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Part 1
My father’s account of his wartime journey in 1944 from England to the West Coast of the USA as part of the crew to sail an LST Ship the Empire Crossbow back to England. He was the 2nd Electrician.

Jan 11th. (1944)
Met rest of crowd at Euston Station at 8-15PM. Entrained on Glasgow train platform number 15. Kay up to see me off. Left at 9-20PM. Sorry to be parting from Kay.
In 1st class compartment, just four of us in it.

Jan 12th.
Managed to get some sleep, after a good tuck in that Kay made up.
Arrived St. Enoch’s station Glasgow at 9-45AM, and had 2 cups of tea and a scotch scone at the station buffet. Sent off telegram and allotment note. Party collected together with luggage, then taken by bus to the YMCA for breakfast. Had porridge, egg and bacon and a wash up about 11ish. Left by bus about 11-30 for Princess Pier, Greenock (Glasgow). Passed through embarkation people and customs, then waited for tender to take us out to the Queen Elizabeth. Arrived on board about 4PM. Fixed up in main deck cabin number 145. Had wash and then meal, food was excellent. Were four of us in cabin that night, was very tired so went off to bed early.

Jan 13th.
Had to get up at 7AM, breakfast at 7-30.
White (the 4th engineer from the Strathaird) and I wandered around ship till lunch at 12. During course if morning 7 others were put in cabin, quite a nice cabin on starboard side, with bathroom etc. Lunched with OK Canadian Group Captain’s troops table, told us clocks would be put back so knew we would be sailing that day.
Sailed at 4-30PM for New York.
Dinner at 6, spent the rest of the evening in lounge reading. Turned in about 11 (muster 4-30PM). No smoking cabin.

Jan 14th.
Called at 7, breakfast at 7-30AM, sat in lounge reading till lunch at 12, Not allowed on open deck only covered in prom deck. Dinner at six, played pontoon and won money. Saw film, Variety Show very old, not much good, arrangement for showing films bad, either stand or sit on deck, I stood. 16MM film, sound very bad. Spent rest of time in lounge until 11 when everyone had to be out. So turned in (muster 10-15) clocks back 1 hour

Jan 15th.
Up at 7, breakfast 7-30, six of us at table, White, myself, 3rd mate and 3 cadets. Spent morning in lounge after stroll on prom decks. Had to carry life jackets all voyage. Muster 10-15AM. Lunch at 12, back to lounge for smoke and read till 3 then went to sleep until 5-30, washed and had dinner, then went back to lounge played pontoon, won. Turned in at 11ish. Clocks back 1 hr.

Jan 16th.
Up at 7, Breakfast at 7-30 ship rolling around, surprised at the movement of her, did not think she was steady as Strathaird. Not allowed in lounge till 12 owing to church services, so mucked around cabin had shave, weather very cold. Snowing. Lunch at 12. Smoke and read till 2-30 then turned in till 5-30. Dinner at 6. Duck for dinner very nice. Smoked and read in lounge till 7-45. Went out on prom deck. Saw film King Kong. Then smoked and read till 11, then turned in. Clocks back 1 hour.

Jan 17th.
Up at 7ish. Breakfast 7-30, smoke on Prom deck then up to lounge. Allowed on open decks, snowing and hellish cold, no boat drill, lunch at 12 films crowded did not feel like standing so played cards all afternoon. Dinner at 6, carried on with cards, played whist. Turned in about 11ish.

Jan 18th.
Up at 7. Breakfast at 7-30, smoke on Prom deck, then in lounge, played cards. Muster at 10-15. Back to card till dinner at 12. Played cards all afternoon. Dinner at 6. Impromptu concert then cards till 11, turned in. Clocks back 1 hour.

Jan 19th.
Up at 7, down to breakfast at 7-30. Expected to arrive New York early afternoon, played Solo all morning, lost money. Lunch at 12. Had to all be out of lounge by 3. So carried on Solo till then. Then we were told no need to carry life jacket, so took it down to cabin, then went up on Boat deck, weather very mild. Saw convoy pass quite large one in it was the sister ship of the one we are going to pick up. Passed the Statue of Liberty 4-30 and docked at 5-30. Great flows of ice on the river, Q Mary in other berth, we are in same berth as Normandie caught fire. Never saw her though.
Had to see Emigration people right away, to get landing cards etc stamped, had dinner at 5-30. The were told to proceed to quay with baggage for customs examination, all collected together, got finished with customs had to wait for bus to take us to Pennsylvania Rail Road station. Bus arrived about 9-30, took us there, then told train was for San Francisco, left at 11-30. Special troop train. After mucking around, Purser gave us a dollar each so went off and had a beer, tasted good after the Coco Cola on the QE, she was dry. (Father always talked about going to Jack Dempsey’s Bar in New York, so I assume that this was when he was there, I have a photo of him and 2 others in uniform taken in Jack Dempsey’s and signed by Jack Dempsey with a good luck message). 11-10 unit boarded train. Bit of mix up with compartments crew had ours we had theirs, eventually got sorted out, whilst train was on the move.

