'Mantola' comes to life.

Our Chief Officer was Lt.Cdr.A.G. (Arthur) Brooks DSC, not long out of a German Prisoner of War camp. He was Assistant Harbour Master in Tobruk when it fell to the Germans, 20th June 1942. He attempted to escape, with others, in a landing craft which became an easy target for the German tanks at the water's edge. With their steering gear smashed, they grounded on the beach. The Harbour Master died in Arthur's arms.

Arthur wore a padded aluminium shin protector on one leg, which we thought was from a war wound, but which in fact was from a motorcycle accident before the war. He was the product of one of the old BI Cadetships, the 'Devon' as I recall, and had for a time been seconded to HMS 'Dufferin' in Bombay as a Cadet Instructor.

Captain C.J. (Claude) Feller was the Master, and at that time he had been Master of 'Mantola' for the past ten years or so, taking his leave while the vessel was in UK ports. He was short and portly, and while he may have been charming to passengers, he was extremely autocratic when it came to his officers, especially deck officers, most of whom left after one voyage. Except, that is, for Arthur. Claude was in the habit of bellowing at Arthur through a megaphone from the Bridge, when Arthur was on stations forward. I remember him yelling 'you bloody wrecked hen' at him once, and the words used were so unusual that they have remained with me.

The 'Mantola' built in 1921, was one of six sister ships. Her cruiser stern was the only change to the classic profile of many BI ships built in the 1910's and earlier, with her vertical bar stem and matchbox superstructure amidships. She was a 'Home Line' vessel - one of the few BI ships that sailed regularly out of a UK port, and apart from the war years had been on the East African route since 1924. (see 'Merchant Fleets' by Duncan Haws). About 9,000 tons gross, 11,000 deadweight, and a service speed of around 12 knots. I wish I had kept a small sample of the thick paint round the superstructure, showing the various shades applied over the years, from 'stone' colours to various shades of grey, and then to white.

I was very fortunate, not long after joining 'Mantola' to be given a small radio by my parents, a 'Motorola', grey in colour. 'Mantola's electricity supply was 110 volts d.c. as were quite a few of the fleet, if not all of them, at that time. This radio was a Godsend and lasted pretty well the whole of my apprenticeship.

'Mantola' features in an autobiography by the author Roald Dahl, 'Going Solo', published in 1986. The first chapter of the book is called 'The Voyage Out'. Roald was apparently on his way to Dar es Salaam to work for Shell in the autumn of 1938. He describes 'Mantola' as 'an old paint-peeling tub with a single tall funnel and a vibrating engine that rattled the tea-cups in their saucers on the dining room table.' I can't believe that of a vessel with turbine engines. Other descriptions that he gives simply are not true. For instance, he occupies a cabin on the boat deck from which vantage point he observes Major Griffiths from Alahabad and his wife, both stark naked, running fifty times round the deck at sunrise. Elsewhere he mentions staggering upstairs from his cabin to the bar, and I know that one had to stagger downstairs from the boat deck to the bar (it was called the 'Pig and Whistle' and had a varnished skylight which opened on the Boat Deck by No.3 hatch).

'Mantola' Southbound, 19/2/48 in Suez Canal, midships section. Me on after end of funnel deck. Photo by Peggy Barnett.