On the day of departure my brother Yee Leong accompanied me on the train journey from Calcutta, where I was born to Chinese parents, to Bombay from where I had chosen to emigrate from India to Great Britain, carrying all the necessary immigration documents, together with a British Work Voucher, a permit to work in the United Kingdom. I hardly had a moment to reflect on the busy week since resigning from my job at Bird & Co. to being transported to the gangway of 'Orcades' the P&O passenger liner. The porters took my trunk and two leather suitcases to be stored until arrival, leaving me with the lightweight hold-all and my document case. So well organised.
I wept as I said goodbye to my wonderful brother and was unconsolable at the thoughts of having left my great family in Calcutta; my fabulous parents never tried to stop me from leaving home, always supportive of everything I did or wanted to achieve. Suddenly I was all alone on the deck, waving till my brother left the harbour for his train journey home. This is a journey like no other; I was never alone on any of my previous travels and I always had a return date with ticket.
I held on tightly to all my school certificates, my BA degree, French and Commercial diplomas plus all the letters of reference given to me for the three years I worked in Calcutta since my graduation. All the emotions of the previous week suddenly overwhelmed me despite the whole year's preparation for this trip: my father getting me the most beautiful blue trunk he could find, my mum's worries that I might be cold and made sure I had a summer coat and a heavier tweed coat with an extra warm lining. The trunk soon filled up and we had to get another suitcase for all the towels, tablecloths, napkins and things I cannot afford to buy when I arrived in England. Why? Because of Indian Government policy at that time, of allowing emigrants only £3's worth of Rupees when leaving the country.
This 16-day cruise from Bombay to London was booked for myself and family friend Vicky to share a cabin, but her documentation for travel could not be completed before departure date, so had to rearrange for a future flight. I found myself sharing a two-berth cabin with a Yorkshire lady returning from her grandmother’s 90th birthday in Australia. She too was sad that she might never see her again. The journey took on a different aspect as we got to know each other, and I learned many things about life in England, the hardship faced by post-war Britain and food rationing that was eased only recently. Yet stoically, pragmatic Britons abroad showed no sign of the strife they suffered, even after their treasury was totally depleted by the two horrendous World Wars.
P&O's Orcades was an excellent passenger liner catering to every need. Steaming through the Suez Canal was interesting, I gave Aden a miss but managed to get on the coach to see the sphinx and the pyramids. The next place of call was Barcelona, a must see by any traveller, I had since re-visited a few times.
With just £3 in my pocket I was glad to be able to go ashore and explore by myself some of the most beautiful cities in Europe. The snag came as we sailed up the English Channel, a storm buffeted the ship so much that the stabiliser had to be raised and the decks rolled from port to starboard, so much so my face almost touched the rolling waves as my breakfast decided to do a heave-ho! I was scared out of my wits and struggled to get back inside as fast as I could.
What a difference a day makes! From the sunny bright 15 days through the Suez Canal into the Med, colourful Spain and historic Lisbon to suddenly be up against banks of fog, mist and dark grey clouds. Even as we approached the docks at Gravesend, I could not see the fingers at my arms length. That was a shock to the system. An Indian girl standing near me was physically trembling. Was he cold, I asked. She nodded and rubbed her hands, wearing just a cardigan. I had bought two pairs of leather gloves, one pair meant for my friend Vicky arriving by air. Spontaneously I offered her the gloves, giving her the address of the hostel where I was booked so she could return them in a few days. That was the last I saw those gloves!
Miraculously, as we embarked, the fog lifted enough to see the gangway to descend, and to my surprise and relief, I saw the friendly face of Willie Au, my brother's good friend, waiting with throngs of people for the ship to disembark. I was truly blest!
When you consider some events in life, there is always a rainbow just lurking around the corner.
It's taken the Pandemic and the lockdowns to get my Life's Journey restarted. So until next time....
Jean Romsey
No comments:
Post a Comment