Colin's Diary

Who Are They?

Leslie's diary

At the end of their year's tour of duty with the UN Occupation Forces in July 1957, the 1st Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment embarked on the Asturias at Inchon, South Korea on Saturday 27th July 1957 for their next posting in Gibraltar. However, a number of us were to remain on board at Gibraltar to return home to Southampton for demobilisation at the end of our two year's National Service.

Little did we know at the time that the same vessel had carried the surviving POWs from the 'Glorious Glosters' home, some five years earlier from Korea.

This was to be the final voyage of the Asturias before decommissioning, although, before going to the breaker's yard in September 1957, it was used for the shipboard scenes for the first film about the sinking of the Titanic, "A Night to Remember".

Our accommodation was a 6 berth cabin with the bunks in three pairs. I was fortunate to have the top bunk nearest the porthole, which was a blessing through the heat of the tropics and the Red Sea, especially as one of our number, who was working in the galley, obtained a cardboard box which we tied into the open porthole to act as a wind scoop when under way – until the sea “got up” and started splashing through, that is!

Asturias sailed from Inchon the next morning, Sunday 28th July just after 7.00 a.m. and by Monday midday had made 517 miles (we always had a ‘distance travelled’ report over the p.a. system at midday). A couple of Royal Naval ships escorted Asturias from Inchon, down the coast of China and through the Straits of Formosa to Hong Kong. My mother had been born in south east China in 1910, where her father was in missionary service, so it seems strange, now, to realise that I had passed with 100 miles of her birth place.

I was on fire-watch duty on the aft-docking bridge at sunrise on Wednesday 31st July as we sailed westward into Hong Kong, and had a magnificent view of the sun rising over the rim of the Pacific Ocean, while just on the port side a beautiful white lighthouse stood sentinel on a small grassy island, set against the huge green mound of the main island rising behind it, before docking at 9.00 a.m.

As I was hoping to train as teacher, I volunteered to help with the morning “school” each day for young children, which was held on the promenade deck by one of the civilian wives, who was a teacher. This gave me a “job” for the voyage and kept me from being ‘conscripted’ for any other task!

Every Friday we had “Emergency Stations” practice. It was reassuring that the procedures were well rehearsed.

We docked in Singapore at 8.30 a.m. on Sunday 4th August, and were ashore by 9.00 a.m. and were able to look around the city and attend the morning Eucharist in the Cathedral before returning to the ship at 2.00 p.m. and sailing at 5.00 p.m.

It was good to see Hong Kong again, having had three weeks leave there the previous February, although I was not allowed ashore as I was still on duty. We sailed at 6.00 p.m., and it was only after we had sailed that we heard the sad news that the ship’s Captain had died suddenly and had been buried at sea at 5.00 p.m. on Tuesday 30th, the night before we had arrived in Hong Kong.

By Friday 2nd August we were steaming at 18½ knots towards Singapore, having covered 451 miles from noon on 1st to noon on 2nd.

We dropped anchor in Colombo harbour just before noon the following Thursday, 9th August, after rather a rough crossing from Singapore. There was only time for a couple of hours shore leave before sailing at 6.00 p.m. By this time, we knew we were sailing home via Suez and not round The Cape of Good Hope, as relationships since the Suez Canal War the previous October had improved sufficiently, and the Canal had been cleared of sunken ships. I believe it was the first troopship to sail through the Canal following the War. I understand, also that the Empire Orwell on which we had sailed to Korea the year before, was the last troopship to pass through the canal before the Suez war, but this would need verifying.

After anchoring off Aden and then traversing the Suez Canal, we docked in Gibraltar about 23rd August. We had shore leave, including a visit to see the “Barbary Apes”, while the Battalion disembarked.

The regimental band assembled on the dockside to play us off (“Sussex by the Sea”, of course!) on the last leg of the voyage, and we docked in Southampton on the 27th August, when we disembarked from Asturias, our “home” for the past month and the last passengers to have been carried by her after 31 year’s service.

Royal Sussex Regiment - Boarding, Inchon,
South Korea, 27 July 1957
[click on photos to enlarge]

Departure, Hong Kong
31 July 1957

Gurkha Greeting, Singapore
4 August 1957

Singapore
4 August1957

Gurkha Farewell, Singapore
4 August 1957

Colombo
8 August 1957

Gibraltar
23 August 1957

Royal Sussex Regimental Band Farewell
23 August 1957

Arrival, Southampton
27 August 1957