Ship Travel Times

[naught91]

Hello,

 

I am currently researching a man who was wounded in Iraq, shipped back down to the Tigris to a hospital in Bombay.

 

Unfortunately, I have been unable to find a specific timescale for how long it would take for a ship to travel from Bombay to the UK in 1916.

 

Does anyone have the answer?

 

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

Matt

[ss002d6252]

From 1920 but...
 

Quote

 

It starts 15th November 1920 "Left Waterloo on Thursday to report to the Embarkation Officer
in the afternoon and" ??? board the ship that afternoon. "I was taken to the docks." so presumably Southampton.
"18th November arrived Gibraltar yesterday afternoon"
"25th November arrived Port Said early yesterday morning.
"5th December one more day" ie arrive BOMBAY 6TH december 1920

 

https://www.british-genealogy.com/threads/85576-TROOP-SHIP-s-UK-TO-INDIA-1920

 

Craig

[PJS]

Matt,

 

Without wishing to state the obvious it would depend upon a lot of factors not the least of which would be where it stopped en route and why. Generally speaking, Hospital ships going between Bombay and Basra took around five days. UK to Alexandria 7-14 days. So a very rough estimate would be 2-3 weeks assuming no multi-day stops along the way at Alexandria. Malta, Gibraltar, etc.

 

Do you have any information about the man or the ship?

 

Peter

[naught91]

Thank you Craig and Peter.

 

2-3 weeks does sound about right though it does depend how many stops the ship made, where it stopped etc.

 

Unfortunately, no surviving service papers for the man.

 

All I have is a medical record. I know he was at Bombay Hospital and placed on the "sick convoy in early June 1916. It also states "To England" in the remarks column.

 

The ship name was given as the HS Devanha.

 

A quick google and this ship was used as a hospital ship in that area of the world during the war.

 

Matt

[PJS]

Matt,

 

Yes, the HS Devanha was certainly a regular between Basra and Bombay at that time.

 

Just as a counterpoint to my 2-3 weeks estimate, I found this is on another thread: "he was evacuated back to the UK on Hospital Ship “Devanha”, sailing from Bombay [Mumbai] on 1 June 1917 and arriving at Avonmouth on 3 Aug 1917."

 

https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/262812-rfa-officer-help-reading-signature-please/?do=findComment&comment=2666405

 

Peter

Edited 31 October , 2018 by PJS
Typo

[MKC]

As already mentioned, the total travel time would very much depend upon the route, stops, etc.

 

Hospital ships enjoyed 'immunity', so were able to travel Bombay to the UK via the Suez Canal with a degree of safety, but over 2 months travel time appears to be much too long via the Suez Canal route. The time is more like that taken by transports on the England-India via South Africa route (and reverse). 

 

Is Devanha's movements card archived somewhere? That will confirm the travel time and the route.

 

Mike  

 

 

 

 

Edited 2 November , 2018 by MKC
spelling!

[naught91]

Many thanks for the responses guys.

 

Much appreciated.

 

Matt