WILLIAM JARVIS

GOODBYE TO
ENGLAND
THE JARVIS FAMILYS VOYAGE TO AUSTRALIA

GOODBYE TO ENGLAND

Original manuscript by William Sydney Jarvis 1961

Editing, design and typography by
Carol Glover

2014
MARLEY STREET PRODUCTIONS
Hilary Abel, Kelvin Jarvis, Lindsey Meester
i

FOREWORD
In 1961 William (Bill) Jarvis left his home
at Welford, Northamptonshire, to migrate to
Australia with his three young children,
Hilary (14), Kelvin (8) and Lindsey (7).
Sadly, Bills wife, Jos, had died the previous
year.

Bills record of the journey on the Fair Sky is

published here in full, except for about eight
pages of his handwritten manuscript that
have gone missing: the gaps are indicated,
and substituted with excerpts from Miss
Clarksons summary, in italic. A selection of
Bills surviving photographs are included,
mostly in accordance with the labels he gave
to them.

During the voyage Bill kept a log of the

journey to send to his daughter Hilarys
classroom teacher, Miss M. Clarkson, at
Loddington Hall, in Leicestershire1. Miss
Clarkson summarised his account and
published it in the schools magazine, The
Venture.

Dr Carol Glover, 2014.

1 M.

Clarkson A Journey From Southampton to

Melbourne in The Venture Vol 1. 1961, p. 24.
Miss M. Clarkson, had been Hilary Jarviss class
teacher since December 1960.
ii

Back: Bill Jarvis. Front: Kelvin, Lindsey, Hilary Jarvis. Loddington Hall, Leicestershire, October 1960, about
six months before the journey to Australia.
iii

CHAPTER 1

FINDING OUR SEA

LEGS
On Tuesday 2 May, after passing
through customs, we went aboard
the Fair Sky at Southampton.
Promptly, at 4.30pm, the ships
siren sounded and the ropes were
cast off. Gradually the coast of
Britain disappeared and we were
really off on our way to a new life
in Australia.
Quoted from: M. Clarkson, A Journey From
Southampton to Melbourne in The Venture
Vol 1. 1961, p. 24.

We passed round the Isle of Wight into the

Atlantic, then round through the Bay of
Biscay, which was rather choppy. The
children were all very sea-sick, but soon got
their sea legs and their stomachs back.
We had followed the Portuguese coast nearly
all day, and on the 5th we entered the Straits
of Gibraltar, with Spain on our left and Africa
on our right. We could see the town of
Tangier, and also, we passed very close to the
Rock of Gibraltar. We have seen a lot of oil
tankers and other boats traveling toward
England. We are now well over 1100 miles
from Southampton, and the weather is getting
warmer every hour, as now at 3 oclock on the
5th of May it is 67F, and in a few days it will
be really hot.

Portuguese coast

Hilary, Bill and Lindsey Jarvis,

Bay of Biscay, 5 May 1961..
5

Hilary, Kelvin and Lindsey Jarvis, Bay of Biscay, 5 May 1961.

6

CHAPTER 2

TO MALTA
Saturday 6 May
Midday: We have travelled 1,682
miles. We passed the towns of
Algiers and Tunis on the African
coast, and during the night, at 7
oclock, Pontelleria Point, a small
island near Malta. In another
few hours we should be passing
Malta. Whether or not we shall
see it we dont really know, but
will have to wait and see.

Saturday 6 May, continued ...

We put the clocks forward 30 minutes last
night, and we shall be putting them forward
practically every night now.

Malta

At 2.30 in the afternoon we saw the Port of

La Valetta and main town; what an
impressive site it was as well! I took photos of
Gozo and Moona [sic] and the town and
harbour of La Valetta: an aircraft carrier was
in the port. We saw a R.A.F. rescue launch: it
came to escort us for a short way, very close
to the side of the ship.

Sunday 7 May
Sunday afternoon we passed Malta and had a
fine view of it. We also saw Gozo, one of the
group of Islands round Malta, as well as
Moona [Comino?].

