05/06/07…Brendan Sparks has emailed us
Along with Stephen Yates and many others, I was on the short Scandanavian cruise in 66 that took in Heligoland and the Kiel Canal. I too remember the rough seas off Heligoland. The trip broadened my mind and I don’t think there was a moment I wasn’t enjoying myself.
4/04/07…Keith Ramshaw has contacted us…
I was at Lascelles sec’mod’ in Harrow in the early 60s and was lucky enough to go on a school trip on the Dunera, we travelled around Turkey and the Greek Islands from Venice, what an amazing experience for any young person, fantastic Dunera thank you…
13/04/07…Jim Heale has emailed in a brief report below
Bearing in mind that it was 44 years ago and I was still only 12 years old, the following is a short account of my trip on the M.S Dunera May/June 1963. It was also my first time abroad and my first holiday without my parents
Ports of call were Lisbon in Portugal, Casablanca in Morocco, Vigo in Spain and Cherbourg in France.
Timings are not in my memory at all. We were coached from Plaistow Grammar School in what was then West Ham to Tilbury in Essex where we embarked on to the Dunera. I vividly remember being tugged out of the dock onto the Thames and away we went. The first thing that struck me was that all the crew were Indians, as in 1963 there were very few in the east end of London. They were really friendly and made us feel completely at ease. They were always swabbing the decks and polishing the brass rails and painting whatever they could. At meal times they always made a point of telling us to drink the awful orange coloured drink which they said stopped sea sickness. I drunk mine and fortunately was not sick once. I cannot remember what the food was like but don’t remember ever feeling hungry.
We were billeted below decks but the portholes in our dormitory were well above the water line so we could look out if you did not feel like going on deck. The stairs were extremely steep and because of the constant polishing the rails were very slippery so on a rough day it took a lot of effort to get up them. When we crossed the Bay of Biscay we were not allowed on deck, as it was so rough. Most people stayed in bed as it was almost impossible to stand up as the ship was not stabilised. I remember the crew coming into the dormitory and shutting the metal screens over the glass portholes and tightening them up. It was a bit worrying.
Our first port was Lisbon. We were allowed to wander round on our own in groups and were told not to go near the dogs. There were lots of unleashed dogs but I can remember that they were all muzzled. Rabies was apparently rife in Europe then. We saw various sights. I have photos somewhere but they are not very good.
Next stop was Casablanca. We were taken to a beach, again I have photos somewhere. When we got back we were allowed to wander on our own for an hour or so and were told not to go down sidestreets and to keep within a close range of the ship. We were also told not to buy watches etc just small souvenirs. I bought an instrument which was a basic banjo with a tortoise shell with a carved wooden stick attached to it with catgut strings. A friend of mine was wearing a hand knitted cardigan with bowling skittles on it (all the rage in those days) he nearly had it ripped from him at one stall where he refused to swap it for a rug. We ran back to the ship.
Next stop was Vigo where all I can remember was the stench of fish. It was the main port I believe for the canning of sardines.
Last stop was Cherbourg after an other horrendous crossing of the Bay of Biscay. We docked on 6 June (D–Day) and all I remember was being coached to the landing beaches but not being able to see much as it was foggy/misty.
I saw one report where someone said that they had to wear uniform, but we didn’t. I do remember the ‘Education’ which was basically a briefing in a classroom of the port we were next calling at and the itineraries for each day. We were pretty much left to our own devices and I cannot remember seeing much of the teachers. I guess there must have been a bar on board somewhere.
Thanks for the site. I’d like to know more about the dates for Dunera…the page on the Merchant Navy site doesn’t seem to say exactly when she was sold and broken up. I was on a trip to Greece via Venice with South Hampstead High School in the early 60s – magic! There was a train strike in France when we got to Calais so we spent our first night away sleeping on the ferry in Calais harbour. Then we crossed Europe on a sleeper, to Venice, and boarded Dunera there. I remember how the colour of the sea changed so dramatically as we went through the Corinth canal. Things look very different in Greece and Crete now. We wondered if Prince Charles would be on our voyage but sadly he didn’t make it. However we had a jolly time with lads from Milton Abbas School. I have just read Griff Rhys-Jones’ autobiography ‘Semi Detached’ in which he describes working in his gap year on SS Ulysses, which must have been very similar to Dunera. I did not realise till now the vast difference in sleeping arrangements for students and staff! (How naive!)
24/02/07…Liz Page (nee Lovelace) has written in… I was on the cruise in 1963 which returned the day Kennedy was shot too. I still dream of going back to Delphi and the Bronze Charrioteer. I was 13 at the time and have never forgotten it.