Jan 20th.
00-15 hrs White and I got in a two berth sleeping compartment very nicely done out but different from Glasgow train sleeping compartment. I went along corridor and found supper packets put on for us, also cartons of milk, I got 2 packets and 4 cartons, (ham and cheese sandwiches, 2 boiled eggs, 2 cakes, apples and 1 orange, so we tucked in then had a smoke and turned in. Looked all over compartment to find a WC but no luck. So had to wait till morning to ask porter, told us it was right in our compartment, lifted a small seat, and much to our relief there it was. Called at 7-30. Washed, Breakfast at 8-20 orange juice, porridge egg & bacon sort of scrambled and sauté potatoes and coffee, arrived back from dining car and Negro boy smoking huge cigar had made compartment into comfortable drawing room, just the two of us in it. Passing through great industrial area, stopped at Pittsburgh siding, talked to some American Girls who were greasing and oiling train. About 11ish then pulled into station, got out to stretch our legs for 5 minutes, boys took ice etc. on board. Then pushed off, came out into more open country, being this time of year everywhere very bare, sun tried to come through once or twice, but was very frosty, ice about everywhere. Most of country houses made of wood. Lunch at 1-30PM served up by black men and women, soup, chicken, spinach and roast potatoes, and lettuce and kind of sauce served up on a small plate with main dish. Chocolate blancmange & sauce, ½ pint carton of milk, drank it with straws from the carton. Note must think we are a poor thin lot so are giving us plenty of milk.
Still out in the open country occasionally passing factories, small towns and farmsteads.
2-30PM just passed through Mansfield, Ohio.
Stopped at Crestline, Ohio for water and greasing about 5 minutes.
Stopped at Fort Wayne 5-15 noticed our carriage was called ‘Okauchee’. Had dinner 5-0, Grapefruit juice, Roast beef, mashed potatoes, beetroot and small plate with lettuce and tomatoes. Milk pudding with sauce. Coffee.
(Amusing part about the toilet one has to tell the other to go for a walk.) Passed Plymouth 6-15 weather a lot milder sun shining, lovely. Arrived Chicago 8PM. Put watch back 1 hour, not allowed to get off train, were shunted around here there and everywhere, railway people making up train to continue. Boy made bed up 8-30 so feeling tired turned in about 10. Train still in Chicago, largest railway sidings I have ever seen.

Jan 21st.
Called at 7AM still very dark, got up about 7-45 washed had Breakfast 8-30, sun just beginning to come up lovely sunrise. Tomato Juice, Porridge & real raw cream was lovely. Sausages, scrambled eggs, sauté potatoes & toast. I had glass of milk and finished off the rest of the cream. Passing through the wide open spaces but lots of farms dotted about, each one having a small windmill. Houses are still built of wood, come to the conclusion that the wood houses are warm in winter and cool in summer. Stopped at Council Bluffs 9-45AM about 2 minutes, saw large viaduct in distance. Pulled in to Omaha, Nebraska 10-00, quite a large town in fact the largest meat packing town in USA. Allowed ½ hour off train, so went and had a beer. Put dime in Juke Box which played “I’m dreaming tonight of my blue eyes” also got two 50 cent lunch boxes. Train left at 10-45. Country still very open and flat, can see for miles around. Passed Loup River racecourse, then stopped at Columbus, Nebraska. Lunch at 1-15PM. Soup, Roast Beef, mashed potatoes, Baked Beans, small plate of lettuce Creamed Cheese & Pineapple, Chocolate Blancmange and another ½ pint carton of milk, whilst eating lunch stopped at Grand Island, one tine largest horse breeding centre in world, was from here that many thousands of horses were sent over for World War I.
3-00 passed through Kearney clocks back 1 hour. 3-55 passed through Gothenburg.
4-45 Stopped at North Plate, Nebraska for greasing and oiling. Baskets of foodstuff, oranges, biscuits, tobacco, matches and magazines distributed to each carriage by Union Pacific Railroad.
5-45 passed through Ogallala
6-05 passed through Big Springs
Countryside is changing to slightly hilly country. Had dinner about 8ish, Soup chicken pie mashed potatoes and baked beans plate of salad, Chocolate Blancmange, ½ pint carton milk.
Arrived Cheyenne, Wyoming stopped for 40 minutes, had a look around town. Real cowboy town, all shops full up with clothes and boots, did not see any cowboys, bought a souvenir, was very cold so soon as train pulled out, drank milk and turned in about 10-30.

