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I've recently found a notebook of my grandfathers, written after he came back from France. In it he has written a few dates of his movements after being taken prisoner on 22nd August 1918. As you may well imagine I was very happy to find it, though being greedy wish he had put in more details. On the first page are 2 entries, "Ship from Egypt Omrah" and Ship to Egypt Arde". I have through various sites found information on the Omrah, I believe it was sunk returning from Marseilles after taking the 10th KSLI there. I can find nothing on the Arde though, and would welcome any information on it. Grandad was in the Shropshire Yeomanry in Egypt but I don't think he sailed on the Arcadian from Devonport, as my father once told me that as a young boy the family had gone on holiday to Looe, and Grandad had told him that he had sailed to Egypt from there. Again any information on the Arde or different interpretation of the writing would be most welcome.

Kind regards,
Eric.

Eric

The War Diary (WO95/4427) may show the details of the ships used to take them to Egypt.The 1/1 Shropshire Yeomanry,with the 1/1 South Wales and the 1/1 Welsh Border were grouped together as 4 Dismount Brigade on duty at the Suez Defences from Mar to Dec 1916. The first pages may describe the pre-embarkation activity here before shipping out and arriving on station in Egypt.

Sotonmate

Thanks Sotonmate, a trip to the National Archives as been on my to do list for a while now, looks like another good reason to go.
I did email the Regimental museum at Shrewsbury, sending scans of the other pages plus a few brasserie cards and a picture of F. Corbeel's brasserie and malterie at Tervueren. They were keen to see them, even add them to their collection but could offer no information at all. They didn't have any information on returning pow's either, so at least I can help them there.

Regards,
Eric.

Hi Eric,

Somewhere in the back of my mind the ship Osmanieh (or Osmaniah) comes to mind. I wonder if this is what your Grandfather wrote?

SteveJ.

Is "ARCTIC" a possibility?

Hi Steve,
Thanks for your reply, I'm pretty sure though that Grandad did sail to France on HMT Omrah.
Hi Armidale,
Could be the Arctic, I can see you're thinking. I will give it a google, I'm also wondering if it could be Andes or Ardent.
Thanks again.
Regards,
Eric.

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HMT OMRAH

Cheers Ron

Hi Ron,
Thanks for the photo, I believe that she was sunk on her return trip to Alexandria.

Regards,
Eric.

Eric

The writing style will discount any "T" in the second ship's name,see the other two "T"s on the page,both crossed at the top,which I am sure he would have done (visions of him being slapped across the knuckles by his teacher if he failed that obligatory action !). I have to agree your name.

Sotonmate

Thanks again Sotonmate,
My first guess was the Arde, it was only after looking on line and not finding anything about her that I tried looking for alternatives. As grandad wrote up his experiences after the war I'm now wondering if he got the name wrong. I intend posting the other pages on this site soon, not sure whether to place it on the Shropshire Yeomanry thread or start another in the pow section.
Regards,
Eric.

Eric

I will look in Lloyds when next in the City Reference Library and see if there is a ship named ARDE,and if not,the other alternatives noted here.

Sotonmate

There is known on [url="http://www.miramarshipindex.org"]http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz

Cheers Ron

Sotonmate,
Thank you, I would really appreciate you doing that.

Ron,
Thanks for the link, I've had a look but couldn't find the Arde on there.

Regards to both,
Eric.

Eric

Looked in Lloyd's for 1914 to 1917 today,no ship named ARDE listed. There is an ARDENT listed. It has now occurred to me,whilst considering the alternatives,that he might not have finished writing the name of the ship and it could have been the ARDENT ! We might never know !

Sotonmate

Sotonmate,
Thanks very much for taking the trouble to do a look up in Lloyd's. I must admit that I had been drawn to the Ardent as a possibility too, maybe when Grandad was writing up his notebook, he temporarily forgot the name, and put it away intending to fill it in later. When I showed the notebook and cards to his daughters none could ever remember seeing it before. My dad who had a phenomenal memory right up to the end, never spoke of it, and yet we'd often spoke about grandads time as a pow. I was especially interested to know from which port he'd sailed back to England, the answer was in his bedroom cupboard all along.
Incidently if you're interested I have posted the rest of the notebook in the prisoner-of-war section.
Thanks once again,
Eric.

Eric

I will take a look at the notebook. Thanks for letting me know.

Sotonmate

Sotonmate, I hope you find it interesting.

Regards,
Eric.

Hi Eric, try the link to the clip website below.
If you search for vessels starting with ARDE you will get a number of choices, might lead you somewhere!!

Goodluck


Gareth




http://www.crewlist.org.uk/data/vesselsalpha.php

Oops, here's the link

Gareth,

Well that's really given me some names to ponder. Good job the nights are drawing in, I won't feel so guilty sitting in front of the computer.
Thanks for the link.

Eric.

You might be interested in this at Kew
BT 110/378/37 Ship Omrah, official number: 108782. When built: 1898. Registry closed: 1918.

Thanks per, have added the reference number to my list for Kew.

Regards,
Eric.

Hi eric,
you probably have this already from "the ships list"

OMRAH 1899
The OMRAH was built by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Co, Glasgow in 1899 for the Orient Line. This was a 8,130 gross ton ship, length 490.6ft x beam 56.6ft, one funnel, two masts, twin screw and a speed of 18 knots. She could carry 350 in the first and second class and 500-3rd class passengers. Her maiden voyage from London via Suez to Melbourne and Sydney started on 3rd Feb.1899 and on 3rd Nov.1916 she commenced her last London - Australia sailing. Converted to a troopship, she was torpedoed and sunk off the coast of Sardinia on 12th May 1918. She had left Alexandria for Marseilles with six other transports, carrying troops of the 52nd and 74th divisions and was on her return journey from Marseilles when lost without serious loss of life.[Merchant Fleets by Duncan Haws, vol.1, P&O, Orient and Blue Anchor Lines] [North Star to Southern Cross by John M.Maber]



Gareth

Hi Gareth,
Thanks very much for taking the trouble to find that out for me. I had some info on HMT Omrah, but not the detail that you have supplied. I read somewhere that one person died when she was sunk.
Regards,
Eric.

Hi Eric,

On the handwritten page you posted, could the second ship possibly be "Andes"? There was a Royal Mail Steam Packet liner of that name built in 1913. 

Regards,

   Ralph

Ralph/Eric

His letter forming in the diary (POW Section) seems consistent and his "n" is very different from his "r". I don't agree that it's an "n" for Ande,whatever,if anything, he has "left off" the end of the word !

Sotonmate

Hi Ralph,

Thanks for posting as Sotonmate says it's probable that for whatever reason Grandad left off the end of the word. There are lots of ships that start ARDE in Gareth's link, conjecture I know but maybe Grandad just forgot the spelling.

Regards,
Eric.

 Eric and Sotonmate,

I agree ARDE-- is the more likely; I just thought I'd throw the Andes out there in case none of your other leads pan out.


Regards,

   Ralph

Cheers Ralph,

Regards,
Eric.

Hi eric, how about ARDO, there were ships named Ardoe but the last registry year I can find is 1911. However, there may have been others or possibly a veesel begining with these letters.

PS. If you are planning a trip to Kew, the info contained in the link below may prove useful


http://yourarchives.nationalarchives.gov.u...itle=Troopships

Gareth,
I think it's more likely to be ARDE something, but I guess anything is possible. Thanks for taking the time to add the additional link, I'm really grateful.

Regards,
Eric.