13/02/07…Les Dalrymple has emailed us
When I was a pupil at Wishaw Public School I was on a Dunera cruise in 1965 we cruised to Denmark Sweden and Poland. I still have my enrollment certificate as a member of the Dunera Shipmates Club and also my E6 Nelson cabin badge. It was a great experience and unlike others who have made contact we did have the girls with us!
30/11/2006…Jane Long (nee Munro)
In 1963 along with 1000 other school children I was on the Dunera as part of a school trip. We sailed around Italy and Greece. On arriving home on 23rd November 1963, heard the news that Kennedy had been assassinated. Later that decade our family moved to Australia, and in the mid 70′s one of my new friends started talking about her trip on the Dunera in 1963, and it transpired that we were on the same cruise together.
08/12/06…Ian Mair has emailed a while ago and I have only just found this! So efficient! Put it down to the festive thingy! Sorry about the delay Ian!
Hi, just found your site after searching for Dunera Cruise. Had a wonderful cruise back in September/October ’64, my first time abroad, I was a member of the South West Ham Tech party.
As a number of people have already mentioned it was the cruise where a girl unfortunately died after a very rough crossing in the Bay of Biscay.
As we know over the passage of time the memory fades, for instance I can’t remember my dorm name but other people on the web site can, how do they do that?
What I do remember though is my 13th birthday, which was celebrated aboard the Dunera. Getting woken up at 7am with a message over the tannoy system to everone on board that it was my birthday and getting dragged out of my bunk and being bumped was not pleasant, but getting a birthday kiss from more girls than I can remember certainly was, it was a great day, if any of you remember a little blond kid having the time of his life, it was me.
I was one of the handful of students who was not ill during the Bay of Biscay crossing, but I saw plenty of kids who were.
I remember the deck disco and dancing with a georgous girl, I do remember her name but I’ll spare any blushes, I also remember sitting with her at the front of the boat whilst in dock, and the fact that I had never seen so many stars, and I still haven’t to this day.
If memory serves our itinery was Lisbon, Madeira then Vigo on the return, but because of the Bay of Biscay we called at Vigo first. And although tinged with sadness it was a very enjoyable experience.
Thanks for the site, it’s good to remember the good old days, would love to hear from anyone else who remembers.
Best regards
Ian Mair
P.S. my home email is mair.2@ntlworld.com
Ian – please let us know if you get any contacts?
Oh Dear! I have missed one! I’m very sorry Jane….
30/11/2006…Jane Long (nee Munro)
In 1963 along with 1000 other school children I was on the Dunera as part of a school trip. We sailed around Italy and Greece. On arriving home on 23rd November 1963, heard the news that Kennedy had been assassinated. Later that decade our family moved to Australia, and in the mid 70′s one of my new friends started talking about her trip on the Dunera in 1963, and it transpired that we were on the same cruise together.
27/11/06…Rita Lynch(Ford) has mailed in…
I went on the 1962 cruise to Baltic and remember that one of the engines failing so we could not come home via the Skagaratt. Also the Junior Leaders Band and Lt. Col Trevor Sharpe who directed the music for Dads Army. I also remember going on deck to watch the midnight sun and going to a museum in Leningrad which had a really smelly plant. We had a wonderful send off from Tilbury but a long train ride back from Immingham. I went with Hampshire Youth and yes, the BBC did make a film of the whole event.
17/10/06…Brian Alexander has emailed in
I sailed on Dunera in 1966. Cherbourg, Lisbon and Amsterdam. I was a pupil at Ainslie Park school Edinburgh. Very rough in Biscay, both ways. Anyone else on that trip?
Do get in touch if you were on any of the trips in this site – we’re getting quite a selection of dates etc…there must be some folks on the same trips…????!!!!
Regards
Tom
I was on the cruise Vanessa Etherington refers to, it was the first time a group of that size had been behind the “iron curtain” and as such was something of an event. It was supposed to be educational and certainly was. Coming from an all boys school, I suddenly learnt a lot about girls. Also a good lesson in drinking lager in Copenhagen. Lager was hardly known in Britain at the time.
When the Dunera reached Leningrad (St.Petersburg)hundreds of Russian schoolchildren were there to meet us, throwing communist propaganda badges onto the decks. We responded by throwing coins. The captain and leaders suddenly started to make frantic tannoy announcements demanding that it was stopped, as the Russians saw it as a gross insult.
As described elsewhere on these pages there was a Southern TV film crew on board, I wonder if the film still exists?
I would be interested in hearing from anyone who was on that cruise and can be contacted by email on this link
10/08/06…David Winter has mailed us
I was on the Dunera in 1962 as part of a school trip from Whitton Sec in Twickenham. Ours was the Mediterranean trip to Gibraltar and back. Unfortunately we had to go through the Bay of Biscay which a lot of us, including myself, didn’t take too kindly to, obviously I would have not made a very good sailor, which is probably why I joined the RAF the same year !! Is there anyone else out there that remembers that trip from Whitton Sec?