Jan 22nd.
Called at 7-00AM was still dark outside. Breakfast at 8-00AM Grapefruit Juice, porridge & cream was lovely, scrambled eggs & sauté potatoes. ½ pint carton of milk hot rolls. Sun was just beginning to break through marvellous sunrise, just like a huge fire in the distance. Are crossing the Wasatch mountains and are up 7140 ft, everywhere is covered in frost windows of train all frozen up, carriages are just getting warmed up someone had been messing around with the central heating during the night. Still in Wyoming and have just passed through a long tunnel cut right through the mountain. Stopped at Evanston, Wyoming 8-45AM, seem to be on the down grade now twisting and turning all the way engine seems to be miles away, can see it while turning. 9-45 passed little place called Pony Express consisting of service station, corals etc. Passed through Echo only 50 miles from Salt Lake City. Passed Devils Slide large quarry, all houses covered in dust.
11-15 Arrived at Ogden, Utah everywhere covered in snow & freezing, clocks were put back 1 hour. Had a look around, then lunch was provided for us at the station coffee room, quite a number of fellows did good business changing English pounds to American Dollars. American Red + provided us with plenty of magazines. American girls came alongside and were quite chatty, had a look over the engine that was pulling us, makes two of ours look small, was an oil burning job. Sent off postcard to my darling Kay, hoping it reaches her. Left 1-00 new time for Salt Lake, which is about 10 miles on. About 1-30 we started to cross the Great Salt Lake, a grand site, when in the middle, one feels as if you are at sea, train goes over one long viaduct about ¾ hour. At eastern end there is a rock exactly like the Rock of Gibraltar still in very flat country nothing but white all way around.
Stopped at Montello 3-55PM still snow around but warmer, great hills in the background went right across another mountain range, had two engines to pull us up. Passed through Valley Pass 4-45 uncoupled one engine. Great mountain ranges on all sides marvellous sight with the setting sun shining on the snow.
5-35 passed through Wells, Nevada.
Had dinner about 6PM Soup Beef Peas and roast potatoes and the usual lettuce and tomatoes, apple tart with ice cream on top first ice for years and boy was it good. Usual ½ pint milk.
6-40PM passed through Elko, Nevada looked OK all lit up. 7-15 stopped at Carlin to service train, small place population about 2,000. Saw four cowboys having a booze up apparently come in from country for holiday. Turned in about 8-30 as was dark and nothing much to be seen.

Jan 23rd.
Stopped at Reno, Nevada in the early hours of morning, some silly so & so called us at 6-30AM, crawled out about 7-15 very dark outside, when it did get light, everywhere was covered in snow and still snowing were right in the middle of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain California, most marvellous sight, just like the Canadian Rockies, all fir trees and great valleys, train was twisting and turning and going (through) long wooden tunnels, built to stop falls of snow on the line. Highest peak Mt Whitney alt 14,898 ft, passing through Yuba Pass, going down now. Had Breakfast about 8AM, orange juice, a small box of Kellogg’s with cream lovely, two boiled eggs served up in a small cup minus handle, the same sauté potatoes on another plate did not provide egg cups so had to shell eggs and put them on plate with potatoes and eat them with a knife and fork. Hot rolls and butter as it’s rationed in America as well ½ pint carton of milk.
9-00 passed Blue Canyon. Going down now that all snow has gone, looking down from train in large canyons can’t see the bottom, in places we are above the clouds.
10-30 through Auburn, California.
10-45 passing through California fruit farms.
11-05AM Stopped at Roseville about 5 minutes.
11-45AM Sacramento stopped about 20 minutes to change engine, had a walk on the track. Bought orange juice and berry pie. Had lunch about 12-45, Soup, Boiled Chicken, mashed potatoes beans lettuce and tomatoes. Sago pudding, 2½ pints milk.
1-30 crossed over long bridge, 8 spans over River Sacramento, quite a number of liberty jobs around, and a lot of oil tankers around.
At a place called Martinez went along by sea practically into Oakland something like the railway to Torquay, just started to rain passed through Richmond 2-40PM. Arrived Oakland 2-55PM. End of train journey.
Met at station by 3 buses, set off for San Francisco, which is about 12 miles on, apparently on an island, so had to cross a bridge which is somewhere in the region of 9 miles long. Wonderful sight crossing it, at the San Francisco end saw Alcatraz island and the Golden Gate bridge to San Francisco. Quite a large city and after twisting and turning in and out of blocks we pulled up at the beautiful Olympic Hotel where we have to stay before proceeding to San Pedro.
Some time later was taken up to room 421 by a porter in lift, quite a posh place. In a front room looking down on to street. Smashing room 1 single bed and 1 double bed. (Don’t know what the double beds for). Have a bathroom and WC attached, telephone and radio all in. Room time now is 4-30PM. Sharing Room with White, Am now going to have my first bath of voyage, and so shall look clean. Also paid by agent $3-75 subsistence money, 75c pin money, $1-75 laundry. Have to have all out meals out only sleep in hotel. Went out and had a few drinks with White and 2 sparks, then found somewhere to eat, went to a cafeteria had 2 fried eggs, toast and fried potatoes, ice cream and coffee. Cost 75c. Was feeling tiered so came back and listened to radio and turned in.

Ctd. in part 2

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