Troopship route length to North Africa 1943

Hi all, I am hoping someone can tell me which route my dad took when embarking UK on 10/05/43 and disembarking BNAF on 27/05/43. I am not sure if 17days would have taken him around the Cape or whether he would have gone across the Med as Tunis had just fallen. I have looked on Convoy.web and the only port arrival for that date is Alexandria, Egypt. I have no idea what convoy he was in when he left the UK or where from and cannot get a response from Convoy.web email address. Any help would be much appreciated.
Best regards - Steve Bell

 

AIUI BNAF is for British North Africa Force

A journey round the Cape took about 2 months. The first through convoy through from Gibraltar to Alexandria didn't sail from Gib until 24 May 1943, arriving 4 June 1943. So he can't have gone to Alexandria,

So given your embarkation / disembarkation dates he must have been sent to one of the Algerian ports.

 

Also bear in mind the date for embarkation is not necessarily the sailing date, in some cases this could be up to 5 days later.

Tim

 

Hello Steve. Taking into account the posts of Ewan and Tim above likely favourite (for me) is the combined convoy WS 30 - KMF 15.

If you are willing to say, please, what arm of service was your dad in?

If he served in the army do you know which regiment and Battalion?

This information would help narrow the field.

Good luck with all your searching,

Kind regards, always,

Jim.

Edit: As Tim has pointed out re embarkation and departure dates differing, this could also apply to arrival at destination and then disembarking (it didn't always happen on the same day).

 

