GOODBYE TO

ENGLAND

THE JARVIS FAMILY’S VOYAGE TO AUSTRALIA

WILLIAM JARVIS

© Hilary Abel, Kelvin Jarvis, Lindsey Meester

GOODBYE TO ENGLAND

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Original manuscript by William Sydney Jarvis 1961

Editing, design and typography byCarol Glover

2014

MARLEY STREET PRODUCTIONS

FOREWORD

In 1961 William (‘Bill’) Jarvis left his home at Welford, Northamptonshire, to migrate to Australia with his three young children, Hilary (14), Kelvin (8) and Lindsey (7). Sadly, Bill’s wife, José, had died the previous year.

During the voyage Bill kept a log of the journey to send to his daughter Hilary’s classroom teacher, Miss M. Clarkson, at Loddington Hall, in Leicestershire1. Miss Clarkson summarised his account and published it in the school’s magazine, The Venture.

Bill’s record of the journey on the Fair Sky is published here in full, except for about eight pages of his handwritten manuscript that have gone missing: the gaps are indicated, and substituted with excerpts from Miss Clarkson’s summary, in italic. A selection of Bill’s surviving photographs are included, mostly in accordance with the labels he gave to them.

Dr Carol Glover, 2014.

1 M. Clarkson ‘A Journey From Southampton to Melbourne’ in The Venture Vol 1. 1961, p. 24. Miss M. Clarkson, had been Hilary Jarvis’s class teacher since December 1960.

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Back: Bill Jarvis. Front: Kelvin, Lindsey, Hilary Jarvis. Loddington Hall, Leicestershire, October 1960, about six months before the journey to Australia.

CHAPTER 1∏

FINDING OUR SEA LEGS

‘On Tuesday 2 May, after passing through customs, we went aboard the Fair Sky at Southampton. Promptly, at 4.30pm, the ship’s siren sounded and the ropes were cast off. Gradually the coast of Britain disappeared and we were really off on our way to a new life in Australia.’

Quoted from: M. Clarkson, ‘A Journey From Southampton to Melbourne’ in The Venture Vol 1. 1961, p. 24.

We passed round the Isle of Wight into the Atlantic, then round through the Bay of Biscay, which was rather choppy. The children were all very sea-sick, but soon got their sea legs and their stomachs back.

We had followed the Portuguese coast nearly all day, and on the 5th we entered the Straits of Gibraltar, with Spain on our left and Africa on our right. We could see the town of Tangier, and also, we passed very close to the Rock of Gibraltar. We have seen a lot of oil tankers and other boats traveling toward England. We are now well over 1100 miles from Southampton, and the weather is getting warmer every hour, as now at 3 o’clock on the 5th of May it is 67ºF, and in a few days it will be really hot.

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Portuguese coast

Hilary, Bill and Lindsey Jarvis, Bay of Biscay, 5 May 1961..

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Hilary, Kelvin and Lindsey Jarvis, Bay of Biscay, 5 May 1961.

CHAPTER 2∏

TO MALTA

Saturday 6 May

Midday: We have travelled 1,682 miles. We passed the towns of Algiers and Tunis on the African coast, and during the night, at 7 o’clock, Pontelleria Point, a small island near Malta. In another few hours we should be passing Malta. Whether or not we shall see it we don’t really know, but will have to wait and see.

Saturday 6 May, continued ...

We put the clocks forward 30 minutes last night, and we shall be putting them forward practically every night now.

Sunday 7 May

Sunday afternoon we passed Malta and had a fine view of it. We also saw Gozo, one of the group of Islands round Malta, as well as Moona [Comino?].

At 2.30 in the afternoon we saw the Port of La Valetta and main town; what an impressive site it was as well! I took photos of Gozo and Moona [sic] and the town and harbour of La Valetta: an aircraft carrier was in the port. We saw a R.A.F. rescue launch: it came to escort us for a short way, very close to the side of the ship.

8Approaching Gozo

Malta

British craft, Malta.

The weather now is really getting hot, and the sun is shining all day. I have taken some marvellous shots and will let you have some as soon as possible.

We are now in the Sicilian Sea and the water is very blue; in fact, one can actually see fish just below the surface. We have seen a lot of porpoises and also one or two flying fish.

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CHAPTER 3∏

LIFE ON BOARD THE FAIR SKY

Monday 8 May

At noon today we had travelled a distance of 2,495 miles

Monday 8 May

It is Kelvin’s birthday and I have ordered a cake for him; it will be a nice surprise for him.

I hope this afternoon we shall be having a glimpse of the Suez Canal and Cairo, but I don’t think that we shall reach it today. We have the navigation officer tell us each day what we shall see, if anything, and also the weather for the next 24 hours.

