Extract from Diary.

On 16th May 1923 my Grandfather John Wilson Hendry set out for the Argentine by
train. Of his 22 companions one Jack Mitchell was a juvenile and there were two
ladies Miss Reid and Mrs Mitchell. The train went directly from Glasgow to Waterloo
overnight. ‘The team after breakfast got very lively and kept up a sing-song until
Southampton was reached.’
They left from Southampton that day on the Gelria. ‘She is a fine ship to look at, but
her internal layout and furnishings are even better.’ ‘The bow of the Gelria was well
filled with emigrants of all ages and especially boys and girls and a good number of
young children from Russia, Holland and Denmark’ At 6pm they lay half a mile off
Cherbourg to take on passengers by tender.
After a cabin upgrade from second deck to Saloon deck John Hendry shared a cabin
with -?-. They had ordinary single beds. The three leaders of the party were
introduced to the Captain who gave them ‘free run of the ship’ and expected them to
visit him each afternoon. He had been on this run for 23 years and never had a storm
and hoped for a game of bridge with them.

John was most interested in the food, after a cold sea bath ’Breakfast at 9 and the
menu was full and pleasing grapefruit, cold ham and two eggs, rolls bread and
marmalade, at 11.30 we get Bovril and biscuits, Lunch at 1.30, tea is at 4 and dinner
at 7.’ There was some resistance by the men to changing for dinner but the ladies
dressed up. By Sunday he started expecting to get fat. But the emigrants ‘all collect
their own food, and it is a sight to see them all scrambling for the washing up tubs’.

Deck games were popular eg shuffleboard.

The ship stopped at Corruna and boats from the shore were soon vending oranges to
the emigrants by slinging them up in baskets into which the money was put. ‘Great
formality was observed on landing, the pilot bringing out the Captain and Lieutenant
with two Privates, fully armed – also four to six Civil Guards take up stations until the
ship is ready to start again. If you are British you have no difficulty getting ashore.’ In
Corruna they saw ‘many pannier laden donkeys, mules, bullock wagons and women
and children carrying cans of milk or messages* on their heads without hand support.’
Next day they awoke anchored off Vigo ‘the town lay like Rothesay’. Again orange
boats at the bow plus shawl and fancy work sellers on deck. Later that day at Oporto
over a hundred immigrants were taken on board.

The next day, Monday, was Lisbon with a strike of carriers but they got ashore by
sailing boat then drove around in a motor before a walk around the bullfighting arena.
On the way to Las Palmas they saw many flying fish looking like aeroplanes in flight.
At Las Palmas boys about 12 years old, supple as eels were diving for money. A line
of women were washing clothes by the side of the road in a channel of water,
smashing them on rocks then laying them out to dry.
On Thursday Argentine Independence day was celebrated on board ‘the Consul stood
champagne and dancing was kept up until 12’. There was dancing in steerage to the
music of a mouth organ but the heat and smell under the awning was too much.

