THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — These Chronicles created by Valerie Martin contain scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

THE GUN MENU

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Copyright Valerie Martin 2009

The above sketch depicts The Gun Inn from School Hill in Findon

Nothing unusual in that you are thinking.   BUT..... this was the frontispiece on the menus from a cruise liner.    As soon as I saw it I wondered why one of our village inns was depicted on a ship's tariff.  

The menu on the luncheon tables was for Friday 28th March 1952.     Why was The Gun depicted 57 years ago on the mid day menu of the EMPRESS OF SCOTLAND of the Canadian Pacific line?

I discovered that the EMPRESS OF SCOTLAND was built originally as the EMPRESS OF JAPAN by the Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company at Govan and launched on 17th December 1929 and was owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway Company.

Of all the passenger liners that have ploughed across the North Pacific, the graceful EMPRESS OF JAPAN was undoubtedly truly magnificent, the largest and the fastest.

I mention some of the following to give you some idea of her life style.  On 14th June 1930 the EMPRESS OF JAPAN departed on her maiden voyage from  Liverpool to Quebec, returning to Southampton .    On 12th July she left Southampton for Hong Kong via Suez, and from Hong Kong she commenced her trans-Pacific service to Vancouver via Shanghai, Kobe and Yokohama.   

By 26th November 1939 the EMPRESS OF JAPAN was requisitioned for service as a troopship. She had been in Shanghai when war was declared, and after crossing to Honolulu and Vancouver she sailed to Esquimalt where work was carried out to rig her for transporting troops.   Her hull and superstructure were re-painted grey and she arrived in Sydney on on 22nd December.

The theatre used by the troops on board the EMPRESS OF JAPAN

Shortly afterwards she raised anchor for Suez with a contingent of Australian troops.  Returning to Melbourne she set off again with troops to Suez in the company of the QUEEN MARY, AQUITANIA, MAURETANIA, EMPRESS OF BRITAIN AND EMPRESS OF CANADA.    In 1941 the EMPRESS OF JAPAN completed trooping voyages from Glasgow to the Cape and Singapore , returning to the UK via Panama; a total of 35,000 miles in 141 days.   Such was the life of this ship during wartime.

Then Japan entered the Second World War and the EMPRESS OF JAPAN was prudently renamed and became the EMPRESS OF SCOTLAND, albeit ten months after the attack on Pearl Harbour .   Perhaps the lapse in timing was because the changing of a ship's’ name was prohibited.   Winston Churchill would have none of that and declared that in the case of the EMPRESS OF JAPAN it was "nonsense" and so on 16th October 1942 she became the EMPRESS OF SCOTLAND.   

In 1942, under heavy air attack, the ship took 1,700 women and children from Singapore to Colombo.   During 1943-44 she was on a trooping service from Halifax,  New York etc. to Liverpool and to Casablanca, carrying a total of 30,000 American troops.

On 9th November 1944 the EMPRESS OF SCOTLAND suffered air attack off Northern Ireland, three bombs being such close misses that they actually glanced off the ship’s railing and a lifeboat, exploding in the waves.    The Captain had given orders for evasive action to his Quartermaster .......who swung the wheel whilst lying on the bridge on his stomach to avoid the machine gun bullets raking all around him.     They were both later decorated for their bravery.

Following the cessation of Second World War hostilities the EMPRESS OF SCOTLAND continued with her trooping — repatriating soldiers and their families until she was released from duty on 3rd May 1948 at Liverpool.

Here are a few facts appertaining to the years 1939-48, the EMPRESS OF SCOTLAND steamed three times round the world, twice westbound and once eastbound, had sailed five times to South Africa and Singapore, and visited Australia and New Zealand five times. She had called at Canadian and US ports on twelve occasions, eight times to India and twice to Japan (this latter was post war obviously) . In all she steamed 713,000 miles on war duties and had carried 292,000 troops and civilians.   

She was then sent back to her builders, the Fairfield Yard for a full refit from June 1948 until May 1950.   This was in readiness for the Liverpool to Quebec mail service —  and also for winter cruising.

