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On this last occasion of our return to Burma, we were to stay there until the outbreak of war in 1939, which was on my mother's birthday - September 3rd. This was greeted with great horror and shock by the British community in Burma, because although the war seemed to be confined to Europe there was great uncertainty as to what would happen in the Far East. There was great discussion as to whether we should come home on our next projected leave and collect Barbara, which was what we finally did, arriving home in England in 1940 just at the outbreak of the real war.
The seven months following Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland in September 1939, and Britain and France's subsequent declaration of war, became known as the Phoney War due to the lack of activity. It ended abruptly on 9th April 1940 when Germany attacked both Denmark and Norway.
With the impeccable timing that would characterise their wartime journeying, the Eades family had booked their departure aboard the Henderson ship SS Sagaing for 18th April, a bare week after the end of the Phoney War. They packed up their belongings to the accompaniment of the radio news of the surrender of Denmark on 10th April and naval battles in Norwegian waters. By the time the SS Sagaing left Rangoon harbour heading for Aden, it was clear that Norway was beaten.
SS Sagaing
The Horn of Africa showing British (pink) and Italian (green) territories in 1940
Aden and the Horn of Africa
Our journey on this occasion was very prolonged as the Suez Canal was shut, and when we arrived at the Horn of Africa we were diverted back round the coast of East Africa via South Africa.
By 1940 Mussolini's aggressive policy of expansion in East Africa (and particularly his unprovoked invasion of Ethiopia in 1935) threatened an Italian stranglehold on the sea route to India via the Suez Canal and the Red Sea.
When the Sagaing arrived in Aden on 29th April it was to find that the British naval authorities had closed the Red Sea (not the Suez Canal, although it amounted to the same thing) on the assumption that Italy would declare war shortly. In fact this did not happen until June 10th, and it was August before the Italians invaded British Somaliland as expected. (It took until January 1941 for Britain to retaliate by attacking Eritrea, followed by Italian Somaliland in February. The major Italian naval port of Massawa surrendered on 8th April 1941, and was followed by Ethiopia later that month. The destruction of Mussolini's East African empire was complete).
South Africa
As the Sagaing slogged down the coast of East Africa (her maximum speed was only 13 knots) having left Aden on the 2nd May, the war situation went from bad to worse. On 10th May Hitler's armies launched a "blitzkrieg" attack on the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium and France, with 200,000 troops and 3,000 aircraft. By the time the Eades arrived at Durban on 15th May Guderian's 2,000 panzers had crossed the Meuse and the Dutch Army had surrendered.
One light note was Robin's memory of being tossed into the swimming pool to mark his first experience of crossing the equator.
I remember that we were allowed off the ship at Cape Town and Durban, and had a lovely view of Cape Town and Table Mountain and I think went on a shopping expedition and once again had a marvellous meal in a most splendid restaurant. This was to be our last good meal for some time as food was running short on the boat.
The journey from Burma to England normally took 5 to 6 weeks. By the time they arrived in Cape Town on 19th May they had been on board for over 4 weeks and were only half-way to their destination. It is not surprising that food was running short - it must have been a catering nightmare.
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