Account of life on board the SS Athenia
A handwritten three page account of life on board SS Athenia. Ernest and Hilda Meredith of Llandudno, North Wales married on 28 Sep 1938 and travelled to North America on 1st Oct 1938 on the SS Athenia to honeymoon in the USA and Canada. Unknown to his new bride, Ernest kept a diary of the voyage and their time America which Hilda discovered after his death in 1996. The diary account provides insight to the life on board, including the bad weather that reduced daily sailing to 220-260 miles, significantly lower than the scheduled 300 - 350, which meant that after 5 days they were not half-way through their voyage. Less than a year later, the SS Athenia was the first liner to be torpedoed, during the evening of the day war was declared on 3 Sep 1939, with the loss of 118 lives. (see also picture #6965)
Dimensions: A5