Vanessa Etherington (Upton) back then. Was on the Dunera 1961 or 62, Lenningrad, Copenhagen, Stockholm and should have visited Helsinki but something wrong with the ship. Believe BBC TV made a film of the cruise. Wonderful memories.
7/07/06…Richard Cooper has written in…
I was on cruise “E” in 1963. Cruise 45 in ’64 and 65 (?) in 1965. I have many picture if Gabe wants some..
07/06/06…S E Shaw has emailed with this question… Do you have anything on the Easter 1963 cruise to Naples, Malta, Malaga & Vigo?
Any answers folks..?
24/05/06…Pauline Stillman has just emailed us
I traveled on the Dunera in 1964 on a ’school journey’ with the Sacred Heart Secondary School, Camberwell, London. It was a great experience and I wondered if you have a photo of the ship that I can buy. The songs that I remember playing on the jukebox were The Supreme’s ’Baby Love’ and Herman Hermits.
I would like to any of my schoolmates that traveled on that journey…Pauline
01/04/06….Ted Stapley….
Sailed on a school trip in October 1963 from Southampton, Lisbon, Gibralter, Rome and Genoa. I still have the log book and was in Baffin dormitory.
26/03/06….Helen Haw….
Hi, I was on a school trip in 1964 aged 13, a group from Norwich, Lakenham Girls School, the same one where a young girl died, yes the sea was rough, I was sea sick over 20 times in one day, thankfully just the one day! never been seasick since, I thought I was alright until I went to breakfast the first morning, the smell of the food and great big tins of fried eggs were enough to decide that it was the sea and not hunger causing the strange feeling I had when I could see the sea coming up over the portholes, Hermans Hermits were in the pop charts and there was a young boy who played the piano on deck in the evenings, Madiera was fantastic, like a living patchwork quilt, there was a visit to the fish canning factory at Vigo, we went to the beach via train from Lisbon and ate home cooked crisps from a seller on the beach, we had all been told not to eat anything whilst off the ship, we were all starving as the food was so awful, I lived mainly on Munchies chocolates and golden delicious apples that could be purchased in the evenings from a tuck shop, I am sure I have some photos somewhere of a chap in a fez steering the ship, I only put Dunera into Google just on the off chance and found this site, a good memory, Helen
25/03/06….Margaret Steen (nee Stannard)…..
I went to Barnard Castle Grammar Technical School and in February 1963 ( I think) sailed on the Dunera from Genoa. Went to Palermo, Athens, Dubrovnik and Venice before travelling back from Genoa by train. Had a great time. My grandfather, when he heard that I was going on the Dunera, told me to look in the library for his initials as he had also sailed on the ship at some point during the war.
I loved this cruise and always wanted to go on another but it was 35 years later before I got the opportunity.
05/03/06…..Message in from Murray Pope as I’m updating! So slightly more on–time than some!
I was a high school senior from Toronto, Canada who spent a good part of the summer of 1966 onboard the Dunera and the Nevasa. Incredible trip. An education that could not be achieved in a classroom. I met some wonderful young people from different parts of the world and have great memories. I eventually went on to become a teacher and am now retired but the memories of that summer will stay with me forever. I welcome anyone from that trip who I may have met to contact me.
5/02/06….Brian Adams’ message….
1964, I think, travelled by train to Genoa, then on Dunera visiting; Malta, Rome and Dubrovnik. Our School- Mellor Lane Comp, Hayes. In cruise film, Summer Holiday. Loved the trip and the Dunera. Almost wept leaving it.
5/11/05….late entry here, apologies….Christina King……
I was on the dunera 1960 from wayneflete school
30/12/05….Michael Edwards – “Eddie” has been in touch….
…..was on board the Dunera around 1960–61. Two week trip that went to Russia, Sweden, Denmark, through the Kiel Canal and into the Baltic Sea. It was a great trip,I was one of several hundred, some of whom were from my school Dulwich college prep school. I remember coming home through the north sea, oh my god that was a terribly rough sea, but by then most of us had our sea legs. What a great trip it was seeing places such as the Hermitage in St Petersburg.
Anyone else out there on that trip who went to Dulwich??
I came across your website which brought back memories.
I was the Drum Major of the Queen Victoria School pipe band which was on a Baltic trip on the Dunera in 1962. Visiting Leningrad was quite something in those days. I thought the attached press cutting might be of interest. The quality isn’t great but it was a while ago! Also, I had to cut and paste the scans.
Alec Michael
