The rest of my time at Linton-On-Ouse passed in the normal routine, until October in the same year when a name posting came through and I was told to go on leave and I would then receive further instructions. It was lovely to go back to the smallholding and see Edna and all my family again but within a couple of days an official letter came telling me to report to West Kirby to be kitted out with a tropical uniform and other accessories. When I arrived there were other chaps being supplied with tropical gear but none of us had any idea where we were going, because during wartime most things are top secret. After a short time we were told to collect all our kit and proceed to waiting vehicles and then we were taken to the Pier Head at Liverpool docks where along side the dock was a troopship H.M.S. Rangitata, which before the war was the property of the New Zealand shipping line. It had now been converted for use as a troopship. We boarded around mid-day on the 20th of November 1941. (The information from this point is taken from a diary I kept until the end of the journey).

HMS Rangitata

Friday 21st Nov:	left Liverpool at 2 p.m.
Saturday 22nd:	Moving up the Irish Sea. Very cold and sea choppy, some blokes already being affected by seasickness. The ship pulled into Greenock Clyde to take on board more troops and join the rest of the convoy
Sunday 23rd & Monday 24th:	Still anchored on the Clyde
Tuesday 25th:	Left the Clyde at 2.30 a.m. without the convoy but with an escort of two destroyers L 08. And L 28. Where is the rest of the convoy that we were supposed to join with?
Wednesday 26th:	Somewhere in the Atlantic I guess, probably heading into the Bay of Biscay I’m feeling very bad due to seasickness. The two lads I’ve palled up with are also down with it.
Thursday 27th:	Still heading south and it’s getting a bit warmer, I’m still feeling bad. All I have been able to eat was an apple. The escort is still with us. No trouble up to now.
Friday 28th:	Weather improving all the time sea calmer, I’m feeling much better. U-boat trouble, one of the destroyers has dropped back to let go some depth charges.
Saturday 29th:	Weather glorious, information from the crew that we should be in Gibraltar on the 1st of December.
Sunday 30th:	Sighted first ship off starboard bow, one of the escorts went out to investigate, everything O.K.
Monday 1st Dec:	Weather great - sea calm. U-boat in vicinity, escort again dropping depth charges. Later in the day we sighted Gibraltar and NorthWest coast of Africa. Mid-day we could see Tangiers and arrived at the Rock at 5 p.m. We were told later that one of the encounters with U-boats was successful according to the B.B.C. news. The Rock itself was bristling with guns camouflaged. In the harbour there were three aircraft carriers, one cruiser, one submarine, several merchant ships of various nationalities and Catalina and Walrus flying boats at anchor. No blackout here - lights from every building on the Rock and also from towns on the North African coast.
Tuesday 2nd:	Still at Gibraltar. A lot of the troops on board are now disembarking probably for the North African campaign and whilst we were watching them I spotted a lad from Skem. I managed to have a word with him while he was in the queue to leave the ship, his name is Alf Carlyle. I gave him my address and asked him to send a cablegram for me, he said he would if he got the chance. The rest of us were allowed off the ship shortly afterwards and we went on a route march through the dockside and into the town with an army band in front of us. Practically the whole of the town looked on from the windows and pavements. The main street we were on was very narrow and the shops and buildings seemed to be smaller unless it’s my imagination. My mouth was watering at all of the oranges and bananas growing in the gardens leading down towards the harbour. We were told that there were two picture houses in the town, the Theatre Royal and the Rialto but we weren’t allowed to go. On one side of the rock there was an airbase and we could see Blenheims, Spitfires, Wellingtons and Beau fighters. I noticed that the R.A.F. blokes just had trousers and vests on and didn’t have to stick with strict uniform and some army lads we could see were dressed the same way.
Wednesday 3rd:	Still at Gib, unable to go ashore as I was on guard duty. Frank brought some fruit back for us, a good selection oranges, grapes, pomegranates, melons and tomatoes.
Thursday 4th	Still at anchor, went ashore at 2.30 to 4.30 pm bought a lighter 2/- some fruit and postcards, unable to send a cablegram home as post office would not accept English pound note. Apparently it’s only worth 8 shillings and nine pence. Went to military paymaster to change for Gibraltar money but by then the post office had closed and it was time to be back on board ship.
Friday 5th:	Went ashore in the afternoon and was able to send cable after all. Left Gibraltar at 6pm escorted by destroyers L.28 and H.44. Later in the evening heard depth charges being dropped by escort, seems like the waters close to the rock are popular for enemy U-boats. Apparently according to what we were told, it was close to this area, where the Ark Royal was sunk.
Saturday 6th:	A third destroyer has been added to escort duty, so the front and both sides of the troopship are now covered. Weather warm and sunny.
