Arrived at Port Said at 5 in the morning, a most interesting place. Went ashore after breakfast with Mrs Sutherland. The natives worry you all the time to buy.Beat them down very easy.Went to the English Church service at 10, full of passengers, 2 ministers, the sermon poor. Came out, got into a carriage with a guide, drove around the city, plenty to see. Very large building, did not see any white people about. Drove back to a shop, did some buying, not a bit like Sunday. Back to the boat for lunch, then back to town again with Mrs [I] Byrne [age 51], guide again. Had 3 lots of Egyptian coffee & cigarettes for nothing.
Start of trip. Had a lovely send off. Tons of flowers, presents and streamers, every one happy. Mrs Simmons came as far as Hobart, paper said best send off on record. Beautifully calm at sea. Very crowded in cabin, Cabin mates Mrs [V] Sutherland [age 48], Miss [L] Leonard [age 34, clerk, from NZ], Miss [M] Woodhouse [age 36, teacher].
8 large bottles champagne and biscuits in cabin – all laughing & happy – Gin, brandy & champagne presents. Quite a lot of drink.
The RMS Moldavia
Notes:
Information on passengers contained in square brackets [ ] was determined from the Incoming Passenger list for the Moldavia’s arrival in the United Kingdom.
Source: Class: BT26; Piece: 1124; Item: 69; Ancestry.com. UK Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Original data: Board of Trade: Commercial and Statistical Department and successors: Inwards Passenger Lists. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA). Series BT26, 1,472 pieces; <http://search.ancestry.com.au/Browse/view.aspx?dbid=1518&path=London%2c+England.1937.04.Moldavia.17&sid=&gskw=T+Pidgeon>
The departure of the Moldavia was reported in the Sydney Morning Herald. The ship had a full complement of passengers travelling to London for the King’s coronation and it was noted that there were so many flowers for the women passengers that they had to lay them on the decks to wave goodbye.