To illustrate my thinking, all courtesy of the good folks at Uboat.net

"Combined convoy WS 30 / KMS 15.
This combined convoy was formed off Oversay on 19 May 1943. The convoy was divided into convoys WS 30 and KMS 15 at sea on 25 May 1943.
The combined convoy was made up of the following (troop) transports; Arawa (British, 14462 GRT, built 1922), Argentina (American, 20614 GRT, built 1929), Boissevain (Dutch, 14134 GRT, built 1937), Brisbane Star (British, 12791 GRT, built 1937), Deseado (British, 9641 GRT, built 1942), Duchess of York (British, 20021 GRT, built 1929), Franconia (British, 20175 GRT, built 1923), H.F. Alexander (American, 8357 GRT, built 1915), Indrapoera (Dutch, 10825 GRT, built 1925), Johan van Oldenbarnevelt (Dutch, 19429 GRT, built 1930), Letitia (British, 13595 GRT, built 1925), Mataroa (British, 12390 GRT, built 1922), Ormonde (British, 14982 GRT, built 1917), Samaria (British, 19597 GRT, built 1921), Siboney (American, 6938 GRT, built 1918), Sloterdijk (Dutch, 9230 GRT, built 1940), Staffordshire (British, 10683 GRT, built 1929) and Stirling Castle (British, 25550 GRT, built 1936).
The landing ships HMS Royal Scotsman (Lt.Cdr. J.D. Armstrong, DSC, RD, RNR) and HMS Royal Ulsterman (Lt.Cdr. W.R.K. Clark, DSC, RD RNR) were also part of the convoy.
On formation off Oversay the convoy was escorted by the aircraft carrier HMS Unicorn (Capt. Q.D. Graham, CBE, DSO, RN), heavy cruiser HMS Suffolk (Capt. R. Shelley, CBE, RN), armed merchant cruiser HMS Corfu (Capt.(Retd.) C.C. Bell, DSO, RN), destroyers HMS Sardonyx (Lt.Cdr. A.F.C. Gray, RD, RNR), HMS Active (Lt.Cdr. P.G. Merriman, RN), HMS Boadicea (Lt.Cdr. F.C. Brodrick, RN), escort destroyers HMS Cleveland (Lt. J.K. Hamilton, RN), ORP Slazak (Kmdr.ppor. (Cdr.) R. Nalecz-Tyminski), sloops HMS Lowestoft (A/Cdr.(Retd.) L.H. Phillips, RN), HMS Wellington (Lt.Cdr. J.T. Jones, RD, RNR), HMS Weston (Cdr. L.F. Durnford-Slater, RN), Cutters HMS Gorleston (Cdr.(Retd.) R.W. Keymer, RN), HMS Totland (Lt.Cdr. L.E. Woodhouse, RN) and the frigates HMS Exe (A/Cdr. M.A.O. Biddulph, DSC, RN) and HMS Ness (A/Cdr. T.G.P. Crick, DSC, RN).
The destroyer HMS Sardonyx apparently parted company on 20 May.
HMS Cleveland fuelled from HMS Suffolk during the morning of 21 May.
At 1130Z/23, HMS Active sighted a surfaced submarine in position 42°16'N, 15°40'W at a range of about 6000 yards. Shortly afterwards HMS Ness also sighted this submarine. Both ships rushed towards to attack and the submarine was seen to crash dive. When the range was down to 2900 yards HMS Active obtained contact on the target with her Asdic. At 1143Z/23, HMS Active dropped a pattern of ten depth charges set at 150 and 300 feet. At 1150Z/23, HMS Ness dropped ten depth charges (150 and 300 feet). At 1158Z/23, HMS Active came back for another pattern of ten depth charges (350 and 550 feet). At 1212Z/23, HMS Ness dropped ten depth charges (350 and 550 feet). A double explosion was then heard by the two escorts. At 1223Z/23, HMS Active dropped ten depth charges (350 and 550 feet). At 1240Z/23, a small amount of wood and cork wreckage came to the surface as well as life-jackets, coffee tins marked 'Napoli' and a pair of fresh human lungs. At 1305Z/23, HMS Ness dropped a final pattern of ten depth charges (500, 550 and 700 feet). It is believed that the Italian submarine Leonardo Da Vinci was sunk in this attack. The most succesful Italian submarine of the Second World War disappeared with all hands. Nine officers and fifty-four ratings perished.
At 0630Z/24, the transports Brisbane Star and Deseado were detached from the convoy.
Around 1530Z/24 a German Focke Wulf aircraft attacked and dropped some bombs near HMS Unicorn but no damage was done.
At 1040Z/25 the convoy split up. All escorts proceeded with convoy KMF 15 except for HMS Suffolk, HMS Corfu which went along with WS 30. Convoy KMF 15 was made up of the transports Arawa, Boissevain, Duchess of York, Franconia, Indrapoera, Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, Letitia, Ormonde, Samaria, Staffordshire and Stirling Castle. HMS Royal Scotsman and HMS Royal Ulsterman were also part of this convoy.
On the 26th, the transport Letitia proceeded to Gibraltar as did HMS Unicorn which had on board Beaufighter aircraft and aircraft spares besides two operational squadrons which she had been able to operate during the passage. The escort destroyers HMS Farndale (Cdr. D.P. Trentham, RN), HMS Haydon (Lt. R.C. Watkin, RN) and HMS Tynedale (Lt. J.J.S. Yorke, DSC, RN) had come out to escort them in although HMS Haydon was later detached to proceed to the assistance of an aircraft that had crashed into the sea. HMS Active, HMS Cleveland and ORP Slazak also put into Gibraltar.

The transports Staffordshire and Stirling Castle were detached and arrived at Oran on 26 May.

The remainder of convoy KMF 15 arrived at Algiers on 27 May."

Kind regards, always,

Jim.

 

67th Field Regt sailed on Duchess of York scheduled to sail on 26 February1943 cast off midday 28th but did not sail until 1st March.
Arrived Algiers 9th March.

From A History of the 67th Field Regt by P Mennell.
(Something for the convoy researchers to look up).

The Passengers
Lt Beadle had completed a Signals Course at Catterick a few months before, so could read Morse Code.