Approaching Gozo

British craft, Malta.

8

The weather now is really getting hot, and the

sun is shining all day. I have taken some
marvellous shots and will let you have some
as soon as possible.
We are now in the Sicilian Sea and the water
is very blue; in fact, one can actually see fish
just below the surface. We have seen a lot of
porpoises and also one or two flying fish.

CHAPTER 3

LIFE ON BOARD
THE FAIR SKY
Monday 8 May
At noon today we had travelled a
distance of 2,495 miles

Monday 8 May

I hope this afternoon we shall be having a

glimpse of the Suez Canal and Cairo, but I
dont think that we shall reach it today. We
have the navigation officer tell us each day
what we shall see, if anything, and also the
weather for the next 24 hours.

It is Kelvins birthday and I have ordered a

cake for him; it will be a nice surprise for him.

Above: Kelvin Jarvis celebrates his 9th birthday on board

the Fair Sky with family and friends. Bill, on Kelvins right,
supervises the candles ritual.
Right: Kelvin plays table tennis on the deck, with onlookers to
his right. Note the lifeboat to his left.
11

The time is now 8.30, we have just finished

breakfast, and the sun is now even beating
down with great heat.
We had travelled yesterday, at noon, 2,057
miles. We have a few cases of sunburn on
board, of people trying to be clever, but are
finding that the rays of the sun and the wind
combined are having the effect of drying up
the pores in the skin and causing very painful
blisters.
At noon today we had travelled a distance of
2,495 miles. We have not seen any land at all
today, but we pick up the pilot tomorrow at
the entrance of Port Said, at 6.30 in the
evening. We are still putting the clocks on,
one hour each night.

12

A Fair Sky menu, kept by the Jarvis Family as a memento.

13

CHAPTER 4

PORT SAID
Tuesday 9 May
The swimming pool has been
filled up, and the children are all
delighted. The sun was very
strong at 7 oclock this morning;
we had a rather stiff breeze, but
it has dropped considerably now.
A convoy of five cargo vessels
coming from the Suez Canal
passed by at 9 oclock this
morning, and four of them were
oil tankers.

Tuesday 9 May, continued ...

At 6.30 p.m. we picked up the pilot for the

journey through the Suez Canal, and we have
gone into Port Said harbour and anchored
there for the night. There, the little boats
piled high with goods came alongside, and the
bargaining began. I got a wallet made of
leather for two shillings and some sun hats for
the children for 1/6d each.

Today is our first port of call, Port Said. We

are not allowed to land there, but all the
merchants are allowed to come on board on
the lower deck.
At 1.15 this afternoon we passed Alexandria
on the Egyptian coast. Now the sun is really
hot, and not being used to it, one can only
stay out for a short time before running for
cover.

Up to lunch time today we have travelled

2,992 miles. There are a great number of
boats in the harbour of all nationalities and all
sizes, from liners and tankers to sailing boats
and launches.

At 5 oclock this evening we passed an island

off the Egyptian coast that has a lighthouse
and a village the size of the island, which is
five miles round.

15

CHAPTER 5

SUEZ CANAL
Wednesday 10 May
We pulled anchor at 7 oclock
this morning and entered the
Suez Canal. I took some photos
of the boats with goods on them
and one of the Suez Canal,
looking forward over the bow of
the ship.

Wednesday 10 May, continued ...

All the Egyptian police had revolvers and
were patrolling the ship all last night, right up
until the ship sailed this morning. There was
one of the vendors selling Tuesdays papers
(English) for 1/5d each; quite a profit dont
you think? And comics were as much as two
shillings each.
Suez Canal

At about 9.15 this morning, on the banks of

the Suez, we passed the village of El
Kantara, which I took two photos of. We
have also seen camels loaded with green
fodder for the animals, as many as 20 in a
line, all tied together, with the baby camels
walking alongside.
El Kantara Egyptian town on
the eastern bank of
the Suez Canal.
17

It is now 11.30 a.m. and we are tied up in a

lay-by off the canal to allow a northbound
convey to pass on its way to Port Said. In all,
there will be 21 ships to pass, and it will be
5.30 before we start again. The convoy
consists of four liners, seven cargo vessels,
and ten oil tankers.
At 6.30 this evening we shall see Ismailia. I
was hoping to get some photos of it, but
found that I had run out of film; still, we were
a little too far away to have got any good
shots.

