TOPIC:

David,

These are mostly loose 6 x 8's from my archive. It seems that Durban photographer J.E. Middlebrook spent much of his time on Durban quayside photographing troop ships as they docked. He would then sell copies to the officers and men as souvenirs of their arrival in South Africa.

I am finding that the numbering system wasn't hard and fast. I have now come across several ships which had different numbers at different times. See two posts below for a probable explanation for this.

I don't believe I have images of Cymric and Formosa, but I will keep looking. I have just found the two below.

Neville
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No. 4 - Nubia

P. & O. Steam Navigation Co., Ltd.

Master: G.C. Henning
Chief Officer: Francis Edward Andrews
Chief Engineer: C. Ferguson / A. Henderson
2nd Officer: F.W. Bennett / G. Clark / F.S. Murray / F.H.S. Stone / E. Williamson
Supernumerary 2nd Officer: B.B. Hetherington / A.P. Parmeter / E.J. Thornton
2nd Engineer: A. Camilleri / G.W. Smith
3rd Engineer: W. McCall / R. Torrie
Purser: L.H. Insoll

Operated both as a Transport and as a Hospital Ship


Admiralty Return, 13 Aug 1903

Date of Admiralty agreement: 30 Aug 1899 (but did not enter into pay until 4 Oct 1899)
13th Transport to be engaged by the Admiralty.
Served as both a Transport and a Hospital Ship.

Period of engagement: 4 Oct 1899 to 31 Dec 1902

Total days at sea: 652
Total numbers transported to South Africa: 138 officers, 9 warrant officers, 2,166 men, 6 horses
Total numbers transported from South Africa: 333 officers, 4,322 N.C.O.'s & men
Total cost (hire, fittings, coal, port dues and conversion to a Hospital Ship): £291,928



.Oct 1899 - May 1900








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Okay, I think I have now got to the bottom of the duplicate numbers.

Transports engaged in the UK and India were given the same sequence of numbers. However, to distinguish the two apart, the UK numbers were generally displayed with "No." before the digits, while their Indian counterparts had the digits only.
It seems this distinction between the two services was only in place during the conflict. Before and after the war the Indian Troop Service used the full “No. xx”, as is evident from photographs of the Dunera (No. 1 and No. 6) and the Dilwara (No. 3 and No. 5).

The Wardha, a transport engaged in India on 17 Sep 1899, was marked as below, while the Bavarian carried the full "No. 16" ...



The Wardha





The Bavarian




Similarly, the Warora was marked as below, whereas the Staffordshire and the Hospital Ship Trojan both had the full "No.10". "No. 10" was reissued to the Staffordshire in May 1902, after the Trojan had been discharged from Admiralty service. To date, I have only found two instances of numbers being reissued in this way.




The Sirsa or the Warora





The Hospital Ship Trojan






The Staffordshire



As noted above, photographs exist of the Dunera with both numbers 1 and 6. Before and after the war, Dunera sailed as an Indian Transport: she was "Taken over from Indian Troop Service" on 5 Nov 1899 (H.M.S.O., 13 Aug 1903). Interestingly, the Dunera was the 59th ship to be engaged by the Admiralty for the UK / Cape service, so the early numbers (1 and 6) are perplexing. No. 6 was an Indian Transport number, meaning that No. 1 was assigned to the 59th vessel hired by the Admiralty. This may simply reflect the fact that the Dunera had been in the employ of the Admiralty (via the Indian Troop Service) prior to the war.

Another ship that was taken over from the Indian Troop Service was the Dilwara. Photographs of this Transport show it with both "No. 3" and "No. 5" markings.



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Good Morning Everyone......

A silk woven post card of S.S. LAKE ERIE......

Carried Strathcona's Horse to England after their service in South Africa......



LAKE ERIE / TYROLIA / CENTURION / SAXOL / ASPENLEAF / PRYGONA 1899

The LAKE ERIE was built by Barclay, Curle & Co Ltd, Glasgow in 1899 for Elder Dempster Line. She was a 7,550 gross ton ship, length 446ft x beam 52ft, one funnel, four masts, twin screw and a speed of 13 knots. There was accommodation for 100-1st, 80-2nd and 500-3rd class passengers. Launched on 21/11/1899, she left Liverpool on her maiden voyage to Cape Town on 30/1/1900 as a Boer War transport and made 8 round voyages on this route. On 24/6/1902 she commenced her first voyage from Liverpool to Quebec and Montreal and in 1903 was acquired by Canadian Pacific together with the Canadian interests of the Elder Dempster Line. She commenced Liverpool - Quebec - Montreal sailings for her new owners on 28/4/1903 and in 1906 was refitted to carry 150-2nd and 1,000-3rd class passengers. In 1910 she was chartered to the Allen Line and commenced London - Quebec - Montreal voyages on 14/5/1910. She made 25 round voyages for the Allen Line, the last one commencing 6/2/1913 when she left St John, NB for London. In 1913 she was renamed TYROLIA for Canadian Pacific and in April of that year started sailings from Trieste to Quebec and Montreal. She commenced her last voyage on this service in February 1914 when she left Trieste for St John NB and on 28/2/1914 sailed from St John for Liverpool. In August 1914 she commenced her last London - Quebec - Montreal voyage and on 28/10/1914 was converted to the dummy battleship - HMS CENTURION. She later became a troop transport and then a store ship. In 1916 she was fitted with tanks, converted to a naval oiler and was renamed SAXOL. On 7/10/1916 she went to Lane & MacAndrew Ltd and was renamed ASPENLEAF. Transferred to the Shipping Controller on 7/11/1917 and on 12/9/1919 was sold to the Anglo Saxon Petroleum Co (Shell Oil). Renamed PRYGONA on 11/1/1921 and was sold to Petersen & Albeck, Copenhagen on 6/2/1925 for scrap. [North Atlantic Seaway by N.R.P.Bonsor, vol.3, p.1307] [Canadian Pacific - 100 years by George Musk]

No. 75 BRITISH PRINCE
Launched 1899. Operated by British Shipowners Co Ltd, Liverpool. Capable of 13 knots.
Sold in 1905 to an Italian firm who renamed her the Sannio. Sold again in 1913 when she became the Napoli.
8th July 1918 whilst bound for Genoa she collided with another ship and sank.

The ship my Great Grandfather, Capt. G.M. Heath, C.O. 2nd Balloon Section, R.E., sailed on.

Kinfauns Castle (Freight Ship)
Union Castle Steam Ship Co., Ltd.

Embarkations:
30 Sep 1899, Southampton to Cape Town, 25 officers & N.C.O.'s and 291 men. Cost: £5,913
23 Mar 1901, Southampton to Cape Town, 12 officers & N.C.O.'s and 440 men. Cost: £8,486



.Sep 1899 - Jan 1900











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