My first safe topic is therefore the food on board ship, which is superb.
Ever since our first meal we have been feeding like kings with unlimited butter and sugar and vast helpings of every kind of meat and savoury.
Not to forget ice cream with the emphasis on the “cream”.
On the second safe topic is the weather which has been reasonably kind, is growing sunnier every day.
Our first days were spent in fairly high seas which caused great destruction amongst the sardine packed troops and
made the decks so slippery with seawater and other more human materials that PT was cancelled for two days until fatigue parties with brooms and buckets had restored order.
I was amongst the few who continued to knock back a four course breakfast, five course lunch and dinner throughout the confusion though this was probably because I had a good steady job which kept me on deck most of the time.
My job is that of “Subaltern Officer of the Defence Watch” which I share with four others of the Regiment.
My duties consist of attending to the efficiency of those parts of the ships defences which are manned by our gunners.
We do normal ships watches which keep us fairly well employed and in the meantime we sleep, read, eat and write and do our turn of PT.
It is an interesting job in that one has access to the bridge and to all the guns which are of course at the best vantage points on the ship.
When I’m not touring around or talking to the gunners I go up on the bridge and watch the horizons or read the morse messages which are continuously flickering between the ships of the convoy.
These are of course a great source of information and make me feel part of the intricate organisation which guides us so safely and uneventfully on our way.
This is a dry ship which originally caused loud lamentation from our happy family of Majors and Captains who painted the town red for a week before we left and who therefore started this trip with appalling thirsts!
However everyone has settled down happily now to orangeade and ginger beer and doubtless we shall all disembark in a state of magnificent health.

I am berthed in a stateroom with three other subalterns in bunks which are as soft as any civvy bed.
We’re extremely comfortable though crowded and there are many bickering’s about clothes and books and cigarettes left lying about in other people’s territory.

The men are packed like sardines and don’t have too good a time below decks.
When they’re abed their hammocks are so tightly packed that no-one can fall out- a good job because there are more men sleeping on the floor underneath. However as I said in an earlier letter everyone is very cheerful and confident and what grumbling there is in a cheerful view.
The men’s food, though they have to queue for it for a long time, is very good so they have some consolation.
Also Players at 8d for twenty, makes up for many inconveniences.



67 FR Officers signatures

 

Hi Jim
Thanks for getting back to me. My Dad enlisted with the Leicestershire Regiment in 1940 but was held back until 03/0243. On 22/02/43 he was posted to the 8th Bn Royal Warwickshire Regiment on permanent attachment. His embarkation date was given as 10/05/43. He then disembarked 27/05/43 BNAF still in the Leicestershire Regiment. He then leaves the Leicestershire Regiment on 12/06/43 and is posted to the 5th Bn Northamptonshire Regiment which was part of the 11th Infantry Brigade, 78th Division positioned around Tunis at this time.
The story we were all told was that he was fitted out and going to the Far East but got diverted on route to the Middle East (presumably due to the fall of Tunis)
I have attached his War Records and would much appreciate any thoughts
Best regards - Steve Bell

 

What a fantastic insight into what would be the lull before the storm so as to speak - Thanks

 

As per my post above Steve, and an onerous task, my way forward would be to search the records of the individual troop transports of convoy WS30/KMF15 for any ship that started boarding on the 10th of May '43. It would help you narrow the field and hopefully determine which of the ships listed below that your dad departed on. They are the only transports that I have found that would fit the date parameters given in your dad's records.

Combined convoy WS 30 / KMS 15.

This combined convoy was formed off Oversay on 19 May 1943. The convoy was divided into convoys WS 30 and KMS 15 at sea on 25 May 1943.

