Wilfred A. Nicholas
This is a tribute to my father, Wilfred Anthony Nicholas, otherwise known as 'The Forgotten Man', who sailed with Alfred Holt's Blue Funnel and Glen Line as an Engineer for 8 years.
Dad was born in 1929, the first of three children, to a British father and American mother. At the outbreak of WW2, the family was living in Malaya, where his father was working as a health officer. After the Japanese invasion of Malaya in December 1941, the family travelled down the Malayan peninsula to Singapore. There, on 3rd January 1942, Dad, with the two other children and their mother, were evacuated on board the Dutch passenger / cargo vessel "Poelau Tello". At Emmahaven (Padang) in Sumatra on 27th January, while loading, the "Poelau Tello", along with other shipping, was attacked by Japanese dive bombers. After the second attack, the ship was evacuated and the passengers fled to the hills. There Dad sat and, as he recounted to me many times, watched as the "Poelau Tello" was bombed. After the fourth attack, although the ship had not been hit, the near misses had ruptured the hull in way of the oil fuel bunker tanks causing oil to leak into the sea. Added to this, the quay and godowns were by now ablaze, so the ships mooring lines were eased to keep the ship away from the fires. After the fifth attack, the Captain ordered the remaining crew to clear the ship, and on the sixth attack the ship took direct hits and was set on fire throughout and burnt out.
"Poelau Tello", of N.V. Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland
"Poelau Tello" bombed and burning
The family were taken in by a convent, made their way to Surabaya, Java, and found passage on board another Dutch vessel, the passenger ship “Tjinegara”. Eventually, the family arrived in the USA where they stayed for the duration of the war with his mothers relatives. His father was captured when the Japanese invaded Singapore and as a result of being a Captain with the volunteer defence force spent the war years in Changi Prison and Sime Road internment camp.
After the end of the war, the family returned to Singapore to continue where they left off in 1942. Dad returned to Singapore in 1947 after completing his schooling in the USA to stay with his father, his mother following on later. In Singapore, Dad started an engineering apprenticeship with the Singapore Harbour Board. In 1952, after completing his apprenticeship, he joined his first ship, the “Memnon” of Blue Funnel, as ‘Assistant Engineer’. Dad sailed with the “Memnon” continuously for 19 months, leaving her as 4th Engineer.
Dad pictured (centre, looking up) while taking a stowaway ashore from, I believe, the "Mentor". The stowaway is marked with red circle.
The Voyages
"Memnon" - three trips, 1952 - 1953, 1953, 1953 - 1954.
Single Screw, 2 Double Reduction Geared Turbines by Westinghouse, Pittsburgh, 15 Knots.
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Dad joined ship |
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Port |
Arrive |
Sail |
Port |
Arrive |
Sail |
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1952
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5 Mar |
7 Mar |
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3 Oct |
6 Oct |
Jeddah |
9 Mar |
10 Mar |
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Port Swettenham |
7 Oct |
8 Oct |
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12 Mar |
12 Mar |
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9 Oct |
11 Oct |
Belawan |
22 Mar |
23 Mar |
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Djarkarta |
13 Oct |
17 Oct |
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24 Mar |
24 Mar |
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Samarang |
17 Oct |
18 Oct |
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26 Mar |
28 Mar |
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19 Oct |
20 Oct |
Djarkarta |
30 Mar |
2 Apr |
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Macassar |
22 Oct |
23 Oct |
Samarang |
3 Apr |
3 Apr |
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24 Oct |
26 Oct |
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4 Apr |
6 Apr |
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Macasar |
28 Oct |
4 Nov |
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8 Apr |
12 Apr |
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5 Nov |
9 Nov |
Tjilatjap |
14 Apr |
16 Apr |
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Samarang |
10 Nov |
11 Nov |
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19 Apr |
20 Apr |
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Djarkarta |
12 Nov |
15 Nov |
Macassar |
21 Apr |
29 Apr |
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17 Nov |
21 Nov |
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30 Apr |
7 May |
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Port Swettenham |
22 Nov |
22 Nov |
Banjuwangi |
8 May |
8 May |
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23 Nov |
24 Nov |
Probolinggo |
8 May |
9 May |
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Belawan |
26 Nov |
3 Dec |
Panarukan |
10 May |
11 May |
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Port Swettenham |
4 Dec |
4 Dec |
Djarkarta |
13 May |
15 May |
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8 Dec |
9 Dec |
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17 May |
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10 Dec |
11 Dec |
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18 May |
22 May |
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16 Dec |
16 Dec |
Belawan |
23 May |
26 May |
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17 Dec |
17 Dec |
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5 Jun |
5 Jun |
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21 Dec |
22 Dec |
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9 June |
10 June |
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1953 |
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20 Jun |
25 Jun |
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7 Jan |
7 Jan |
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26 Jun |
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8 Jan |
11 Jan |
Dad signed off 26 Jun, signed on 27 Jun |
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12 Jan |
13 Jan |
Voyage 15, Capt
Puirichard (suspended |
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14 Jan |
18 Jan |
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20 Jan |
23 Jan |
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30 Jun |
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29 Jan |
31 Jan |
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30 Jun |
3 Jul |
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1 Feb |
4 Feb |
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3 Jul |
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8 Feb |
11 Feb |
Dad signed off 6 Jul, signed on 25 Jul |
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12 Feb |
19 Feb |
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26 Jul |
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Port |
Arrive |
Sail |
Port |
Arrive |
Sail |
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5 Aug |
6 Aug |
1954 |
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10 Aug |
19 Aug |
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6 Jan |
7 Jan |
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19 Aug |
21 Aug |
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7 Jan |
8 Jan |
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Belawan |
22 Aug |
25 Aug |
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9 Jan |
10 Jan |
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Port Swettenham |
26 Aug |
26 Aug |
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11 Jan |
16 Jan |
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27 Aug |
29 Aug |
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17 Jan |
19 Jan |
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Djarkarta |
31 Aug |
10 Sep |
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2 Feb |
3 Feb |
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Tanjung Pandan |
11 Sep |
12 Sep |
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4 Feb |
5 Feb |
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Tjirebon |
13 Sep |
13 Sep |
Jeddah |
7 Feb |
9 Feb |
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Samarang |
14 Sep |
15 Sep |
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11 Feb |
12 Feb |
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16 Sep |
19 Sep |
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12 Feb |
13 Feb |
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21 Sep |
21 Sep |
Belawan |
22 Feb |
24 Feb |
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Macassar |
22 Sep |
26 Sep |
Port Swettenham |
25 Feb |
26 Feb |
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28 Sep |
2 Oct |
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27 Feb |
1 Mar |
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Djarkarta |
5 Oct |
8 Oct |
Djarkarta |
3 Mar |
8 Mar |
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10 Oct |
14 Oct |
Tjirebon |
9 Mar |
9 Mar |
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Port Swettenham |
15 Oct |
16 Oct |
Samarang |
10 Mar |
13 Mar |
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16 Oct |
17 Oct |
Tjilatjap |
15 Mar |
17 Mar |
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Belawan |
18 Oct |
22 Oct |
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19 Mar |
20 Mar |
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26 Oct |
27 Oct |
Probolinggo |
21 Mar |
22 Mar |
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All |