November 2007
Rob,
My Great Uncle was the Bursar on the Aquitania, his name was Bertram Newstead. If any of your contacts knew him I would love to know. He died when I was young so I do not know when he was on the ship. Also I have a Barometer mounted on a wooden wheel from the ship.
Kind Regards
Tim Newstead
tim.newstead800 at btinternet.com
July 2009
Hi Robert,
Found your aquitania website whilst checking some details re my father during ww2, perhaps I can supply a little earlier info.My father sailed from Sydney Australia on board the aquatania bound for Malaya early 1941, he was a member of the 2/3 Motor transport company, left singapore before the surrender to the japanese, to arrive in Java, action in Java ended up in P.O.W. camp after the Burma railway stint, shipped to Japan as a slave labourer aboard the Rakuyo Maru which was torpedoed by U.S submarine in the south china sea, the subs. were unaware that prisoners were onboard, and days later when becoming aware of them returned to the area and rescued 92 men who had been on rafts for 6 days . Unfortunately my father was not one of them.
cheers
John Peters [[email protected]]
Hi Rob,
I just had a look at your video clip on the liner and recognised my father lowering the flag.
I was a boy in Southampton at the time and I remember him taking her to the breakers {Clyde I think} as he was a Cunard man after the war from the Royal Navy.
He was a Quartermaster on various Cunard ships and he was in this capacity on her last voyage.
Aquitania was his favourite passenger vessel.
Thanks for the memories.
Conrad Cass [email protected]
Matamata
New Zealand.
August 2009
Hi Rob,
Discovered your Aquitania page and read it all - it's great!Do you have any information on sailings? My grandfather wrote in his journal that he sailed on the Aquitania, August 6 (or 7) 1944, arriving Gourock, Scotland on the 13th. Apparently he didn't actually get off the ship for two more days. He was with HQ Battery, 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion (B Battery of that unit was the one massacred at Malmedy in December '44 during the Bulge). I don't know if the whole battalion shipped that trip or if it was just elements or individuals. I think it was the whole battalion, but am not sure.
I'm interested in learning if, in that crossing of his, the ship sailed alone or in convoy. I'm guessing that, with a seven days' sail, she was in convoy, but even alone, she would zigzag and change speed, so I suppose she could have sailed by herself, particularly since the U-boat threat was diminished somewhat by that time.
Great site - thank you!
Rob Crawford [email protected]
Hi Rob,
Since sending that first e-mail I found a book with Google book search - "Running the Gauntlet: How three giant liners carried a million men to war" by Alister Satchell. Satchell was a member of the Aquitania crew (a cipher officer) from Australia and writes that she and the Queens always sailed alone until the last few months of the war, when each started getting a couple of destroyer escorts on runs.
With her speed and radar, the independent sailing makes sense to me. He says Aquitania sailed from New York on August 6, 1944 and arrived in Gourock, Scotland on August 13, and that she was turned in the Clyde between the 13th and the 15th or 16th. I couldn't read the whole book (Google hides some pages of books that are new or still in print), and a good bit of it was a travelogue of pubs, but there was some interesting info in what I could browse.
Anyway - I'm happy to have my comments posted - it'd be great to maybe find somebody else with a 285th or Aquitania connection. One day maybe I'll be able to follow my grandfather's footsteps and take the Queen Mary 2 to the UK!
Always a pleasure to meet another "Rob".
Cheers,
Rob [email protected]
From: WAYNE DESHOTEL
Date: 13 October 2016 at 20:10
Subject: Aquitania
To: Rob Lightbody <[email protected]>
Hello, I am going through some of my father's old papers. He passed away in 1992, but was part of WWII and was a SGT in the 556th Motor Ambulance Company. He departed from New York on Dec 12, 1943 on the Aquitania heading for the Firth of Clyde. I understand the seas were pretty bad that time of year. Just wanted to share.
Wayne Deshotel
From: WAYNE DESHOTEL
Date: 15 October 2016 at 09:55
Subject: Aquatania
To: Rob Lightbody <[email protected]>
Good morning Robert, I am going through some old papers of my late father and looking through his old army papers. My father had told us when he was alive that they had docked out of NYC Dec 12, 1943 on the Aquitania, and I recently was able to get in contact with the son of his commander where he had kept a diary and emailed me a short story from the diary how they departed NYC late at night Dec 12, 1943 on the Aquitania. I know everything I see online doesn't show the Aquitania being in NYC on Dec 12th, but 2 people saying the same date and same ship has me curious.
thanks