Arab house on the banks of the Suez Canal

The time is now 11.30 pm and the pilot has

just been taken off the ship. We are now
entering the Suez Bay, and by tomorrow
morning, when we go for breakfast, we shall
be in the Red Sea.
18

CHAPTER 6

THE RED SEA

Thursday 11 May
We are now in the Red Sea. When
we went on deck this morning at
6.45, we saw in the distance the
coastline of Africa, some mountains,
and also some little tiny islands - but
they were really barren, only rock
and sand.

Thursday 11 May, continued ...

... binoculars and tape recorders and

thousands of toys. You could buy a battery
wireless for as little as 4/70/-, no duty or tax
to pay. Also, you could get an electric
Remington shaver for 3. I bought a remote
controlled police car for 12/6d (battery
operated, reverse and forward movement
with steering); I have seen exactly the same
thing in England costing 43/-; it is very nearly
12 long.

I have a leaflet all about the Red Sea, which I

am sending to you, and also one of the Suez
Canal. I can honestly say that I have swum in
the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, as
the swimming pool is filled with sea water.
Todays weather is extremely hot. In fact,
with the sea air as well as the sun, one can
only stay in the sun for a short period at a
time; although, some folks do stay out in it,
and they are getting bad sunburn.
(pages missing)
Saturday 13 May

2M

On Saturday May 13th at midnight we went ashore

at Aden ... we returned to the ship at 3.30 a.m.2
20

Clarkson 1961, op. cit., p.24.

Above and right: Aden Harbour

Hilary could not understand the natives of Aden all laying down
in the streets, sleeping; and the smell of Aden was enough to put
anyone off. Hilary, as I thought, is very irritable today, so I shall
have to put her to bed early.
21

Just as a matter of interest, the ship weights

15,684 tons, with an overall length of 563
feet. The refrigeration room is very nearly
twice as long as the main hall at Loddington,
with three different levels as it is covering the
centre of the ship, from the hold up to B
Deck.
Perim Island in the Red Sea, Yemen.

There is the sun deck, bridge deck, games

deck, promenade deck and lower promenade
deck, then ABCD decks.

We untied from the buoys, and the tugs

swung us around to face the opposite
direction to leave the harbour at 7 oclock this
morning. The temperature at midnight last
night was 101, and everybody was looking
rather wilted when they got back to the
ship.
It is nice to be at sea again, just to get the
breeze, but with the heat one has to keep out
of the sun.
22

CHAPTER 7

FLYING FISH AND

STARS THAT
TOUCH THE SEA
Monday 15 May
I awoke this morning with the
ship going up and down like a
rocking boat, and the wind was
quite rough. Nearly half of the
passengers on board are staying
in their bunks, all feeling bad.

Monday 15 May, continued ...

We have boat drill again this afternoon and

everybody has to be there, whether they are
bad or not.

We are seeing flying fish all day now, and to

see them skimming over the waves is
something quite extraordinary. They are not
really big - about 12 to 18 inches long - and
with the wings open they are about 12
across.

Tomorrow I am taking Hilary up to the

bridge to see the instruments and wheel
where the ship is operated from; it should be
interesting.

Last night the sky was really beautiful, and

the stars looked as though they were touching
the sea. The most fascinating thing that I find,
and also the children, is the fact that as soon
as the sun goes down it gets dark within ten
minutes. In fact, if you started walking round
the deck of the ship it would be dark before
you had finished the round trip.

Total distance at noon today was 4578 miles.