By Friday the officers had changed to white uniforms and the passengers got down to
the minimum of clothing. The swimming pond was busy on Sunday 28th and
costumes needed to be bough for those who did not have them since a committee was
set up for crossing the line and those who had not crossed before would be shaved and
dipped. A shark was seen as well as the flying fish. On Monday the passed a ship
which drew near so that they could shout greetings to each other.
A serious accident happened at 6.45 when a young engineer took a dive from the edge
of the pond. His head struck the bottom and seriously injured his neck. The Purser
was deeply distressed because the engineer was just recently married. He was taken to
the ship’s hospital but died on the Wednesday. The journey was half way over and the
sun set about 6pm.
The crossing the line sports for children included an egg race, a potato race and
drawing the eye of the pig chalked on the deck while blindfold. ‘It was comical to
find some of them were yards off the spot’. At 10:45 the children got their prizes as
the equator was crossed. At 11 Father Neptune and his three Assistants came on board
to baptise 30 candidates. Placed on the edge of the pond they were soaped with a great
big brush of paste from a pail then scraped with a large wooden razor ‘your right
ankle was jerked and you were thrown backwards into the water, two of Neptune’s
henchmen caught you as you rose to the surface and plunged you under three times’.
Only one lady Miss Read went through the ceremony and got a great reception and a
lovely prize for her bravery that evening. At 12 a special refreshment was sent round.
A stout Dutch Jew had said the baptisms were a ‘mugs game’ and locked himself in
his cabin during the ceremonies. At the end of lunch as he was lighting his cigarette
three buckets of water were thrown over him by crew members amid the ironical
cheers of the crowd. His suit, sent to be dried got burned, but ‘I spoke much to him
later and he seemed a likeable chap. The ragging did him good.’
After lunch were ladies races in heats. Then the gents ‘cigarette race, sack race,
obstacle race, tug of war etc’ The Third Lanark football team lifted practically all the
prizes. At 5pm a lovely tea with most delicious cakes was served in the garden and
choruses were sung.
Next day they saw the first land for seven days as they approached the islands of
Fernando de Noronha. Pernambuco on Thursday was scorching and no passengers
were allowed ashore. Passengers coming aboard were glad to get away from the
unhealthy town. The engineer was buried there after an impressive ceremony. That
afternoon the sports were resumed and included climbing the amusing greasy pole.
Again the 3rd Lanark team won most prizes. The next day nobody went ashore at
Bahia ‘on account of its insanitary and unhealthy state’ the yellow fever being bad
there. Bahia looked like Douglas, Isle of Man. The steam packet ‘Andos’ was busy
with launches and the ‘SS Flandria’ sailed in. ‘Gelria’ ‘took on 1600 cases of tobacco
leaf and the niggers were kept going’.
An American on board thought the snow on the Andes might prevent them getting to
Valparaiso. He had been held up for a week one June while snow was cleared from
the track which ascends and descends 10,000 feet.
Saturday it rained and the waters looked ‘like Loch Long on a wet day’. Farewells
were exchanged with the people who were getting off at Rio who had ‘put themselves
about to amuse us’. This was reciprocated by a parting refreshment on the Sunday
from the Rio people who would leave ship early in the morning.
They got ashore at 9 and were met by reporters from the papers and shown round the
city of 2,000,000. The emigrants ‘were sleeping on the decks for comfort. Some of the
wee tots beside their parents were almost naked and sound asleep. There are crowds
of little ones, but they seem very old fashioned and do a lot for themselves.’
Santos shortly after 6 on Tuesday a lovely view going up the river, ‘the town is old
and lacks the fine new buildings of Rio’. Most of the emigrants were taken away by
rail from the ship to San Paolo. Five babies had been born on the journey. ‘The ships
here were loading up coffee and bananas which lay green in great bundles. All
through the town were beautiful gardens, some with fountains playing and I think we
saw all shades of coloured people’ Dancing started at 9pm ‘but there are now too few
on board to brighten things up’.
On Wednesday it was colder with white trousers discarded and vests put on again. A
fine rain was falling like our Scotch mist and ‘Tomorrow it is evident that we must get
back into our ordinary clothes. We are again out of sight of land. There is no life on
board now, and everybody moons about anxious to get ashore.’ They had a
‘Sweepstake for the Derby, and I have got ‘Duncan Grey’’. It got colder as the day
wore on and the sea was rough. On Thursday they had to move about the deck to keep
warm. The aluminium king, a quiet unobtrusive German, gave a farewell champagne
cup. Friday they were wakened by the ship’s foghorn at 3am and by 9 were behind
time and wearing heavy clothing but got to Monte Video at 10.
In Buenos Aires the roads were lined with trees without leaves because it is winter.
But as warm as our summer. There were many late nights partying at whist drives
after golf.
Due to a strike they got a steamer to Monte Video on Monday instead of Sunday.
Wednesday back to BA then left for Rosario where the Mitchells had relatives.
The manuscript ends abruptly on p43‘Sunday but there is nothing here to remind you
of it’ so there are no details of the return journey.

*a Scottish term for shopping

Extract by Linda Hendry Jan 2007