Tongariro (1883-99) passenger list added

A list of passengers travelling on the 3rd May, 1884 voyage of the Tongariro has just been added here, thanks to a listing on eBay. The Tongariro was launched on 23rd August, 1883. In the book Crossed Flags (ISBN 0 905617 87 8), it states that she could carry 64 first class passengers, 36 second class, and 250 in steerage. All 64 first class tickets were sold out for this voyage. She also had refrigerated space for no less than 27,000 carcasses!

Steamship Tongariro. Photo: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, released into the public domain.

Collectables – Serviette (Napkin) Ring

A very popular souvenir produced for sale to passengers on the Remuera was the serviette or napkin ring. These don’t appear to have been in use on the ship, but just produced for sale along with many other items including teaspoons, lighters, goblets, vases, table lamps, bottle openers and even embroidered cushions. The souvenir shop must have been bulging at the beginning of each voyage.

The website RMS Remuera shows a further four designs of serviette rings, dating back to at least 1926.

 

Very early postcard view of the 3rd Class Dining Saloon with no sign of serviette rings

Another postcard, this time showing the 1st Class Dining Saloon. The serviette rings are seen inserted in the glasses. Would they have done this in rough weather I wonder?

Rangitane first voyage – partial listing

I have just added a partial listing for the maiden voyage of the Rangitane which took place on 26th January 1950. One notable passenger on the list was The Countess of Orford (who I believe may have been visiting her daughter, or travelling with her daughter, Lady Anne Berry, although this is just a guess).

I have also found The Countess Orford on the Rangitiki in May 1949 on the voyage from Auckland, New Zealand to Southampton, UK, where her occupation is listed as “Peeress”!

The Rangitane called at Pitcairn Island on this maiden voyage but not many of the Pitcairners visited the ship. According to the book Pitcairn Island as a Port of Call, by Herbert Ford, Pitcairn postmaster Roy Clark wrote:

Yesterday a large passenger ship called here, but because it was Sabbath, not many went off to the ship, for on this day [the Sabbath] we do no trading. I think a good few of the passengers were disappointed. On these Sabbath-calling ships we do missionary work by giving away our [religious] papers.

Rangitiki – night time call at Pitcairn, September 1960

Ken Sunshine recently contacted me through this Blog asking if I knew where to find the passenger list for the Rangitiki, from London to Wellington, in September 1960. I managed to track it down on familysearch.org (a free website), and in the meantime, Ken also found a different listing on findmypast.co.uk (you will need to be a paid up member to see this listing). Neither of these sites take their information from the printed passenger lists (as this Blog does), but from the official New Zealand Shipping Company listings.

According to Pitcairn Island as a Port of Call by Herbert Ford, the Rangitiki called at Pitcairn on 26th September on that particular voyage, so I asked Ken for his memories of the event:

“We did indeed call at Pitcairn. 57 years on it is still a vivid memory.

We dropped anchor about 2 a.m. Out of the darkness canoes appeared, tied up alongside, occupants with their wares clambered up the sides of Rangitiki and set up on the deck. All I remember were bunches of small bananas and carved wood items. We bought two turtles inscribed “Pitcairn Island” and “From Pitcairn Island, made by Sam Young”.

At 4 a.m. the ‘market’ closed, the visitors returned whence they had come and to the strains of Aloha-Oe disappeared into the blackness.

Most of the passengers slept through the whole event and missed a wonderful experience.”

I did not realise that ships called at Pitcairn in the middle of the night, I assumed they would just pass by. But as shipping has always been an important lifeline for Pitcairn, and in the days before email, with mail being so important, day or night would not matter to the islanders.

The photograph at the top of this post was taken by Tony Probst. It shows Pitcairn Island just before sunrise. Venus can be seen just above the moon. Clicking on the photograph will take you to Tony’s “Smugmug” site where you can see some fabulous photographs of Pitcairn Island. The other photographs show Ken’s Pitcairn turtles, purchased in 1960.

