The British India Shipping Line was founded in 1856. It
became part of Peninsula and Orient [P&O] in 1972. Merchant Navy Class No
35018 British India Line was built by the Southern Railway at Eastleigh in
1945. She was withdrawn in 1964 and sent to Woodham’s yard at Barry the
following year. 35018 was rescued from the scrap line in 1980 and finally restored
to steam at Carnforth in 2017.
When we trooped round Barry docks and walked past the
rotting hulk of 35018 on the last day of 1967, the thought that she would haul
us over Shap and Ais Gill more than fifty years later would have been the last
thing on our minds.
Our more immediate concerns were more likely to have been:
Would we find a Wimpy bar easily on our way home by car, in
order to purchase a cheese-burger lunch?
Would the foot and mouth outbreak mean detours because of
road closures in the Welsh marches or would there just be intermittent layers
of disinfected straw on the tarmac for car tyres to pass over?
Would Everton beat Wolves away on the following Saturday?
Would the Beatles still be number one with Hello Goodbye, on
that tea-time’s Pick of the Pops with Alan Freeman on Radio 1?
Would we get home in good time to meet the girls for that
evening’s New Year celebrations?
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