Extract from the Passenger List of MV ‘Marques de Comillas’ (Keller Bryant & Company) travelling from St Kitts to Southampton, September 1960 (includes arrival record of Floella Benjamin and siblings). (Catalogue ref: BT 26/1460/56.)
Between 1948 and 1970 nearly half a million people left the West Indies to settle in Britain. The West Indies consists of more than 20 islands in the Caribbean, including Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Guyana (located on the South American mainland). These people were all British citizens and they had the right to enter, work and live here. Many came because the British Government needed workers to run the transport system, postal service and hospitals. Others came for better opportunities, for work or to save money and return home.
Floella Benjamin was born in Trinidad, but was brought up in England from the age of 10. She has had a diverse career as an actress, presenter, writer, producer, business woman and media regulator. She was awarded an OBE in 2001 for her services to broadcasting and took her seat in the House of Lords as a Liberal Democrat Peer in 2010 as Baroness Benjamin of Beckenham in Kent. https://www.floellabenjamin.com/about-me/
[Please note that we have removed the addresses from the document and slightly modified the column headings of the form where the passengers are listed in the transcript. The numbers written in red pencil on the document, and not included in the transcript, are codes for different occupations.]
Transcript
Merchant Shipping Acts, 1894-1952
Returns of Passengers brought to the United Kingdom who embarked at Ports out of Europe
NOTES
- The expression “ EUROPE” includes all islands in the MEDITERRANEAN SEA, all ports in the “REPUBLIC OF TURKEY” and all ports in the UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS other than those ports on the PACIFIC OCEAN coasts thereof.
- All Passengers who Embarked at Ports in EUROPE should be excluded from this schedule and included in the fourth schedule.
- In the case of those ships engaged in pleasure cruises starting and ending in the UNITED KINGDOM, the full particulars required by this form should be furnished only in respect of those passengers who embark out of EUROPE and who disembark in the UNITED KINGDOM.
- Passengers in each class of accommodation should be entered in separate groups.
| 5984/99 | Ship’s name: “Marqués de Comillas”
Gross tonnage: 9922 Date of arrival: 2nd SEPTEMBER 1960 Owner or agent: KELLER BRYANT & Co. |
Summary of Passengers
Total number of adults of 12 years & over: 581 Total number of children 1-12 years: 128 Total number of Infants under 1 year: 4 GRAND TOTAL 713 718 |
|||||||||
| I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THE FOLOWING IS A CORRECT LIST OF THE Names and descriptions of all Passengers brought to the United Kingdom in the ship MARQUES DE COMILLAS. The passenger for SOUTHAMPTON disembarked on the * Delete the words following if all passengers disembarked at one port. [Signed] | |||||||||||
|
NAMES AND DESCRIPTIONS OF BRITISH COMMONWEALTH AND IRISH REPUBLIC PASSENGERS LANDED AT THE PORT OF SOUTHAMPTON |
|||||||||||
| (1)
Names: Surname first |
(2)
Travel Class
ALL tourist |
(3)
Port embarked |
(4)
Male or female |
(5)
Date of birth Adults Children Infants |
(6)
Married Single Widow Divorced |
(7)
Address in UK |
(8)
Occupation |
(9)
Country in passport & country of issue |
(10)
Country of last residence (more than 1yr) |
(11)
Country of future residence (more than 1yr) |
(12)
If visiting UK for 12m. |
| (1) | (2) | (3) | (4) | (8) | (9) | (10) | (11) |
| NOEL Sylvia | 368 | Grenada | F | Domestic | British West Indies
Grenada |
Grenada | England |
| FLETCHER Winifred | 369 | do [ditto, as above] | F | House Keeper | do | do | do |
| CONNAUGHT
Germaine |
370 | do | F | Student | do | do | do |
| CROMPTON
Veronica |
371 | do | F | Clerk | do | do | do |
| NOEL
John O |
372 | do | M | Teacher | do | do | do |
| JACK
Charles |
373 | do | M | Mechanic | do | do | do |
| Jones Muriel | 374 | do | F | Seamstress | do | do | do |
| JONES
Hildrer G |
375 | do | F | do | do | do | do |
| SCOTT Peter | 376 | do | M | [Photographer] | do | do | do |
| DALY Ann | 377 | do | F | Teacher | do | do | do |
| JOSEPH
Catherine |
378 | do | M [error] | Seamstress | do | do | do |
| CHARLES Agnes | 379 | do | F | do | do | do | do |
| EDWARD Kellie | 380 | do | M | Carpenter | do | do | do |
| MARTINEAU Agatha | 381 | do | F | Clerk | do | do | do |
| COLLINS Thomas | 382 | TRINIDAD | M | Building Foreman | North Rhodesia, Livingston | Trinidad | do |
| FORDE Wesley | 383 | do | M | Store Clerk | B.W.I. Trinidad | do | do |
| RAMKISSOON Oscar | 384 | do | M | Seaman | do | do | do |
| COSSOU
Roderick |
385 | do | M | Student | British Guaiana
[Guyana] |
do | do |
| LEWIS Jean | 386 | do | F | Dress maker | BWI Trinidad | do | do |
| FELIX Henry | 387 | do | M | Laundry | do | do | do |
| BRUCE Katherine | 388 | do | F | “ | do | do | do |
| BROWNE Carlotte | 389 | do | F | Chauffeur | Barbados | do | do |
|
ADAMS Oswald |
390 | do | M | Carpenter | Guaiana | do | do |
| DARRELL Charles | 391 | do | M | Mason | do | do | do |
| SEMPLE James | 392 | do | M | Chauffeur | do | do | do |
| BARKOYE Alastair | 393 | do | M | Tailor | do | do | do |
| BENJAMIN Sandra | 394 | do | F | BWI
Trinidad |
do | do | |
| BENJAMIN
Floella |
395 | do | F | do | do | do | |
| BENJAMIN
Lester |
396 | do | M | do | do | do | |
| BENJAMIN
Ellington |
397 | do | M | do | do | do | |
| HADEEN Farid | 398 | do | M | Business man | Barbados | do | do |