A mystery photograph

On a recent visit to a local postcard fair, I managed to purchase this atmospheric real photo postcard taken on board a mystery ship. I love these photographs because they make me want to take a walk along the deck, maybe rest a while in a sun bed, or just watch the open sea. Where are the passengers? Perhaps all taking lunch, or maybe on a shore excursion?

There are very few clues, but what got me most interested was the back. I have a small collection of 1920s photographs by New Zealand Shipping Company barber/photographer Henry George Keyse. Some of his photographs feature the back style shown below, and this mystery photograph has the same back. Now I don’t even know if it is a New Zealand Shipping Company vessel, and it is my great hope that one of the readers of this blog will be able to help me out. I have reproduced the whole postcard which you can click to see a larger image, and also a selection of close up areas which I hope will act as little clues to, as Hercule Poirot would say, get your little grey cells working!

Sunbeds

Clock

Painting

Please, if you can help in any way, give me your views in a comment.

This is the back of a Henry Keyse postcard from the 1920s. The postcard above has the same back style, including the sun logo, but without the publisher text on the left hand side.

 

Rangitata – 1st July, 1960

The full passenger list for the Rangitata‘s voyage which left London on 1st July, 1960, bound for Wellington, has been added to this site: Click here, or use the drop down menu “Passenger Lists” at the top of this page.

If you’re interested in owning an original passenger list, please have a look at my eBid auction page. Half of the sale price will be donated to Cancer Research.

Zeppelin Raids on London

 

What is the connection to this blog?

I’m sure you’ll agree that Zeppelin Raids on London is a rather strange heading for a post about the New Zealand Shipping Company. Let me explain.

My interest in the Zeppelin raids on London was sparked by the letter which follows, written to Percy Norris in 1915. I purchased it to learn more about the New Zealand Shipping Company, but it turned out to be far more interesting to read what was happening to Percy’s sister back home in London.

The best way to find out what the First World War raids were really like is to speak to the people who lived through them. In a small way, we can still do this by reading their personal letters. I purchased more letters, all written by Londoners, which described in vivid detail their experiences. It was considered quite outrageous at the time, that civilians should be targeted in this way. For the British, wars had previously been fought well away from the United Kingdom, so this was a new, and very frightening experience. My collection of letters contain fascinating glimpses of everyday life, and show how the British sense of humour survived, even through great adversity.

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How to buy my book

I have published the letters, together with a brief history of the Zeppelin attacks, as an illustrated eBook which is available from Amazon price £1.99 (UK), or equivalent outside the UK.

Clicking on the link above, or the image on the right, will take you to the page on Amazon for your country. A free sample of the book may be downloaded before purchasing.

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Finding Maud Norris

Thanks to records available online, I have been able to learn more about the Norris family. Percy was a Steward, working for the New Zealand Shipping Company during the First World War, on the SS Turakina. He had four brothers and four sisters. Two of his older brothers were listed as Stewards on the 1911 UK Census, his father and another brother were bakers.

SS Turakina (David James Aldersley postcard)

My research showed that, happily, Percy survived the war, and also the sinking of the Turakina on 13th August 1917, by the German submarine U-86.

Old postcard showing Selfridges store

Percy’s sister, Maud, who wrote this letter, was working as a Waitress in 1911, and I believe she may have been working in an office at Selfridges department store by 1915.

I have not been able to find any further information about the German spy masquerading as a doctor in Colchester. If true, it is an awful story.

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Letter from Maud Norris

11th September 1915
Portman Square, London

It’s our flag
Fight for it

My Dear Percy

I am so sorry dear I did not see you before you left England you had only left the house 10 minutes when May and I arrived home. I sent a letter the same night to you but have had it returned, as you will see by the enclosed, it arrived just a little too late, anyway I hope I’ll have better luck next time, I do hope you will get this letter dear. Write to me as soon as you do. I hope you will have a safe journey both ways. I am always thinking of you and trust you will be kept safe.

