Hospital Ship Atlantis

I'd be very grateful if any of you experts on floaty things might be able to dredge up some information on the movements of this vessel: Hospital Ship Atlantis.

I'm currently trying to contact the daughter of a nurse who served with 51st General Hospital in Sierra Leone (1941? to 1943). Her mother had a photograph of the aforementioned ship and believed it to be the one on which she sailed to Sierra Leone in 1941. I, however, suspect that she arrived with W.S. 2 in August 1940 (which matches with the dates for the hospital's movements) and that Atlantis may have been her ride home in 1943 (I don't have the date to hand but the ship departed from Freetown harbour early in that year).

The remaining possibility is that she was a 'late arrival' to the hospital and arrived in 1941 - certainly there was one convoy bearing 161 Brigade from Britain in early '41, but I have no idea whether Atlantis was part of it.

Could anybody suggest a possibility for a 1941 arrival on this ship?

Many thanks.

 

Hi CF,
There are war diaries for this vessel at the National Archives, not much use to you geographically I know. These might give the ships location at the times of interest.

`Atlantis' | The National Archives

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2696077

 

I may well pass the links on to the lady in question - thank you.

 

This might help. Freetown to Avonmouth twice in 43.
Arnold Hague Ports database

 

Hospital Ships WW2 and World War 1
Hospital ship Atlantis at Aden 10 12 41


TD

 

In September, 1943 cinema audiences were able to watch a newsreel film of the first exchange of wounded British and German prisoners-of-war, carried out by the hospital ship Atlantis with her Royal Mail Lines crew.

ATLANTIS

 

Andes (1) 1913 1915-1919 Armed Merchant Cruiser, 1929 renamed Atlantis cruise ship, 1939-1946 Hospital Ship, 1948-1952 Australia / NZ emigrant ship, 1952 scrapped. 15,620

Royal Mail Line / Royal Mail Steam Packet Company


8 June 1940:
[At 0900/8/6/40in position 68-02N, 03-36E the HIPPER and HANS LODY came upon two ships, the empty troopship SS ORAMA 19840 grt and the hospital ship ATLANTIS. The HIPPER sank the ORAMA but allowed the ATLANTIS to proceed on her way. In accordance with the Geneva Convention ATLANTIS maintained radio silence]
HMS Ark Royal, British aircraft carrier, WW2

TD

edited to add:
The ten crewmen and two armed guards in the third boat were picked up after seven days at sea by the British hospital ship HMHS Atlantis and landed at Capetown on 22 November. (1942)
Excello (American Steam merchant) - Ships hit by German U-boats during WWII - uboat.net

 

Photos of Hospital Ship No.33 ATLANTIS here:
www.gettyimages.co.uk/photos/hospital-ship-atlantis?

and 3 videos here:
www.gettyimages.co.uk/videos/hospital-ship-atlantis?



Michel

 

A few more here:
Hospital Ship Haywood Magee Stock Photos and Pictures | Getty Images



Michel

 

All good material - notably the photographs - but still no 1941 arrival in Freetown. I'm growing increasingly certain that my 1940 guess is correct .

 

Charley. 1940 must be correct.
Atlantis left Clyde, Sep 24, 1940, arrived Freetown, Oct 4, 1940 leaving on the 5th.
then onto the Middle East, where she worked between the Middle east and Durban all of 1941.
Came back to London 1942, not stopping at Freetown.
Durban, Apr 30, 1942 Independent East London, May 1, 1942.
Then straight back out to M.E.
Did call into Freetown on the way back to Avonmouth in late 42.
Capetown, Nov 22, 1942 Independent Freetown, Dec 1, 1942

51st General Hospital arrived at Freetown Sept 1940. (exact day unknown).
So thinking about it logically, all the equipment to set up the hospital arrives in say middle/ late Sept. Takes a little while to set it up.
Doctors, nurses and other medical staff arrive on Oct 4th and set up their departments.
This would also explain Atlantis short stay in Freetown, as all they had to do was drop off foot passengers and light luggage.

 

Hospitals WW2 - Scarlet Finders

51 British General Hospital
Clevedon 6/40 to 8/40 then overseas; Freetown 9/40 to 30/12/44 (No War Diary').

TD

edited to add
Charley - searching for "51st General Hospital sierra leone" came across this interesting web site of one of the nurses who was there and travelled (I think) on the Atlantis - Freda Laycock Memorial Web Site

 

RCG, thank you for the info/opinion.

TD, a good little site. The author is the lady to whom I have written - there's some very interesting material there. I'm also trying to figure out whether the man depicted here was with 51 General Hospital. That's a RAMC cap badge, isn't it?

 

This:
An Imperial World at War

Has 51st General Hospital travelling 'with' 1/4th Essex - it's unclear whether that means on the same ship (Monarch of Bermuda) or just in the same convoy (W.S.2). That convoy departed Liverpool on 5/8/40 and arrived in Freetown on 15/8/40.

 

Here it says that ATLANTIS arrived Freetown on 28 Jan 43 and departed the following day for Cape Town:
World War II Sea War, Vol 8: Guadalcanal Secured

She came back to Freetown on 1 Mar 43 and departed the next day, presumably for Britain:
World War II Sea War, Vol 9: Wolfpacks Muzzled

Michel

 

Charley

In the Shadow of the Cotton Tree - Poetry Book Society

In 1940, John Archibald McKenzie Rillie - serving in the Royal Army Medical Corps

In fact see post 50 in this thread - Family Soldiers [1/4th Essex & 25 Field Regiment R.A.]

TD

 

Yes, I know the blurb said RAMC - just confirming from the photo.

Will be ordering a copy of the book soon, but wondered if anybody knew which RAMC unit he was with. My supposition is 51 General Hospital, but there are other possibilities. I've been comparing his picture from the book cover with the image on the Freda Laycock Memorial Site here:

http://www.fredalaycock.org.uk/freda106.jpg

But I can't say for certain that he's there (two possible candidates, but I won't prejudice second opinions by saying which).

Opinions (image zoomable)?

 

Charley

Reading his biography he did not appear to have medical qualifications, so what he was doinf in the RAMC is a little bit of a mystery - University of Glasgow :: Story :: Biography of Jack Rillie

"He returned in 1946 to study for a Postgraduate Honours degree and was awarded a First Class Honours in English Language and Literature in 1948."

TD

 

At least one private at 51st General Hospital was a comscientious objector who accepted a non-combatant role.

A possibility.

 

Surely although a Medical corps they would require non medical staff for drivers, hospital maintenance and management staff or were they from other corps?

Hopefully once Charley gets the book a lot more will be revealed.

Meanwhile I was very intrigued by Jack's Lapel badges wondering whether they denoted his job. Spent ages looking through RAMC badge images cap, collar, lapel and anything else I could think of all came up same pictures. Thought I was then put in African.

Royal West African Frontier Force Cap Badge
Scroll down to see pic.

Royal West African Frontier Force - Wikipedia

Whether this alters what he was doing I have no idea.