The combined convoy was made up of the following (troop) transports; Arawa (British, 14462 GRT, built 1922), Argentina (American, 20614 GRT, built 1929), Boissevain (Dutch, 14134 GRT, built 1937), Brisbane Star (British, 12791 GRT, built 1937), Deseado (British, 9641 GRT, built 1942), Duchess of York (British, 20021 GRT, built 1929), Franconia (British, 20175 GRT, built 1923), H.F. Alexander (American, 8357 GRT, built 1915), Indrapoera (Dutch, 10825 GRT, built 1925), Johan van Oldenbarnevelt (Dutch, 19429 GRT, built 1930), Letitia (British, 13595 GRT, built 1925), Mataroa (British, 12390 GRT, built 1922), Ormonde (British, 14982 GRT, built 1917), Samaria (British, 19597 GRT, built 1921), Siboney (American, 6938 GRT, built 1918), Sloterdijk (Dutch, 9230 GRT, built 1940), Staffordshire (British, 10683 GRT, built 1929) and Stirling Castle (British, 25550 GRT, built 1936).

The landing ships HMS Royal Scotsman (Lt.Cdr. J.D. Armstrong, DSC, RD, RNR) and HMS Royal Ulsterman (Lt.Cdr. W.R.K. Clark, DSC, RD RNR) were also part of the convoy.

Here are examples of troops (airborne soldiers in this case) journies aboard the transport ships Staffordshire and Stirling Castle (that both fall within the dates of when your dad travelled in May 1943).

Good luck with your searching.

Kind regards, always,

Jim.

 

The above post is revealing to those who are interested in what their relatives wore and when.
67 Field Regt part of 1st Division were wearing battledress until the fall of Tunis
As stated by Lt Beadle 30th May 1943
"Since yesterday I have become a shop window soldier, resplendent in new K.D. new flashes, webbing and gaiters scrubbed white and highly glazed boots.
The reason being my sudden appointment as Officer, i/c Regimental Guard on an important H.Q. in a town in our area".


(Shepherd Family Collection)
Major Shepherd in Battledress circa 7th May 1943

(Shepherd Family Collection)
Major Shepherd in KD Shorts June 1943

"While on the subject of anti-malarial precautions; I’m just getting over a bad spell during the first weeks of Atabrin (our synthetic quinine).
Many people take time to become accustomed to the daily tablet and I am one of them.
The symptoms are violent indigestion, headaches and lassitude".

 

Many thanks Jim, that information is fascinating and it certainly fits my Dad's records - Best regards - Steve

 

Many thanks for that information - Best regards - Steve

 

Thank you, Jim, for pointing out this thread to me. The information is really helpful in my search to find out more about my uncle's war. He served with the RASC and was attached to the 1st Airborne in April '43 under Lt. Col. T.H. Jefferies. Jefferies' War Diary entries for 9 April 43 state that they will need ships for 1300 troops (all ranks) and 900 vehicles for transport to Algeria. In May, Jefferies notes they are moving from Milston to Bulford on 14 May,and from Bulford to "Port of Embarkation" on 15 May, which he later identifies as Port Glasgow. They arrived at the port on the 16th and "embarked on H.M.T. P.74." leaving port at 0730," met up with the convoy" and berthed in Oran at 1900 on 26 May. (I haven't found out what P.74 means, but one person suggested it was a temporary number for a ship in a particular convoy. Another was that is was an army number).

Knowing they went to Oran means they travelled either on the "Stirling Castle" or the "Staffordshire" as those ships left convoy KMF 15 while others continued to Algiers. I found that the "Stirling Castle" was designated 136, so I am reasonably confident my uncle was aboard the "Staffordshire." NOTE: Uboat.net and others identify the convoy number as KMF 15, not KMS 15. I know KMF were Fast convoys and KMS were Slow convoys - but I don't know which is correct for this convoy. The distance in nautical miles between Port Glasgow and Oran , Algeria is 1603 and www.sea-distance.org estimates that a ship traveling at 10 knots would complete the voyage in 6 days and 16 hours going via the Strait of Gibralter. That all seems to fit given the dates in the War Diary - but was the Convoy KMF or KMS? Any ideas welcome.

