William James Horne ¹

  General Notes:

Notes

Initial Information from Reg Horne

Email address [email protected]

R. Horne, 7 Westcott Bay, Brandon, MB, Canada R7B 2V5 as of May 1997



Emigrated 31 Aug 1928 from Liverpool on The Antonia (see below) bound for Quebec & Montreal.

Landing at Montreal.



PRO BT/27/1198 shows Antonia Reg No 145937 of Cunard line some 8445 Tons.

Master was George W Melson.

The Antonia left Liverpool on 31 Aug 1928 with 1400 adults for a voyage of 14 days.



William George (15) sailed under ticket no 41447 in Class 3 which also included John Griffith (15), Frank Harris (14), John Hickman (14) and Robert Irvine (15) all shown as farmers. Their last UK address was National Children's Home, Highbury London N6.



He then went on by train to Hamilton Ontario and then later to Goderich Ontario where he lived on a farm.



Enlisted 16 April 1941 London, Ontario Canada

William James was in the Army Service core (a cook) the regiment was based in Listowel

and Lindsay Ontario. Went to England and landed in Normandy D-Day +3, served in N. France

and Low countries. Returned to Canada 1946 discharged in London and went to live with a friend he had made in the army in Gravenhurst.



London, Ontario pop. about 300,000 (1997) is a major service centre for s.w. Ontario (agricultural area) also Univ. of Western Ontario and large hospital complex including long term care military facility.



Baptism date may be LDS date





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Antonia (1922-48) Source :- The Cunard Archives held at the University of Liverpool.



Statistics



These statistics are derived from NRP Bonsor, North Atlantic Seaway, 5

vols, David & Charles, 1975-80. Cunard is covered in volume 1.

Gross Tonnage - 13,867 tons

Dimensions - 158.45 x 19.90m (519.9 x

65.3ft)

Number of funnels - 1

Number of masts - 2

Construction - Steel

Propulsion - Twin screw

Engines - Double reduction steam turbines

Service speed - 15 knots

Builder - Vickers Ltd, Barrow

Launch date - 11 March 1921

Passenger accommodation - 500 cabin class and 1,200 3rd class





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Details of Career



Cunard launched three intermediate liners in the early 1920's, the

Andania, Antonia and Ausonia. These ships were originally intended for

the London-Canada route. All three liners were essentially emigrant

ships with a large cargo capacity. They mainly served the

London-Montreal route during the 1920's and 30's. They also frequently

called at Hamburg to embark emigrants and load cargo. The Antonia made

its maiden voyage, from London to Montreal, on 15 June 1922.



In January 1923, whilst travelling to Hamburg from New York, a fire was

discovered on board the ship but it was quickly extinguished and only

minor repairs were required.



In April 1924 Queenstown was added as a port of call on the ship's usual

route to cater for the new Irish Free State. The Antonia was also

involved in a minor collision with the Norwegian ship Brio, whilst in

Liverpool, on 27 September 1929.

The damage was minor and did not interrupt either ship's journey.

On 3 October 1934 it responded to the distress signals of a small British

collier, the Ainderby, 500 miles from St.John's, Newfoundland. The

Antonia stood by overnight whilst the ship was repaired and then both

vessels continued their journeys the following day.



At the outbreak of World War II the ship was on its way to Montreal.

Once it had returned to Liverpool it was chartered by the Government to

serve as a troopship. It spent the first year of the war carrying

Canadian troops to Britain and taking evacuees to Canada and the USA. In

October 1940 the ship's role changed as it was requisitioned by the

Admiralty. Although it was first intended to become an armed merchant

cruiser the need for a repair vessel took priority. As a result the

Antonia spent 10 months in Portsmouth being converted into a fleet

repair ship and was then bought from Cunard by the Admiralty. On 19

August 1942 it was commissioned into the Royal Navy and renamed HMS

Wayland.



After a period of trials the ship joined a convoy for a passage to

Trincomalee in Ceylon, via Cape Town. The HMS Wayland arrived in Mombasa

in May 1943 and its route was changed. It then sailed to Ferryville in

Tunisia where it remained for the rest of the year supporting the defeat

of the Axis forces in Tunisia and the liberation of Italy. It returned

to its original itinerary in 1944. Once it had arrived in Ceylon it

remained there for the rest of the war supporting the Far East Fleet in

the war against Japan.



After World War II it left for Bombay and underwent a major refit there.

Work continued until February 1946 and then it left for the UK. The

voyage home was dogged by mechanical problems and it did not arrive in

Gareloch until 3 April. After this it was laid up pending disposal, and

was finally broken up at Troon in Scotland in 1948.





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Information in the University Archives



D42/PR2/1/16

Photographs of the Antonia.



D42/PR3/14/4d

Notes on the Antonia, concerning its requisition, war service as a troop

transport, armed merchant cruiser and a fleet repair ship.



D42/PR4/14/7

Notes on the history of the Antonia.





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Information held elsewhere



The following item is held at the Merseyside Maritime Museum -



- Box file of plans and correspondence relating to several Cunard

liners, including the Antonia.



The address is - Merseyside Maritime Museum, Maritime Records Centre,

Albert Dock, Liverpool, L3 4AA.









--Other Fields

Ref Number: P405

William married Alice Emilie Watkins, daughter of Reginald Arthur Watkins and Alice Violet De La Haye, in Nov 1949 in Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada. (Alice Emilie Watkins was born on 29 Apr 1925 in Muskoka Township, Muskoka, Ontario, Canada and died on 29 Jan 1997 in Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada.)