Voyage time Liverpool to Colombo Ceylon 1915

[Richard Miller]

Hi forum members

Can anyone give me an idea of how long it would have taken my grandmother to travel from Liverpool to Colombo by ship. She traveled 1st class on the Bibby Lines ship Herefordshire which departed Liverpool on 11th December 1915 and went via Marseilles, Port Said (and the Suez Canal) to Colombo?

Would the ship have had to avoid the German Navy on the way?

Many thanks

Richard

[Browneyes]

I've had a quick search on the gjenvick.com

or arrangements can be made for passengers to travel from Liverpool Overland by any of the established routes via Marseilles.

taken from this page... AnchorLine/1912-Brochure-InformationForPassengers
on this site.

Will leave it with you now...

B x

[Richard Miller]

Hi B

Thanks for your reply but the site you mentioned mainly refers to trans Atlantic shipping and my post referred to shipping to Ceylon. I found your reference but it doesn't mention how long a journey to India on anchor line ships would have been either.

Regards

Richard

[Browneyes]

I have found extracts from a diary:

Memoirs & Diaries: France, Egypt, Mesopotamia 1915-1916
Updated - Sunday, 16 September, 2001 by E. E. Jones.

He talks about leaving France on the S.S.. "Vita" at Marseilles on December 21st 1915 and arriving at Port Said on January 1st 1916

Will keep looking.

B x

[Browneyes]

More info...


The Durham Light Infantry 18th (Service) Battalion (1st County) (Durham Pals) sailed from Liverpool for Egypt on 6 December 1915, arriving Port Said on 21 December. Went on to France, arriving 11 March 1916.


The Sheffield City Battalion (12th York and Lancaster) embarked from Port Said on 10 March arriving five days later in Marseilles.

Extensive information on the Bibby Line is available on The Red Duster website, a website owned by the Merchant Navy Association. Perhaps you could contact them.

B.

[Browneyes]

Last post () sorry, pc mucking about hence the separate posts!

The Herefordshire and Oxfordshire (Bibby Line) served as military hospital ships during this time.

[Richard Miller]

Hi B

Thanks very much for your additional posts. It looks as if my grandmother would have taken about 2 or 3 weeks get from Liverpool to Port Said, which I guess is about half way on her journey to Colombo Ceylon where she she married my grandfather the day after she arrived. I don't know the exact date of arrival, which is what I am trying to find out. I am guessing that this must have been sometime in January 1916 since she left on 11th Dec 1915.

I have taken up your suggestion and left a message on the Red Duster Website hopefully this will give me a little more information.

Thanks

Richard

[Browneyes]

My pleasure. I hope you get a reply from them. Please let us know how you get on.

B x