Also - my uncle then served in N. Africa prior to going with the 1st Airborne to Tunisia to support Operation Husky in Sicily, and then with the unfortunately names Operation Slapstick to Taranto as a diversion to support the main thrust against Salerno. Jefferies' War Diary mentions capture of a train shipment of 3-Star Martell brandy that lubricated their efforts.

As always - if you find errors, please let me know.

Thanks, Barbara

 

Hi Barbara,
HMT = Hired Military Transport. P74 is a ship's name designation which changed for every trip.

The convoy was KMF 15

It may be worth checking out the following files at TNA Kew: Convoy Commodores Report KMF 15 - ADM 199/720/54
Search results: "KMF 15" | The National Archives

Regards
Hugh

 

Hi Hugh,

Thank you for this quick and very helpful response! I appreciate confirmation of the convoy number and what P74 stands for. HMT - interesting. Other sources stated the letter stood for His Majesty's Troopship, and also His Majesty's Trawler. Hired Military Transport makes more sense, however as the ships, many from the Union Castle line, were requisitioned. Do you have a source for this information I could use? I'll follow up with again with the National Archives link. I did try to search there a few days ago for KMF 15, but there was so much information that I gave up.

All the best,

Barbara

 

Hi Barbara,
This annoys me a little as it is copied ad-nauseam from the web. HM Troopship is an unofficial title - a ship prefixed HM would have to have been commissioned and would fly the White Ensign.
Same for HM Trawler it is an unofficial tag. Those trawlers that were commissioned into the RNPS were commissioned and flew the White Ensign and were prefixed HMS.

So those requisitioned ships you mention - well if they were commissioned then technically they could call themselves HM Troopships but requisitioned is not another word for commissioned although many ships that were requisitioned were indeed commissioned into the RN.

The regulations as far as I am aware have not changed in decades - attachments below from
Kings Regulations and Admiralty Instructions 1913.

Re the ADM files at TNA Kew - they are best viewed by a visit to Kew unless you have a pretty good researcher that knows what they are looking for.

Regards
Hugh

 

The history of KMF 15 has been documented from Admiralty records on the amazing: Allied Warships of WWII - Armed Merchant Cruiser HMS Canton - uboat.net

 

Hi Hugh,

Again, my thanks. There is so much misinformation online - as well as in print - it is hard for an amateur in this field like me to differentiate between the two sometimes. I am a trained researcher, but in sociology, and I live in the US so KEW is accessible to me only online and if hire a researcher to help, which I have done at times. I'm writing the story of my mother, an actress who during the war was with the VAD at RAF Croydon, and my uncle. I've found family stories, newspaper articles, and even documents like ship manifests contain misinformation. This has been a multi-year exploration to learn about who these people were before I knew them, and it has been fascinating. I have written the manuscript as historical fiction because I needed to make up dialogue, but I am trying to make it as accurate as I can. I greatly appreciate your help. Barbara

 

My Grandad Stanley Ashworth was on the same convoy, on the Samaria, boarding on the 26h of february 1943 in greenock in Scotland on 08 march he noted passing gibraltar and that a u boat had been sunk in the middle of the convovy, could this have been and excercise he was unaware of?
Transcript:
08 march passed gib, u boat sunk at 8hrs in mid of convoy

I've got his own limited account Stopping at algiers 09march to arriving at annaba on 12 march 1943, he was a royal engineer by the way.

01 march

 

This is wonderful! Thank you for sharing your grandfather's story. His account reminds me of what I learned about the "Warwick Castle," the ship my mother travelled on from Glasgow to St. John, NB, in January, 1941. I found someone who had been on he same voyage as a child, and visited him in England. He told me the food was superb and that rationing ended for passengers when they got on board. Where would the food have come from, and who was cooking it?

I've printed your message and will read it again a few times - but in the morning when I'm not so tired!

All the best - with thanks,

Barbara