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Thread: Alexandria to Durban via hospital ships

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    Default Alexandria to Durban via hospital ships

    Hi all,
    Asking for a friend.
    Is there aby surviving records for the Alexandria Military Hospital and hospital ships leaving for Durban circa 1941. Sorry not accurate date as yet.

    Daisy 1942

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    Default Re: Alexandria to Durban via hospital ships

    Quote Originally Posted by Hazel Stringer View Post
    Hi all,
    Asking for a friend.
    Is there aby surviving records for the Alexandria Military Hospital and hospital ships leaving for Durban circa 1941. Sorry not accurate date as yet.

    Daisy 1942
    Hallo Hazel. I almost fell into the trap of thinking you might be talking about the Alexandra British Military Hospital in Singapore,which suffered badly in the Japanese occupation in 1942.


    So,re hospital ship movements ex Alexandria,Egypt.
    There were many hospial ships serving throughout WWII,either purpose-built or converted,and regrettably,as we know a good proportion of them were attacked despite the rulings of the Geneva Convention.
    The Convoy Web online databases would certainly be of assistance to you,but more info would be required from you or your researcher,viz.individual names of ships.Then,I could help you on this with the help of Convoy Web- ( convoy doesn't mean they always went in convoy,some went independently,or in special Naval detachments ) -to search for port movements,in this case from Alexandria out to Durban c.1941. Without any idea of the name of the hospital ship it will be a long trawl through the records otherwise.Any further pointers?
    Regards
    Graham

    PS When you do know a name for a ship,here's a typical example of what info is presented-Courtesy of Arnold Hague Shorter Convoy series Database.
    From: SUEZ Sunday, 12 January 1941.
    To: DURBAN Saturday, 25 January 1941.
    Official number of ships = 10 (TDS)



    Vessel Flag Tons Built Pdt. Cargo Notes
    ANDES Br 25,689 1939 ITALIAN POWs
    DUCHESS OF ATHOLL Br 20,119 1928 EVACUEES
    DUNEDIN STAR BALLAST DETACHED INDEPENDENT FROM ADE
    EMPRESS OF CANADA Br 21,517 1922 250 EVACUEES
    ORCADES Br 23,456 1937 171 TROOPS, 2032 PoWs
    OTRANTO Br 20,026 1925 268 EVACUEES
    STRATHAIRD Br 22,281 1932 2299 PoWs, INDEPENDENT EN ROU
    STRATHALLAN Br 23,722 1938 193 PASSENGERS & 124 TROOPS
    STRATHNAVER Br 22,283 1931 16 TROOPS, 558 PoWs
    VICEROY OF INDIA Br 19,627 1929 BALLAST 16 PASSENGERS

    Data supplied by Don Kindell, extracted from the late Arnold Hague's paper

    Also-A factual link
    HERE re BMH,Alexandria
    Last edited by Graham Shaw; 24th April 2022 at 09:01 AM.

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    Default Re: Alexandria to Durban via hospital ships

    The El Nil would have been one. Sailed with a Jack Tye on Furness Ships in early 50's who had sailed on her out o Southampton.

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    Post Re: Alexandria to Durban via hospital ships

    Hospital Ships of WW11.The list may not be exhaustive.


    • HMHS Aba
    • HMHS Amarapoora
    • HMHS Amsterdam
    • HMHS Atlantis
    • HMHS Brighton
    • HMHS Cap St Jacques
    • HMHS Chantilly
    • HMHS Dinard
    • HMHS Dorsetshire
    • HMHS Duke of Argyll
    • HMHS Duke of Lancaster
    • HMHS Duke of Rothesay
    • HMHS El Nil
    • HMHS Gerusalemme
    • HMHS Isle of Guernsey
    • HMHS Isle of Jersey
    • HMHS Karapara
    • HMHS Karoa
    • HMHS Lady Connaught
    • HMHS Lady Nelson
    • HMHS Leinster
    • HMHS Letitia
    • HMHS Llandovery Castle
    • HMHS Maid of Kent
    • HMHS Manunda
    • HMHS Maunganui
    • HMHS Naushon
    • HMHS Newfoundland
    • HMHS Oxfordshire
    • HMHS Paris
    • HMHS Prague
    • HMHS St Andrew
    • HMHS St David
    • HMHS St Julien
    • HMHS Tairea
    • HMHS Talamba
    • HMHS Takliwa
    • HMHS Vasna
    • HMHS Vita
    • HMHS Wanganella
    • HMHS Worthing

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    Default Re: Alexandria to Durban via hospital ships

    With ref.to Post # 3 (Colin Wood). HMHS EL NIL. Just doing a quick check on El Nil,as an example, for the year 1941 she is listed as doing only the following movements re Egypt in 1941.:-
    arr Suez from Bombay Feb.9,1941
    dep Suez Feb.17 in the 23 ship convoy BSF 2 but convoy dispersed,destinations not stated on Feb.22nd. Strangely,in that convoy containing mainly Troops and POW,s she is listed as carrying Cotton ! She next reappeared over a year later in the convoy lists on 20/6/42 in a Boston/Halifax-Liverpool convoy.

    All the other hospital ships in that list would have to be checked re any possible presence in Alexandria/Suez,bearing in mind it was often not recorded due to wartime secrecy.

    Best Regards
    Graham
    Last edited by Graham Shaw; 25th April 2022 at 02:24 PM.

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    Default Re: Alexandria to Durban via hospital ships

    Hi all,

    Many thanks for the information, I know this group can always be relied upon to provide a pointer in the right direction. I shall pass the information on and we will see what we can find!

    Hazel

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