Sunday 7th:	Passed the Canary Islands in the distance - time 6pm
Monday 8th:	We were told to change into our tropical kit, weather very warm, and sea dead calm. Medical Officer got us all together and gave us a lecture on tropical diseases i.e. Malaria, Yellow Jack, Black Water Fever and Dysentery. Clocks and watches put back 1 hour, this makes us 3 hours behind English time, heard 6pm news at 3pm
Tuesday 9th:	Nothing new today, weather very warm – Sea like glass.
Wednesday 10th:	Saw shoals of flying fish, funny things that can fly across water for about 10 yards before re-entering. Started sleeping on deck, too warm below and the stale sickly smell below deck makes one want to heave.
Thursday 11th:	Expected to arrive at Freetown tomorrow morning.
Friday 12th:	Just arrived at Freetown 10am. Black kids came out to meet us in rough made canoes, they are shouting for Liverpool pennies and Glasgow tanners. Some of the lads on board threw 3 or 4 pennies at a time and one of the kids would dive for them and come up to the surface with the lot in his teeth, the others were be selling bananas - three for a penny.
Saturday 13th:	Still in dock, weather really hot had to strip down to my shorts both night and day; trouble is the place is swarming with mozzies. We have all been given anti-mosquito cream and also we now have to take 5 grains of Quinine every day, in order to try to ward off malaria. Our particular group were told to pack our kitbags with all our belongings and we left the Rangitata and boarded a big motor launch at around 17.00 hours, which took us further along the coast to a Depot ship called H.M.S. Manela.
Sunday 14th:	Still aboard Manela, we haven’t a clue as to what is going on. We spent all afternoon with a makeshift line over the side of the ship trying to catch some fish. We could see them quite plain, about 2 feet in length swimming just below the surface but they were not interested in what we were offering. The Manela is a much smaller ship than the Rangitata. I think it is used for operating along the coast.
Monday 15th:	Didn’t do much today, getting a bit bored, hoping to go ashore tomorrow.
Tuesday 16th:	Went ashore about 9.30 am. Eight of us, all mates were told there was a job for us to do; we went through the ramshackle streets of Freetown and up the hills to the edge of the bush country. Our job was to clean up an empty house and make it habitable for an R.A.F. group captain who was coming to live there. By the look of the place we could be a few days here. We started cleaning the place up and also spent some time picking bananas and oranges. Plenty of monkeys and beautiful birds in the trees. When lunchtime came we were picked up by a van from Wilberforce R.A.F. camp, where they took us back to have a good dinner. We were returned back and resumed cleaning up in the afternoon. Finished for the day at 5 pm and were taken back to the ship by motor launch.
Wednesday 17th:	Continued with the same job but even though we had no supervision, we did quite a bit on the house but we made time to do a bit of exploring in the bush. The birds were plentiful with gorgeous colours and lots of small lizards, big spiders and beetles as big as ones fist. We had a little coloured lad with us. We asked the lad about elephants but he said they were a few miles further in the bush. Also we met a government official, a white chap who was really glad to see us. He told us he lived a short distance from the house we were working on and kindly invited us into his house for cups of tea and fruit and wanted to know the latest news from England.
Thursday 18th:	Still on the same job but finished early today, the driver of the van dropped us in the main street of Freetown so we walked back and we were able to get a close look at the set up. The houses are made mainly of mud with straw roofs and are quite close together. Mixed amongst them are a few better-built shops, which we were told were mainly owned by Syrians. The shops seemed to be selling clothing material and tapestries in rolls etc. The smells from some of the huts we passed are not very pleasant.
Friday 19th & Saturday 20th:	Nothing much to tell, still on the same job but now the place is looking much improved, beginning to think we are going to be odd job men.
Sunday 21st:	Same routine but I’m getting used to the heat, I don’t sweat as much.
Monday 22nd:	I think this is our last day on the job because there’s not much else to do. The van didn’t come for us until after dark, so we spent the time listening to the various noises coming from the bush. Got back on ship to receive my first letter from home, it was posted on Dec 1st. Expecting to leave the Manela on Wednesday the 24th to go on to Takoradi about 900 miles nearer the equator.
Tuesday 23rd:	Did nothing of importance today.
Wednesday 24th:	Left Manela at 11a.m. and boarded H.M.T. Abossa. On board we met the rest of our draft from West Kirby. Had a bit of a singsong and booze up later, after all it’s Christmas Eve. I wonder what they’re all doing at home? What a hot night, sweat is rolling off everybody and we are all sleeping up on deck in just our shorts.
Thursday 25th Dec:	Christmas Day. Left Freetown at 2 p.m.Worst Christmas I’ve ever had, also the hottest. Must have lost pints of sweat. Had dinner stripped, practically everyone had a heat rash with heat lumps on the body.
Friday 26th & Saturday 27th:	Nothing much to report.
Sunday 28th:	Sighted land about 10.30.a.m. Docked at mid-day.