12 R E C O L L E C T I O N S
Family Histories
KWIATKOWSKI Family
7/ Bound for Africa
When I woke up it was sunny, the ship was moving slowly, I could see a coast with palm trees. Little of that journey down the Persian Gulf remains in my memory. The distant shore disappeared in the distance, small vessels came and went. I sat on the warm decking, cooled by the breeze, too tired to move. The following morning we were in Karachi (then India).
Here, on the shore, it was unpleasantly hot, it reeked of tar and oil. A hot breeze constantly blew dust in our faces as we trudged towards a collection of ten tents beyond a high wire netting fence. Everyone kept silent. The tents were large enough to hold about twenty people. Devoid of any furniture we would have to sleep on the ground of soft sand. It was a little cooler out of the sun and drinking water was soon provided. Next day we learned that our stay here was brief and that our final destination would be Africa but not for a week or so whilst we waited for a ship to take us.
It was here that I gave Mum a shock by vanishing for several hours. Seeing other children entering a tent which stood to the side of the main group, I followed them without telling Mum. It was the tent for school children and hours passed before frantic Mum found me there. All was fine in the end even though I was too young to attend, the teacher allowed me to stay and I went there every day until we left.
Where we camped was close to the harbour, an unpleasant, dusty, smelly area. One day an Indian Army Band gave us an impromptu concert. Tall, smartly uniformed soldiers marched and counter marched in time to music, a great pleasure to all in spite of the blowing dust. It wasn't long afterwards that, once again, we packed and trudged to board another ship. It was early evening and we embarked in a leisurely manner for once.
Next morning saw us out of sight of land. The sun sparkled on small waves, it's warmth tempered by a cooling breeze. Close to where I was sitting with my back against a wooden partition, a group of women were softly singing plaintive, religious prayers while repairing clothing. That first day passed very quickly. The second day, just as sunny , was full of interest. The sea here changed colour to almost green, very clear. For a while dolphins appeared on the port side. They swam alongside for an hour or two before speeding past to vanish in the distance. A little later, a shoal of large fish did the same on the starboard side. We saw several of these shoals before the most exciting sighting of all. A whale surfaced several hundred metres away but clearly visible in the afternoon sun. It stayed in sight long enough for me to become bored. It was also time for our evening meal. The evening brought more interest. The ship slowed and stopped. In the distance, on the starboard side the coast with twinkling lights was in sight. As we watched, two boats full of soldiers left our ship and headed towards this coast and it's lights. Quickly they vanished in the darkness before our ship was under way again.
It was the next day that Mum became a fortune teller. One of the women aboard was very depressed, she wasn't the only one so stricken. Practically everyone. aboard had left their menfolk in the Soviet Union joining the Polish Army. Like our Dad. Seeing the terrible mental state of this woman, Mum picked up a pack of cards and foretold of early, good news she would have of her husband. This improved her spirits at the time but no one was more surprised than Mum when it came true. I recall only one other incident on that voyage to Africa. We had to practise the "abandon ship" drill. Apparently enemy submarines were in the area. The time passed quickly; we arrived in Mombasa, Kenya early one morning, boarded a waiting train and without further delay were on our way.
We pulled into Nairobi station early in the afternoon. There seemed to be flowers everywhere. Tables, covered with food, stretched along the platform and, a little dazed, we left the train to eat. There was a welcoming committee. It was a little chaotic as we ate and not long before finding ourselves sitting in the train. Bunches of fruit were handed to us as the train slowly gathered speed. Smiling faces and loud wishes of good luck were left behind as the train settled into a steady speed. Within a few miles greenery appeared on the left of the line. Within minutes, animals; dozens of all sorts in the narrow plain between the railway and the river glinting between trees beyond. Crowded by the windows we marvelled at the elephants, ostriches, and large birds winging along high above the trees. It seemed never ending, especially when someone spotted a group of lions on a stony outcrop.
The line ran parallel to the river for miles and nobody moved away from the windows till the distance between them widened and the animals became a series of distant dots. While still light, we passed a number of stations but didn't stop at any of them. Dusk came, and I slept soon afterwards. When I woke up it was midmorning. The train stood between a line of trees and the bank of a large river at a station called Namasagali. Here we left the train and had a waiting meal in the cool shade of the trees. Then we were trooped down to our next transport - two river barges towed by a small diesel powered boat. Embarking was quick, the barges didn't have proper railings so we crowded in the centre. Once all were aboard we set off. It was a pleasant, warm morning as we slowly cruised downstream on the river Nile. Both banks were about a hundred yards away from our boats, overgrown with tall reeds and trees. Both banks were teeming with birds loud with their calls, frequent glimpses of large fish and crocodiles brought sounds of excitement and apprehension. It was pleasant and enjoyable. All was to change as we left the Nile and entered Lake Kyoga. By this time it was getting hot. The barges were without awnings and the metal decks were unpleasantly hot with no drinking water aboard. We were hours away from our destination, time dragged, thirst intensified, our journey seemed endless under a cloudless sky. The sun dipping towards the horizon in the late afternoon brought some relief but, as it set, brought another problem. Firstly mosquitoes then, quite quickly it became chilly; a penetrating chill aided by the slight breeze of travel.
Worn out by the heat and thirst, the quick change of temperature made me fall asleep. I awoke as we were disembarking in Port Masindi. It was early morning, a line of open trucks awaited us. Quickly aboard we set off along a narrow road, headlights lighting up trees on both sides. After about an hour and half, night turning grey, we swung right and pulled up next to a low building. Minutes later we were inside it's dark interior, groping for beds.