Letter to Clarice from Arthur Biscoe

Letter to Clarice from Arthur Biscoe

He describes the living accommodation and food on the ship. They sailed from Avonport [sic], Bristol then anchored off Barry waiting for a convoy. He is working as a mess orderly and has to queue to collect food for his group of men. They sailed on the fourth day and he complains about rolling. Later he is seasick for days.There is a fight between merchant navy and RAF boys resulting in serious injuries. Later a Canadian Army captain and Arthur's commanding officer had a fight.
On the 15th day they reach Halifax.

1942-01-05

Ten page handwritten letter

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[circled 1]
1389198 LAC BISCOE A.E
PAPAW
C/O H Q.
R.C.A.F.
OTTOWA
[underlined] CANADA [/underlined]
We came aboard yesterday (5th Jan) at about 11 o/clock. [sic]
[underlined] (2nd Day on the Boat.) [/underlined] (Tues)
Dear Clarice, (sorry I mean Mere)
We’ve been on board ship a day now, although we haven’t left port yet, there are 105 of us in a room about 8 feet high and about half the size of our church. in this room, we eat, sleep, play, and do everything, talk about a crush. we sleep in hammocks and those who [deleted] cant [/deleted] haven’t got a hammock, sleep on the floor. (sorry – deck) – the grubs lousy, uncooked, spuds not peeled, - the hammocks are uncomfortable, and we’re all browned off the boat is a Dutch one of about 15 or 16 thousand tons, and is rather old I should think. its certainly not the “Queen Mary” anyway. but still why grumble, we shall have something to moan about when we get out to sea and the tub starts rolling, up to now there’s been no motion at all, just
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like being ashore
Well this letter won’t get posted untill [sic] the end of the journey, so I’ll leave it open, and write peices [sic] when I feel like it.
I don’t expect this letter’ll get through the censors, but I’ll try to get it through in a parcel, so keep everything thats [sic] in it under your hat, or you may get me into trouble for telling.
[underlined] 3rd Day (Wed) [/underlined]
We left from port (Port of Bristol) this morning, and we are now anchored just off of Barry, waiting for a convoy (or maybe an escort) tempers are a bit frayed, the boys in my mess have to go on gaurd [sic] again tonight (they were on on [sic] Monday) they shouldn’t be on untill [sic] tomorrow, so they’re not very pleased, I don’t have to do gaurd [sic] as I’m “Mess Orderly” there are two of us, and we have to go to the galley [deleted] three [/deleted] four times a day to get the
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grub for the rest of the boys, then we have to dish it up, and get hot water, and wash up after, and as we have to queue up for as much as an hour (and more) in a stinking hot galley, with cockroaches and steam beatles [sic] running up and down the wall in hundreds you can tell we’re not very happy either.
Howard & I queued up (in relays) at the canteen today, for about two hours, and managed to get 2 doz 2 1/2 bars chocolate. 1 doz 1/4 lb bars of chocolate (Ration) 1 doz Rowntrees Wine Gums, 1 1/2 doz packets Crisps, I doz packets of biscuits for myself, and some for Howard we shall probably live on that, the grubs not much good, today’s grub wasn’t as bad as before, but still rotten. I only wish I could get some of this chocolate home to you, but we can’t. we can get as much as we like here, (if we queue for them) I hope to make this last the voyage.
Well, I’ll close for now, as I’m not feeling too happy either, still we hope to be going by tomorrow.
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[deleted] [circled 2] [/deleted]
Now comes a rather long break in my narrative. it is now Friday Jan 16th which means that I’ve missed 9 days without writing so the best thing to do is to copy the [deleted] days [/deleted] [inserted] entries [/inserted] from my diary (which I’ve kept through the hardships) and enlarge on them from memory so here goes:-
[underlined] 4th Day (Thurs) [/underlined]
Left Barry at 1 o/clock [sic] this morning with another troopship, under escort [deleted] steering approx [/deleted] and anchored at Milford in the mouth of the river, there are about 3 wrecks visible only small boats, [deleted] and [/deleted] some seem to think they were sunk on purpose to mark shallow water. Didn’t stay long but got under way making good speed steering approx. N.W.W. estimate that we are going North of Ireland, with the possibility of touching at Iceland, the boat realy [sic] started to roll now.
[underlined] 5th Day (Friday) [/underlined]
Woke up to find that we’re now going South Westerly, must be going south of Ireland. Feeling seasick, was sick three or four times, and feel rotten, a realy [sic] heavy sea turning, waves 20 feet or more high, boat rolling horribly, everythings creaking
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[circled 3] and groaning as if in its death agonies
[underlined] 6th Day (SAT) [/underlined]
