Baroness Floella Benjamin

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

 

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