Description
Book SynopsisAn amazing story of a hidden untold past and the adventures of a difficult mother.
Trade ReviewThis book is as much about a parent's extraordinary back story as it is about a daughter who has tenderly pieced it together. -- Jane Christmas Author of Incontinent on the Continent Eleanor Stewart introduces us to the adventures of her intrepid mother in a way that is sympathetic without being sentimental. Coming to understand our parents simply as human beings, as flawed and fragile as we know ourselves to be, is often the gateway to inner maturity, and even peace, which Eleanor demonstrates. As this humorous and personal tale unfolds, we not only voyage across the world, we also travel into the hearts of a feisty woman and her dedicated daughter. -- Sharon Grenham-Thompson Author of Jail Bird This book is a terrific reminder that no life is ordinary. Starting with the frailty of her mother's old age, the author tells a story of adventure, tragedy and immense courage. Once started, you won't want to put it down. -- Gethin Russell-Jones author of My Secret Life in Hut 6 'While taking us on a voyage through hostile waters in wartime with her mother, Eleanor Stewart plunges us into one of the many forgotten episodes in a long and cruel conflict at sea. So many so-called ordinary people endured extraordinary events that would test even the bravest of us to the limit and beyond. Too often it is the big episodes of war that are remembered and written about. In bringing so vividly to life the sinking of the liner S.S. Britannia by the notorious Nazi disguised raider Thor, Eleanor Stewart reveals not only her own incredible family history - and the amazing courage of her mum - but also makes us all wonder what we would do adrift in that lifeboat for days, surviving only on biscuits and condensed milk.' -- Iain Ballantyne author of Killing the Bismarck "This is a vivid account of a relationship between a daughter (Eleanor) and her elderly and frail mother (Mary). Their uncomfortable relationship nonetheless reveals a remarkable story of one woman's experience of life and notably of the Second World War. Particularly vivid is Mary's description, powerfully recounted by her daughter, of alarming experiences in the Atlantic ocean at the height of the battles in which the German U-boats sought to throttle the lifeline between the United States and Britain. It is a fine account of a remarkable phase in a not to be forgotten period." -- Jonathan Dimbleby
Table of ContentsContents
Acknowledgments 9
Author’s Note 10
Prologue 11
1 Portsmouth: Mother’s Arrival (1993) 13
2 Govan (1920s) via Buffalo (1930) to Dunoon (1932) 18
3 Dunoon: Love and Sad ness (1936) 24
4 T he Compa ny, May & Baker (1937) 30
5 M &B and “the Wonder Drug” (1938) 37
6 Gathering Clouds and War (1938–39) 44
7 M arriag e, August 1940 49
8 T he Depa rture, February 1941 57
9 T he Ship, 16 March 1941 62
10 S hip Life, March 1941 67
11 S hip Life Continues, 23 March 74
12 Attac k, 25 March 77
13 T he Boat, Day 1, 25 March 85
14 T he Boat, Day 2, 26 March 92
15 T he Boat, Day 3, 27 March 97
16 R escue, Day 4, 28 March 101
17 SS Raranga, 29 March 109
18 M ontevideo, 10 April 1941 115
19 Buenos Aires: The Mysterious Monsieur Gué, 15 April 125
20 Flight: A Cheerful New Zealander with a Novel Way of Paying Her Air Fare, 24 April 131
21 L os Angeles: Unpleasantness with Immigration, 3 May 1941 136
22 A Chance Encounter with the “Great Dictator” and the “Dook”, 5 May 141
23 T he Angelus Temple: An Odd Experience, 6 May 145
24 S an Francisco: Bag els and “Twittering”, 8 May 149
25 Another Ship, Another Ocean, 9 May 154
26 K ing Neptune’s Court and Trag ic News, 17 May 163
27 Arrival in Kobe: America n Unease and the Sinking of the Bismarck, 25–27 May 167
28 S tolen Chopsticks and Love Games, 28 May 172
29 H ong Kong: “Land of the Frag rant Streams”, 1 June 1941 183
30 Jai Alai and a Medica l Emergency, 4 June 190
31 R affles and a Not-So-Sweet Parting, 11 June 199
32 T emples and Snakes, 16 June 208
33 Colombo: The End in Sight, 19 June 216
34 Bomba y: Stopover, 24 June 224
35 Calcutta: Safely Arrived, 27 June 230
Epilogue 236
Acknowledgments
