Europeans living in Asia and Africa, after about four years of hard work, used to take a long vacation to visit their homeland, the so-called "home leave". Before World War II, home leaves lasted for nine months! The reason for this long duration being that sea voyages were, then, slow and tedious, so people should be given the appropriate time to recover of the ill effects of a tropical climate and enjoy heir vacation. In the early 1960s, when passenger jet airliner flights became affordable and popular, travelling home by sea became a misty memory and home leave was cut to three months.
My first home leave was when I was a baby. The second was when I was five and nearly drowned in the ship's swimming pool/ The third was when I was eight and quite a horror. Once I ensconced myself with a book behind an armchair and was lost for hours. My poor parents nearly went beserk with anxiety. When we returned to India, after the war, I was an awkward young teenager, shy and concerned.
In mid-May 1953, my parents and I boarded Anchor Line RMS CILICIA, sailing from Karachi to Liverpool. We were taking a long home leave to Greece via Great Britain and the Continent. Our friends came to bid us bon voyage. Farewells and embraces and anchors aweigh! This was my first voyage as a young adult and I was determined to enjoy it. A 15-day cruise, on a wonderful ship, without a care in the world.
The first few days, we all felt awfully seasick, except my father. But after Aden, we sailed into a calm Red Sea, on to Port Said and through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean. The weather was beautiful with the tiniest whiffs of breeze by day and a beautiful full moon that kept us company by night.
We swam, enjoyed wonderful meals, went to the "pictures" to see the latest films, played bingo and bridge and danced to exhaustion. We made new friends who we would never meet again after landing. Cruise friendships. But the highlight of the entertainment programme was a Fancy Dress Ball held on the 13th night, which was a great success.
And a few sad, nostalgic lines from the web:
In 1980, RMS CILICIA was towed to Bilbao for breaking up .... For this final voyage, she was still in Anchor Line colours.
My first home leave was when I was a baby. The second was when I was five and nearly drowned in the ship's swimming pool/ The third was when I was eight and quite a horror. Once I ensconced myself with a book behind an armchair and was lost for hours. My poor parents nearly went beserk with anxiety. When we returned to India, after the war, I was an awkward young teenager, shy and concerned.
In mid-May 1953, my parents and I boarded Anchor Line RMS CILICIA, sailing from Karachi to Liverpool. We were taking a long home leave to Greece via Great Britain and the Continent. Our friends came to bid us bon voyage. Farewells and embraces and anchors aweigh! This was my first voyage as a young adult and I was determined to enjoy it. A 15-day cruise, on a wonderful ship, without a care in the world.
The first few days, we all felt awfully seasick, except my father. But after Aden, we sailed into a calm Red Sea, on to Port Said and through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean. The weather was beautiful with the tiniest whiffs of breeze by day and a beautiful full moon that kept us company by night.
We swam, enjoyed wonderful meals, went to the "pictures" to see the latest films, played bingo and bridge and danced to exhaustion. We made new friends who we would never meet again after landing. Cruise friendships. But the highlight of the entertainment programme was a Fancy Dress Ball held on the 13th night, which was a great success.
And a few sad, nostalgic lines from the web:
In 1980, RMS CILICIA was towed to Bilbao for breaking up .... For this final voyage, she was still in Anchor Line colours.
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| RMS CILICIA |
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| One of the Lounges |
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| The Dining Quarters |
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