24

CHAPTER 8

900 MILES OFF

COLOMBO
Tuesday 16 May

The weather is at a really lovely

temperature, reaching 94, and
the sea is really calm. At noon
today we have the belief the
distance since leaving
Southampton is 5381 miles,
about half way to Melbourne.

Tuesday 16 May, continued ...

We are about 900 miles off of Colombo,
which is on our port side; that is, the left side
when looking forward. We shall be on the
equator tomorrow morning at 5.30, and in the
afternoon there will be the ceremony of
crossing the line; and also, there will be a
fancy dress parade for all children under 12
years old. Kelvin wants to go as a pirate if we
can find the clothes for him to wear.

A steward serving on board the Fair Sky

... we saw two small brown whales in the Indian

Ocean. 3

We had a laugh at lunch time today. One of

the stewards was serving soup and there was
an orange in the large tureen, and one of the
passengers told him what to do with the
orange. Well, they didnt think that the
steward could understand English, and when
he gave an answer there was a deadly hush
for a few seconds - then the laughter began.

3 Clarkson

26

1961, op. cit., p. 24.

CHAPTER 9

VERY LONELY,
AND NOTHING
BUT SEA ALL
AROUND US
Thursday 18 May
We have now covered the total
distance of 5816 miles; the
weather is good and very calm;
the boat is hardly rocking at all.

Thursday 18 May, continued ...

evenings in Australia. Since leaving Aden we

have not seen a single ship, or bird, or plane;
very lonely and nothing but sea all around us
- the Indian Ocean.

We crossed the equator at 5.30 this morning,

and this afternoon we have the ceremony of
crossing the line.
Well, the show is over and I have heard
people say that it was the poorest show they
have ever seen and very tame. All the people
who went through the ceremony were picked
out beforehand, so there was no excitement at
all. It was all over in ten minutes. Not one of
the officers on board took part in it, and only
two were looking on. And if that is the way
the Italians do things I dont think much of it.
Hilary has now finished my jumper and it fits
me very well indeed. And talk about heavy!
Still, it will do for me when we have the cold

Certificates were issued for crossing the equator

28

Kelvin and Lindsey Jarvis; Kelvin is dressed as a pirate for the line-crossing ceremony.

29

(pages missing)
After this, life became monotonous as we saw neither ships, nor land, for days. The sea was often
rough, but happier, the temperature was becoming cooler. 4

Clarkson 1961, op. cit., p.24.

30

CHAPTER 10

WE HAVE
TRAVELLED 7,851
MILES
Tuesday 23 May
Today the welfare officer will be
telling us the information that we
shall require to know when we
disembark, such as port
procedure, and also customs.

Tuesday 23 May, continued ...

At noon today we have travelled 7,851 miles.

The weather has calmed down now, and there

is hardly a swell to the boat; but it looks as
though it may rain as the clouds are getting
rather black in the distance ahead of the ship.

Wednesday 24 May
Tomorrow morning we have to get up fairly
early as all the passengers on board have to
have a medical exam before arriving in
Fremantle, to make sure no-one has a
contagious disease. So the doctors will have a
very busy time all day. Then, on Friday
morning, it is the customs and immigration
authoritys turn.

Well, another eight days and we shall be in

Melbourne. And only another three more
days and we shall be sighting our first glimpse
of our future homeland, Australia. On Friday
we dock at Fremantle for four or five hours to
disembark the passengers who only go that
far, and also, we are picking up some
passengers who are going back to England.
The return ship travels back via Sydney, then
round Australia to Singapore and Colombo,
then Aden, then the Suez to Southampton.

Well, we must now go to sleep.

32

CHAPTER 11

SOUND OF THE
ANCHOR BEING
DROPPED
Thursday 25 May
Well, again we are one day
nearer our destination. In only a
few hours we shall be at
Fremantle and able to go ashore
for a few hours. We travelled
another 431 miles to noon today,
bringing our total now to the
sum of 8,697 miles.

Thursday 25 May, continued ...

passed our passport examination we had to

wait then, till we drew alongside.