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Above: Kelvin Jarvis celebrates his 9th birthday on board the Fair Sky with family and friends. Bill, on Kelvin’s right, supervises the candles ritual.

Right: Kelvin plays table tennis on the deck, with onlookers to his right. Note the lifeboat to his left.

The time is now 8.30, we have just finished breakfast, and the sun is now even beating down with great heat.

We had travelled yesterday, at noon, 2,057 miles. We have a few cases of sunburn on board, of people trying to be clever, but are finding that the rays of the sun and the wind combined are having the effect of drying up the pores in the skin and causing very painful blisters.

At noon today we had travelled a distance of 2,495 miles. We have not seen any land at all today, but we pick up the pilot tomorrow at the entrance of Port Said, at 6.30 in the evening. We are still putting the clocks on, one hour each night.

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A Fair Sky menu, kept by the Jarvis Family as a memento.

CHAPTER 4∏

PORT SAID

Tuesday 9 May

The swimming pool has been filled up, and the children are all delighted. The sun was very strong at 7 o’clock this morning; we had a rather stiff breeze, but it has dropped considerably now. A convoy of five cargo vessels coming from the Suez Canal passed by at 9 o’clock this morning, and four of them were oil tankers.

Tuesday 9 May, continued ...

Today is our first port of call, Port Said. We are not allowed to land there, but all the merchants are allowed to come on board on the lower deck.

At 1.15 this afternoon we passed Alexandria on the Egyptian coast. Now the sun is really hot, and not being used to it, one can only stay out for a short time before running for cover.

At 5 o’clock this evening we passed an island off the Egyptian coast that has a lighthouse and a village the size of the island, which is five miles round.

At 6.30 p.m. we picked up the pilot for the journey through the Suez Canal, and we have gone into Port Said harbour and anchored there for the night. There, the little boats piled high with goods came alongside, and the bargaining began. I got a wallet made of leather for two shillings and some sun hats for the children for 1/6d each.

Up to lunch time today we have travelled 2,992 miles. There are a great number of boats in the harbour of all nationalities and all sizes, from liners and tankers to sailing boats and launches.

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CHAPTER 5∏

SUEZ CANAL

Wednesday 10 May

We pulled anchor at 7 o’clock this morning and entered the Suez Canal. I took some photos of the boats with goods on them and one of the Suez Canal, looking forward over the bow of the ship.

Wednesday 10 May, continued ...

All the Egyptian police had revolvers and were patrolling the ship all last night, right up until the ship sailed this morning. There was one of the vendors selling Tuesday’s papers (English) for 1/5d each; quite a profit don’t you think? And comics were as much as two shillings each.

At about 9.15 this morning, on the banks of the Suez, we passed the village of El Kantara, which I took two photos of. We have also seen camels loaded with green fodder for the animals, as many as 20 in a line, all tied together, with the baby camels walking alongside.

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El Kantara - Egyptian town on the eastern bank of the Suez Canal.

Suez Canal

It is now 11.30 a.m. and we are tied up in a lay-by off the canal to allow a northbound convey to pass on its way to Port Said. In all, there will be 21 ships to pass, and it will be 5.30 before we start again. The convoy consists of four liners, seven cargo vessels, and ten oil tankers.

At 6.30 this evening we shall see Ismailia. I was hoping to get some photos of it, but found that I had run out of film; still, we were a little too far away to have got any good shots.

The time is now 11.30 pm and the pilot has just been taken off the ship. We are now entering the Suez Bay, and by tomorrow morning, when we go for breakfast, we shall be in the Red Sea.

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Arab house on the banks of the Suez Canal

CHAPTER 6∏

THE RED SEA

Thursday 11 May

We are now in the Red Sea. When we went on deck this morning at 6.45, we saw in the distance the coastline of Africa, some mountains, and also some little tiny islands - but they were really barren, only rock and sand.

Thursday 11 May, continued ...

I have a leaflet all about the Red Sea, which I am sending to you, and also one of the Suez Canal. I can honestly say that I have swum in the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, as the swimming pool is filled with sea water.

Today’s weather is extremely hot. In fact, with the sea air as well as the sun, one can only stay in the sun for a short period at a time; although, some folks do stay out in it, and they are getting bad sunburn.

(pages missing)

Saturday 13 May

On Saturday May 13th at midnight we went ashore at Aden ... we returned to the ship at 3.30 a.m.2

... binoculars and tape recorders and thousands of toys. You could buy a battery wireless for as little as £4/70/-, no duty or tax to pay. Also, you could get an electric Remington shaver for £3. I bought a remote controlled police car for 12/6d (battery operated, reverse and forward movement with steering); I have seen exactly the same thing in England costing 43/-; it is very nearly 12” long.

2M Clarkson 1961, op. cit., p.24.

