A giant dockyard crane hoisting one of the heavy Army lorries on to the flight-deck of H.M.S. Illustrious this morning. Drivers in the foreground are Privates Boyd, Betts, Luckie and Adams – all looking forward to their first trip abroad.

 

5,000 TROOPS TO SAIL FROM CITY

By OUR NAVAL CORRESPONDENT)

FIVE THOUSAND Troops are being brought to Portsmouth tomorrow by seven special trains, to embark in the aircraft carriers Illustrious and Triumph. They will sail on Monday for the Middle East, the Illustrious leaving at 9:15 a.m. and the Triumph at 3:50 p.m.. The troops, who have been assembling at Dover, Harwich, Maidstone and Colchester, will consist of men of the Royal Iniskilling Fusiliers, Royal Army Service Corps, R.E.M.E., 25 Field Engineer Regt, Royal East Kent Regt, (The Buffs), 1st Battn Border Regt, 3rd Division H.Q. and Divisional Signal Regiment and the 39th Brigade head-quarters. First train will arrive at Portsmouth Town Station at 8:53 a.m. and others at approximately hourly intervals, concluding with one reaching here at 3 o’clock. Marching to ‘Yard Each train load will assemble in the station forecourt, and then march to the Dockyard main gate. They will probably to headed by an Army band. Troops will be under the command of Major-General Sir Hugh Stockwell, K.B.E. and the Brigadier Commander will be Brigadier J.W. Tweedie, D.S.O. of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Today, loading the stores and transport was started in both carriers, which are lying alongside Dockyard jetties. Arrangements for the reception of the troops in the ships is complete. Lorries and other vehicles were driven into the Dockyard at intervals yesterday and during the night. On both jetties this morning cranes hoisted them high onto the flightdecks		of the carriers while the Army drivers stood around in groups, others assisting with the unloading. Most of this work, however, was carried out by naval ratings.All of the men are in good heart and looking forward to the trip. A large number are National Service men, one of whom, Private G.H. Betts, of Manchester, told me: “I used to work on the ships at Manchester Docks, but I never thought I’d be sailing in one.” He and his three chums, Privates Boyd, Luckie and Adams, all national service men, are going abroad for the first time. Last night they had their first experience of sleeping in hammocks slung in the Illustrious’ hangar. Pte. Boyd said he fell out of his at the first attempt at getting into it, and the others agreed that they needed a little more experience in the art of slinging. All were full of praise for the sailors – “They are very friendly and have helped us a lot,” was the general comment. Reuter reports from Cairo that British troops were on the guard today against possible rioting in the Canal Zone. The British destroyer Chevron, towing two lighters, arrived at Famagusta Port, Cyprus, today to load food for British forces in the Canal Zone. Two other British ships left Cyprus this morning with tanks, military transport, and some food. Mail Delay The Post Office announced today that civil surface mails for Egypt are subject to delay because of the situation in Port Said. There is no mention that civil air mails for Egypt are being delayed
Hammocks slung in the Illustrious		A fully loaded Illustrious

Newspaper Article dated Saturday, November 3rd 1951
Sent in by William (Bill) Wilkie, RAMC 15 Field Ambulance 1951-52
Who joined this voyage on the Illustrious
(See above for the hammocks in which they slept on board)

 

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