The passenger accommodation was at this time completely renovated beyond recognition.  The ship was refitted for 458 First Class  passengers and 205 Tourist Class.  All deck coverings had been replenished and the promenade deck was enclosed with glass for its whole length —  this being appropriate for the North Atlantic weather.
The First Class Promenade Entrance of the EMPRESS OF SCOTLAND

First Class A Deck Cabin (not very glamorous by today's standards!    Or would you prefer a Tourist Cabin below....

.... and here's the Tourist Lounge where the passengers met and lingered....

Externally the EMPRESS OF SCOTLAND was repainted with a white hull and yellow funnels.  The blue riband of the 1930s was changed to green, and the company’s red and white chequered house-flag was painted on all three funnels.

I now come to the important year of 1950 when the Gun Inn makes it appearance on the front of the ship's lunch menu.  

Here is the three funnelled Canadian Pacific liner is ready to leave the Docks at Liverpool a cruise in 1950.   When I saw it I wonder if The Gun menu was on board.

She slipped anchor out of Liverpool on 9th May 1950 for her first post-war commercial voyage to Quebec, with a call at Greenock.    Seven months later in December 1950 she made her first cruise from New York to the West Indies, resuming Canadian Pacific’s pre-war cruising programme.  The added addition was a 17-ton swimming pool  hoisted on board for the benefit of cruise passengers — and it was at some point that now the Gun Inn was presented on the menu.  

I could not see how any of the foregoing events have a Findon connection?    Was there a tenuous link with the EMPRESS OF SCOTLAND and Findon?    Yes, but it was, indeed, very tenuous.

I next received an email from the late Roger Moulds (ex-Findonian) living in Llandrindod Wells...."Here is a very tenuous link between Findon and the Empress of Scotland.

Sometime in the early fifties (I can't put a nearer date than that), the village received a visit from a representative of the Canadian Pacific company who were looking for people wishing to migrate to Canada. This may have been organised by the Young Farmers Club.

I remember hearing him give glowing accounts of the opportunities available in Canada and going home with a large map of Canada depicting the Canadian Pacific Railway system.

Perhaps that rep. picked up that picture while he was here, indeed he may well have been a local resident because he did not have a Canadian Accent.

I would imagine that the Empress would have carried many a migrant across the Atlantic and would have been pleased to see a reminder of their home country."

That is the best answer so far, Roger.  Absolutely brilliant deduction. Better than I could possibly have hoped for.

I didn't dream anyone would come up with an idea like that. I have been searching my brains for some clue for the past week and didn't come up with a thing.

Penny Smith-Berkeley now in Blair, Ontario wrote to relate ..."Hello Valerie... Deja vu.....Well you always come up with something I can relate to...and it is the cabin on the Empress of Scotland.

I sailed to Canada in 1967 on CP's Empress of England in March. Our cabin was not as large as that tourist one that you show.

We had 4 bunks and could barely move in there!

As it was one of the the first sailing of the year it was pretty rough at times and lots of passengers were sea-sick.When we reached the ice flows it was pretty noisy also.   I noticed the Findon picture was on the March menu so I imagine the conditions were much similar for the Empress of Scotland.

I know we had menus at every meal...and they were wonderful...but I didn't save any...pity.     Bye for now, Penny"

I told Penny that the Empress of Scotland and the Empress of England were sister ships.  From 1890 to 1960 Canadian Pacific had used the title "Empress" for its major, ocean-going passenger vessels. These are the twenty white-liveried ships that were so named :- Empress of China, Britain, Ireland, Russia, Asia, Canada, India, France, Australia and so on.

I know you are all dying to know what was on the cruise menu back in 1952...... here it is...

THE MENU FOR LUNCH ON THE CANADIAN PACIFIC cruise liner EMPRESS OF SCOTLAND on Friday 28th March 1952......

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Quite a good selection I thought.... although I would not fancy the sago pud or the Welsh Rarebit if I was on a luxury cruise.

My guess is that the Canadian Pacific Company did a campaign and visited various idyllic villages (one of which was Findon) and undertook talks and collected (or arranged for) sketches of interesting public houses by way of illustrating their menus on board.    

Continue if you would like to read about the Save the Gun campaign.

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THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for documenting life in Findon.