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Hilary could not understand the natives of Aden all laying down in the streets, sleeping; and the smell of Aden was enough to put anyone off. Hilary, as I thought, is very irritable today, so I shall have to put her to bed early.

Above and right: Aden Harbour

We untied from the buoys, and the tugs swung us around to face the opposite direction to leave the harbour at 7 o’clock this morning. The temperature at midnight last night was 101º, and everybody was looking rather wilted when they got back to the ship.

It is nice to be at sea again, just to get the breeze, but with the heat one has to keep out of the sun.

Just as a matter of interest, the ship weights 15,684 tons, with an overall length of 563 feet. The refrigeration room is very nearly twice as long as the main hall at Loddington, with three different levels as it is covering the centre of the ship, from the hold up to B Deck.

There is the sun deck, bridge deck, games deck, promenade deck and lower promenade deck, then ABCD decks.

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Perim Island in the Red Sea, Yemen.

CHAPTER 7∏

FLYING FISH AND STARS THAT

TOUCH THE SEA

Monday 15 May

I awoke this morning with the ship going up and down like a rocking boat, and the wind was quite rough. Nearly half of the passengers on board are staying in their bunks, all feeling bad.

Monday 15 May, continued ...

We are seeing flying fish all day now, and to see them skimming over the waves is something quite extraordinary. They are not really big - about 12 to 18 inches long - and with the wings open they are about 12” across.

Last night the sky was really beautiful, and the stars looked as though they were touching the sea. The most fascinating thing that I find, and also the children, is the fact that as soon as the sun goes down it gets dark within ten minutes. In fact, if you started walking round the deck of the ship it would be dark before you had finished the round trip.

We have boat drill again this afternoon and everybody has to be there, whether they are bad or not.

Tomorrow I am taking Hilary up to the bridge to see the instruments and wheel where the ship is operated from; it should be interesting.

Total distance at noon today was 4578 miles.

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CHAPTER 8∏

900 MILES OFF COLOMBO

Tuesday 16 May

The weather is at a really lovely temperature, reaching 94º, and the sea is really calm. At noon today we have the belief the distance since leaving Southampton is 5381 miles, about half way to Melbourne.

Tuesday 16 May, continued ...

We are about 900 miles off of Colombo, which is on our port side; that is, the left side when looking forward. We shall be on the equator tomorrow morning at 5.30, and in the afternoon there will be the ceremony of crossing the line; and also, there will be a fancy dress parade for all children under 12 years old. Kelvin wants to go as a pirate if we can find the clothes for him to wear.

We had a laugh at lunch time today. One of the stewards was serving soup and there was an orange in the large tureen, and one of the passengers told him what to do with the orange. Well, they didn’t think that the steward could understand English, and when he gave an answer there was a deadly hush for a few seconds - then the laughter began.

... we saw two small brown whales in the Indian Ocean. 3

3 Clarkson 1961, op. cit., p. 24.

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A steward serving on board the Fair Sky

CHAPTER 9∏

VERY LONELY, AND NOTHING BUT SEA ALL AROUND US

Thursday 18 May

We have now covered the total distance of 5816 miles; the weather is good and very calm; the boat is hardly rocking at all.

Thursday 18 May, continued ...

We crossed the equator at 5.30 this morning, and this afternoon we have the ceremony of crossing the line.

Well, the show is over and I have heard people say that it was the poorest show they have ever seen and very tame. All the people who went through the ceremony were picked out beforehand, so there was no excitement at all. It was all over in ten minutes. Not one of the officers on board took part in it, and only two were looking on. And if that is the way the Italians do things I don’t think much of it.

Hilary has now finished my jumper and it fits me very well indeed. And talk about heavy! Still, it will do for me when we have the cold

evenings in Australia. Since leaving Aden we have not seen a single ship, or bird, or plane; very lonely and nothing but sea all around us - the Indian Ocean.

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Certificates were issued for crossing the equator

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Kelvin and Lindsey Jarvis; Kelvin is dressed as a pirate for the line-crossing ceremony.

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(pages missing)

After this, life became monotonous as we saw neither ships, nor land, for days. The sea was often rough, but happier, the temperature was becoming cooler. 4

4 Clarkson 1961, op. cit., p.24.

CHAPTER 10∏

WE HAVE TRAVELLED 7,851

MILES

Tuesday 23 May

Today the welfare officer will be telling us the information that we shall require to know when we disembark, such as port procedure, and also customs.

Tuesday 23 May, continued ...

The weather has calmed down now, and there is hardly a swell to the boat; but it looks as though it may rain as the clouds are getting rather black in the distance ahead of the ship.