Contemporary postcard showing the raid described by Maud Norris

I am suffering from an attack of nerves again, I am positively terrified, we had the rotten German Zeppelins over the City and West-end on Wednesday night at 10.45 Sept 8th 1915. They dropped a lot of bombs, 12 I think in all several big fires were started down the city.

I was out at Hyde Park Corner when the first bomb was dropped. I was absolutely paralysed and thought my time had come. Over 150 casualties it passed right over our house.

I have not had any sleep for 2 whole nights in fact on Wednesday night I was out with Jessie all night too frightened to go in. We went down the city to see the fires. They did not get them under control until 6 o/c in the morning. Banks and warehouses were utterly gutted, there is not one window left in any house outside Liverpool St Station it is all barracaded up and train services has been seriously affected, in Holborn a lot of damage was done. 3 little children being killed in one street. I was out investigating last night, it made my heart ache to see the dreadful damage done. The fires lit all London up. I have been so frightened ever since.

They were expected last night 13 in all. It came through the tape at Selfridges but 150 of our airmen went up and drove them back (thank God). You cannot realise how terrible it all is unless you saw the damage done.

A motor bus was struck outside Liverpool St and everybody killed in fact the driver has not yet been found. 3 or 4 buses in all were destroyed. I only hope they won’t come again.

I saw it quite plainly and our guns from Hyde Pk Corner were firing on it the noise was terrific. I stood and watched it for 1/2 an hour and could see the shells bursting all around it.

At Colchester 150 poor young fellows have had to have their arms amputated owing to a poisonous injection by a German Spy the doctor he has of course been shot the devil. And one of my friends has lost her boy through it, she is nearly broken hearted.

Willie expects to go to the front soon he is on his last training, but mother does not know yet, so do not mention this if you write, but of course Percy we have all got to suffer one way or another, and I do not think that our brothers and sisters in America realise our position we are not safe even in London.

We have all got to do our bit in one way or another if its only just cheering somebody else up. I was at St Marks College Hospital last Sunday afternoon with May to see Jack’s father but he had gone out for a drink so we did not see him so we left our card and a nice box of chocolate for him he is getting on nicely now.

A poor lonely Canadian boy stopped us as we were leaving, and said he had no one to visit him. I felt so sorry for him, so we have promised to go and see him again and take him some apples as he said he had such a longing for some. He gave me a little scented sachet he was so grateful to us, for speaking to him, and we shall certainly go and see him again.

Mrs Foster came up to see me yesterday to see if I was safe after the air raid. I went out to lunch and tea with her. She asked after you, and sends her best regards also.

Percy expects to go to France soon. She has given me a nice photo of Percy I tell you he is “some Officer” now. He is coming up this week end, so no doubt they will run up and take me out to lunch again, “more swank”.

I am going down home now, so will have to close as I shall not be home very early as it is, but I felt I must write and give you all the news, for I know you will appreciate it all. By the way dear, I have bought a swell rain coat thank you very much dear, 25/11. I know you will like it, all the girls in my office send their love to you and are just dying for an introduction so you had better hurry up and come home again, it seems so funny at home now. I missed you awfully the first Sunday I was home.

I have had a Post Card from my Prisoner of war today, poor boy he is so sick of it all, he says, we are all longing to see London “Oh so much” and begs me to write as the time is so long and he feels so lonely. Well dear boy Good bye and God bless you trusting you are well with tons of love and kisses from your loving sister Maud xxxxxxx

P.S. Don’t forget to keep your life-belt handy. I do hope you get this letter soon, ta ta “thumbs up” for home. Keep smiling

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Below, a David James Aldersley postcard comprising images of Hobart, Wellington (from four of his postcards), and the Turakina. The back shows that the card was written on 3rd December, 1912 and posted to the UK.