Sea’s a bit calmer today, one of our destroyer escort (we had two) was badly damaged in the night, and has had to put back. Met one of my night school chums (the one that took my photo for the Evening News) he’s in the Fleet Air Arm, perhaps you remember Eileen speaking about him one tea time he had just been sent to Cardiff – remember? – we had a chat, he’s also going across for flying training (tell Eileen that its Molly Heath’s fellow – Bill something his name is – she’ll know who I mean. Popular rumour is that we reach Halifax (Nova Scotia) (where we disembark,) on Thursday or Friday, sooner the better.
[underlined] 7th Day (Sun) [/underlined]
Still feeling rotten went to see the M.O. this morning, he told me it is “just sea sickness – we can’t do anything to help you” – but he gave me a dose of “Number Nine” and told me to see him again tomorrow. Not much like a Sunday you seem to lose all track of days on
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this tub.
[underlined] 8th Day (Mon) [/underlined]
Still feeling lousy. MO say “rest” wish he’d get the boat to rest a bit. Nothing startling happened today
[underlined] 9th Day (Tues) [/underlined]
Went to MO again today, feeling quite a bit better, learned that we have had to make a large detour owing to Churchill returning to England, his escort have orders to shoot at anything on sight. – Hope they don’t see us, weve [sic] been right down by the Azores which means another week before we reach port.
[underlined] 10th Day (Wed.) [/underlined]
Would have felt OK today but are now in a REAL heavy sea, everything has been lashed down, life lines have been run out over the decks, (to grab hold of otherwise you’d be washed overboard) making no headway, just faceing [sic] the storm, ship is rolling and bucking shivering and shuddering every now and then there are chrashes [sic] of broken crockery, and [deleted] slip [/deleted] stuff falling about (to say nothing of blokes) When the
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[circled 4] ship first starts to roll you’re frightened she’ll sink, then you’re so seasick that you’re frightened she won’t (Ha Ha) Hammocks bumping and banging together all night
[underlined] 11th Day (THURS) [/underlined]
Nothing much to write of today so perhaps I’ll relate a couple of exciting incidents that have happened. One night six Merchant Navy blokes started a row with some RAF boys, along comes the Ships Warrant Officer with a few blokes he’d rallied, and away they go, - bottles – knives – brooms – any old thing, the result was the M.N. bloke go to [deleted] [indecipherable letter] [/deleted] clink and the RAF boys were being patched up at the hospital up to 2 o/c in the morning, arms slit open, razer gashes, blood everywhere.
The only other thrilling thing was the C.O. and an [sic] Canadian Army Captain were both a bit merry, something was said and the Army Captain hit our CO on the nut, thats [sic] all we know, but theres [sic] going to be a Court Martial over it – and thats [sic] all the thrills we’ve had
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[underlined] 12th Day (Fri) [/underlined]
Feeling in the pink today, ate all my meals, and didn’t lose any, first day for ages. – grub not too bad, spent rest of the day playing cards and most of the evening writing up this narrative (I hope it dos’nt [sic] bore you – but it gives me something to do) We have to give in our English currency tomorrow, when we leave the boat we’ll be given $10 (I think thats [sic] right) which is worth about £2-10-0 to start off with, and we’ll be able to draw on the amount we pay in when we get to our station. Estimate at the moment give Monday or Tuesday as the day we reach port.
[underlined] 13th Day (SAT) [/underlined]
The weather has changed greatly through the night, yesterday it was quite warm. I spent quite a long time on deck in the sunshine with only a scarf on (I mean besides my uniform) no greatcoat no gloves, and I didn’t feel at all cold – but today – boy oh boy this morning
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we ran [deleted] int [/deleted] in to another storm which has only abated a bit this evening I went along the deck this afternoon they were deserted, it was blowing a gale, snowing, and bitter cold, you had to grab hold of the rail all the time, and only manage to keep on board at all by sheer will power. We picked up a destroyer escort this afternoon, and everything points to the fact that we should reach port [deleted] l [/deleted] tomorrow or Monday, so heres [sic] hoping Well the boys have dealt me a hand of cards for Whist (Solo) so I’ll leave this story for tonight that’s all I’ve done for a fortnight, play cards, chess, sleep, moan, and feel ill, still never mind, “It wont be long now” (I hope)
Well I’ll finish off this little account of my journey from my diary the 14th Day of the trip (Sunday) was spent much the same as the others, we have had orders to hand in our blankets & hammocks tomorrow, and thats [sic] all that happened
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15th Day (Monday) Handed in all our bedding etc, this morning, we reached dock at dinner time, and the rest you know
And thus passed a rather rough uncomfortable miserable journey and now we’re in jolly old Canada, and liking it. – I’ll get this letter across to you somehow.
So thats [sic] that. It doesn’t make very pretty reading does it, but it passed the time away.
Mere Bye for now
Sweet dreams
Your very bestest
Arthur