Well, another eight days and we shall be in Melbourne. And only another three more days and we shall be sighting our first glimpse of our future homeland, Australia. On Friday we dock at Fremantle for four or five hours to disembark the passengers who only go that far, and also, we are picking up some passengers who are going back to England. The return ship travels back via Sydney, then round Australia to Singapore and Colombo, then Aden, then the Suez to Southampton.

At noon today we have travelled 7,851 miles.

Wednesday 24 May

Tomorrow morning we have to get up fairly early as all the passengers on board have to have a medical exam before arriving in Fremantle, to make sure no-one has a contagious disease. So the doctors will have a very busy time all day. Then, on Friday morning, it is the customs and immigration authority’s turn.

Well, we must now go to sleep.

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CHAPTER 11∏

SOUND OF THE ANCHOR BEING

DROPPED

Thursday 25 May

Well, again we are one day nearer our destination. In only a few hours we shall be at Fremantle and able to go ashore for a few hours. We travelled another 431 miles to noon today, bringing our total now to the sum of 8,697 miles.

Thursday 25 May, continued ...

Everyone on board is excited as we have not seen a single ship since leaving Aden on the 14th although today we have seen a few turtles and also some very large whales, quite close to the ship. The turtles were very big as well; they must have numbered about 14 or 15; it was quite difficult to count them owing to the waves.

Friday 26 May

We awoke at 5 o’clock this morning to the sound of the anchor being dropped, and so we all got up and had our first glimpse of Australia. All the lights of Fremantle were shining like a lot of stars. When we had all

passed our passport examination we had to wait then, till we drew alongside.

Then we went ashore and went round the town and had a most lovely cup of tea, made with fresh milk, instead of dried milk. I did enjoy it! You could buy a complete side of lamb for only 25/- to 30/- and all of the meat was really cheap, compared with English prices. All of the shops looked so beautifully clean, and nobody was in the least hurry, all strolling along without a care in the world, and each and everyone choosing exactly what he or she wanted, with exacting confidence. What I saw in the couple of hours ashore proved to me the Australian citizen was a most careful shopper. The pavements in Fremantle were as wide as the average English street, and the roadways were twice as wide.

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CHAPTER 12∏

LAST LEG TO MELBOURNE

Friday 26 May, continued ...

We set sail again at 12.30 pm and are now on our last leg to Melbourne. At noon today we have travelled 312 miles, so now we have covered 9,011 miles.

Saturday 27 May

Another 410 miles passed away at our stern, bringing the total now to 9,421 miles. The weather has been really lovely today and very warm. Most of the passengers have been out on deck all day. Very little is happening on board now, apart from the farewell dance that is being held tonight.

We have seen more whales today and they are the really big ones. The colour of them? Well, I would say very nearly black.

Sunday 28 May

In 48 hours we shall be landing in Melbourne and meeting Edie and Claude for the first

time in nearly 13 years.5 The weather today is perfect: beautiful sunshine, and the temperature is still up in the 70ºs. So you can imagine how we are looking forward to our life in Australia if this is winter, or at least the end of the second month of winter.6 We have been told that the lowest recorded temperature in Melbourne was 48º, but usually it stays around 55-65º.7

(pages missing)

Editor’s notes:5 Edie is Bill’s older sister, and Claude Seymour is Edie’s second husband. 6 Actually, it was the last month of Autumn. 7 Perhaps this is a reference to average minimum autumn temperatures for Melbourne, which it approximates.

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Monday 29 May

We had a very peaceful night with the ship running very smooth, and I think that we have done a considerable distance on our daily run. The weather is now getting cooler, and one needs a cardigan or jumper on early mornings or evenings.

Well, and now we are 436 miles nearer Melbourne - 10,284 in all since leaving Southampton - and only another few more miles to go! The children are all going to bed early tonight as it will be a fairly big day tomorrow, especially since we have a long train journey.

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CHAPTER 13∏TIRED,

BUT HAPPY

Tuesday 30 May

At last our journey is really over, and we are all very tired, but happy.

Tuesday 30 May

Today we have arrived at our destination, Melbourne, at 1.40 a.m. All morning we have seen the coast getting closer, and all the people who are getting off here are getting excited. All morning we have seen nothing but jelly fish, simply thousands of them floating past, and quite a few of them are poisonous. At midday today the total distance travelled was 10,723 miles, and we have been informed that we have another 47 miles to go, bringing the total distance from Southampton to Melbourne, 10,770 miles.

We left the boat at 3.15 p.m. today and we went to the station to catch the 4.15 to Wangaratta, and then about 60 miles by truck to Bullioh, arriving there at 7.30 in the evening.

At last our journey is really over, and we are all very tired, but happy.

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The Jarvis children, Lindsey, Hilary and Kelvin, soon after arriving in North-Eastern Victoria.

APPENDIX

Sample pages from the Jarvis family’s ‘passage contract’, and the Sitmar Line ‘General Information for Passengers’.

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