Memories of Korea

Port Said, Egypt

admin — Mon, 25 Jul 1955 11:00:42 +0000

As with all the other ports of call on the way home, the stop in Port Said was brief.

Port Said, Egypt

The Suez Canal

admin — Sun, 24 Jul 1955 08:10:33 +0000

As part of the journey back to the UK, Michael would have sailed along the Suez canal.

Opened in November 1869, the Suez canal allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigating around Africa or carrying goods overland between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. The northern terminus is Port Said, with the southern terminus being near Suez. Ismailia is located halfway between Port Said and Suez.

The canal is 192 km (119 mi) long. The maximum depth of the canal is 66 feet (20 m). It is single-lane with 4 passing places north and south of the Great Bitter Lake, and links the Mediterranean Sea to the Gulf of Suez on the Red Sea. It contains no locks; seawater flows freely through the canal into the Great Bitter Lake from both the Red Sea in the south and the Mediterranean in the north, replacing evaporation.

South entrance to the Suez canal

Suez canal

Tanker on canal

The port of Aden, Yemen

admin — Wed, 20 Jul 1955 15:10:54 +0000

As far as it is possible to tell, the stop in Yemen on the homeward journey was brief and functional. It appears Michael and his comrades came and left during the same day, although they did briefly go ashore.

Aden as seen from ship

HMAS Vengeance docked in Aden

HMT Empire Fowey docked in Aden

Colombo, Sri Lanka

admin — Thu, 14 Jul 1955 11:00:59 +0000

Unfortunately the dates recorded for these photographs taken in Sri Lanka have been misrecorded. The dates as written by Michael show the last photo taken in Singapore was at 9:45 on the 10th July, and the first one taken in Sri Lanka was at 11:10 on the same day! That’s an impressive time for a 1,500 mile journey by sea. I have estimated the actual date of the Sri Lanka visit at the 14th July.

Road making, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Soldiers ride in a rickshaw, Colombo

Bullock cart, Colombo

Lighthouse, Colombo

Street scenes in Singapore

admin — Sun, 10 Jul 1955 08:30:31 +0000

Michael made a brief stopover in Singapore in July 1955. Unfortunately no further information is available about the places he visited and photographed.

Street scene, Singapore

Street market, Singapore

Indian women, Singapore

Kowloon docks

admin — Wed, 06 Jul 1955 13:00:56 +0000

Kowloon quayside, Hong Kong

A bumboat is a word used to describe a small boat used to carry supplies to and from a larger ship moored away from the quayside. In some parts of the Far East it can also mean a small boat used to take tourists on short tours.

Bumboats, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Arrival in Hong Kong

admin — Tue, 05 Jul 1955 11:20:14 +0000

This first photo was taken from the small ferry that delivered Michael to the shore of Hong Kong after he arrived by ship.

Hong Kong as seen from ferry boat

Street scene, Hong Kong

Stepped side street, Hong Kong

The next three photographs are taken from the top of Victoria Peak, known locally simply as The Peak. Pictured here in 1955, it is remarkably unspoilt compared with this shot, taken in 2006.

View from the Peak, Hong Kong

Miyajima, Japan

admin — Sun, 26 Jun 1955 16:00:54 +0000

Itsukushima is an island in the Inland Sea of Japan. It is popularly known as Miyajima, the Shrine Island. It is mountainous and sparsely settled, and only 12 square miles in size. There are no cities, only small towns with simple houses and privately-owned shops – photographed below by Michael.

Street scene, Miyajima, Japan

Itsukushima Shrine is a Shinto shrine on the island. The shrine is dedicated to the three daughters of the Shinto deity Susano-o no Mikoto, brother of the great sun deity, Amaterasu. The first shrine buildings were probably erected in the 6th century, and the shrine has been destroyed many times. The present shrine dates from the mid-16th century, having been rebuilt in keeping with its earlier 12th century design.

Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima, Japan

A pagoda on the Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima, Japan

A shrine in Miyajima, Japan

The dramatic gate (torii) of Itsukushima Shrine is one of Japan’s most popular tourist attractions. Commoners were historically not allowed to set foot on the island, and had to approach by boat, entering through the gate that appears to float. The gate has existed since 1168, though the current gate dates back to 1875. The gate, built of camphor wood, is about 16 metres high and was built in a four-legged style to provide additional stability. The gate only appears to be floating at high tide; when the tide is low, the gate is surrounded by mud and can be accessed by foot from the island.

Torii in sea, Miyajima, Japan

A wedding

admin — Sat, 25 Jun 1955 15:10:44 +0000

The people in this photograph are not named; but it is clear that an English soldier of some description has married a Japanese woman in a military base.

Wedding, Point Camp, Kure, Japan

Kure, Japan

admin — Sat, 25 Jun 1955 13:30:42 +0000

Kure's location in Japan

Kure is located in the South-West of Hiroshima and faces the Inland Sea. Its climate is mild, and it is a comfortable and natural seaside city. Kure is composed of many amalgamated towns and cities of which Kure City is the largest and original city.

Hondori, Kure, Japan

Nakadori, Kure, Japan

Britcom Reinforcement Base, Kure, Japan