Troopships at the Cape 1940-1943

an exhibition of picture postcards from the Gerald Flack collection. Mounted by Mieke Gordon at Simonstown Museum December 1991 - January 1992

Plot

After the Germans had established themselves around the Mediterranean Sea, the Allied Forces had to find a different route to send supplies and troops to the Middle and Far East battlefields. From July 1940 to October 1943 convoys came around the Cape and every three or four weeks thousands of young men and women were allowed a few days of normality in Cape Town, after the cramped, boring and seasickness on board - see ALLAN GORDON's reminiscences of life on board the DUCHESS OF ATHOLL.
The WS Convoys (WINNIE'S SPECIALS as they were pspularly known) were converted passenger ships of all sizes : small ones like the ANSELM of 5 954 tons and monster ships like the QUEEN ELIZABETH of 83 673 tons. Shipping Lines from all Commonwealth countries had made these ships available for the war effort. Passenger ships in foreign port when their countries of origin were overrun by the enemy, were seized and pressed into service such as the Polish ship BATORY, the Dutch NIEUW AMSTERDAM and VOLENDAM and from France the NORMANDIE and the ILE DE FRANCE. Of the 600 ships that arrived in Cape Town - some came several times - only two were sunk : the ANSELM by a U-boat and the SOUDAN by a mine. Loss of life was less than 300, very few indeed, considering that monster ships like the two QUEENS could carry as many as 15 000 each.
However 40 of these ships subseouently were sunk by enemy action. The VICEROY OF INDIA and the NIEUW ZEELAND were sunk by the same German U-boat 407. The survivors of the sinking of the SLAMAT were torpedoed again when the two destroyers that had rescued them were attacked in their turn, so that only 50 of the original 900 on board of the SLAMAT survived their ordeals. Of particular interest is the origin of the LACONIA ORDER and the result that thereafter no survivors were any more rescued by the Germans. The QUEEN ELIZABETH, QUEEN MARY, AQUITANIA, ILE DE FRANCE, NORMANDIE, MAURETANIA and NIEUW AMSTERDAM were defined as monster ships and only once sailed together in the same convoy (WS 1) that reached Care Town on July 16 1940. Thereafter they sailed independently, relying on speed, zig-zagging and evasive routing for anti-submarine nrotection. Other ships shown as having arrived independently in Cane Town, were sailing other than
under a WS Convoy number.
It will be much appreciated if visitors will record their own memories and anecdotes of life on board a troopship. A book for that purpose is available on the table.