Everyone on board is excited as we have not

seen a single ship since leaving Aden on the
14th although today we have seen a few
turtles and also some very large whales, quite
close to the ship. The turtles were very big as
well; they must have numbered about 14 or
15; it was quite difficult to count them owing
to the waves.

Then we went ashore and went round the

town and had a most lovely cup of tea, made
with fresh milk, instead of dried milk. I did
enjoy it! You could buy a complete side of
lamb for only 25/- to 30/- and all of the meat
was really cheap, compared with English
prices. All of the shops looked so beautifully
clean, and nobody was in the least hurry, all
strolling along without a care in the world,
and each and everyone choosing exactly what
he or she wanted, with exacting confidence.
What I saw in the couple of hours ashore
proved to me the Australian citizen was a
most careful shopper. The pavements in
Fremantle were as wide as the average
English street, and the roadways were twice
as wide.

Friday 26 May
We awoke at 5 oclock this morning to the
sound of the anchor being dropped, and so
we all got up and had our first glimpse of
Australia. All the lights of Fremantle were
shining like a lot of stars. When we had all
34

CHAPTER 12

LAST LEG TO
MELBOURNE
Friday 26 May, continued ...
We set sail again at 12.30 pm
and are now on our last leg to
Melbourne. At noon today we
have travelled 312 miles, so now
we have covered 9,011 miles.

time in nearly 13 years.5 The weather today is

perfect: beautiful sunshine, and the
temperature is still up in the 70s. So you can
imagine how we are looking forward to our
life in Australia if this is winter, or at least the
end of the second month of winter.6 We have
been told that the lowest recorded
temperature in Melbourne was 48, but
usually it stays around 55-65.7

Saturday 27 May
Another 410 miles passed away at our stern,
bringing the total now to 9,421 miles. The
weather has been really lovely today and very
warm. Most of the passengers have been out
on deck all day. Very little is happening on
board now, apart from the farewell dance that
is being held tonight.

(pages missing)

We have seen more whales today and they

are the really big ones. The colour of them?
Well, I would say very nearly black.

Editors notes:
5

Edie is Bills older sister, and Claude Seymour is

Edies second husband.

Sunday 28 May

Actually, it was the last month of Autumn.

7 Perhaps

this is a reference to average minimum

autumn temperatures for Melbourne, which it
approximates.

In 48 hours we shall be landing in Melbourne

and meeting Edie and Claude for the first
36

Monday 29 May
We had a very peaceful night with the ship
running very smooth, and I think that we
have done a considerable distance on our
daily run. The weather is now getting cooler,
and one needs a cardigan or jumper on early
mornings or evenings.
Well, and now we are 436 miles nearer
Melbourne - 10,284 in all since leaving
Southampton - and only another few more
miles to go! The children are all going to bed
early tonight as it will be a fairly big day
tomorrow, especially since we have a long
train journey.

37

CHAPTER 13

TIRED,
BUT HAPPY
Tuesday 30 May
At last our journey is really over,
and we are all very tired, but
happy.

Tuesday 30 May

At last our journey is really over, and we are

all very tired, but happy.

Today we have arrived at our destination,

Melbourne, at 1.40 a.m. All morning we have
seen the coast getting closer, and all the
people who are getting off here are getting
excited. All morning we have seen nothing
but jelly fish, simply thousands of them
floating past, and quite a few of them are
poisonous. At midday today the total distance
travelled was 10,723 miles, and we have been
informed that we have another 47 miles to go,
bringing the total distance from Southampton
to Melbourne, 10,770 miles.
The Jarvis children, Lindsey, Hilary and Kelvin, soon
after arriving in North-Eastern Victoria.

We left the boat at 3.15 p.m. today and we

went to the station to catch the 4.15 to
Wangaratta, and then about 60 miles by truck
to Bullioh, arriving there at 7.30 in the
evening.
39

APPENDIX
Sample pages from the Jarvis
familys passage contract, and
the Sitmar Line General
Information for Passengers.

41

42