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Journal - Typed Manuscript, Palmer Family Migrant Voyage, England to Australia, 1947
Reg. No: HT 22094
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- Summary:
- Typed journal produced from a handwritten manuscript was kept by George Palmer during his migrant voyage on the RMS Orion to Melbourne with his wife Gertrude and two daughters from England in 1947. The journal records in great detail George's decision to migrate, applying, packing, departing from Tilbury on 25 February 1947, the day-to-day details of the voyage via the Suez Canal and their arrival in Melbourne on 27 March 1947, where the journal ends. George wrote the manuscript, possibly based on a series of letters, and then sent it to his sister Eileen in England to be typed and she retained a copy. George visited England in 1956, and his father visited Australia in the early 1950s after Gertie died. There is no trace of the original document or George's original notes.
- Description:
- 76 page journal, typed single sided onto off white single sheet paper, bound by metal slide mechanism which is attached to plain brown card folder. This is probably a carbon copy of the typed original. . The journal is organised into ten chapters, commencing with 'Decision and Departure' and concluding with 'The Last Lap - Fremantle to Melbourne'.
- Statement Of Significance:
- This collection provides an invaluable record of one family's migration experience, from the first seed of desire to leave England, to the securing of employment, application processes, packing, departure, journey and immediate arrival in Melbourne. The journal is particularly rich in terms of its detailed account of daily shipboard life, including the descriptions of cabins, decks, interior spaces, facilities, lighting, food, mail systems, weather, ports, and activities. While not the actual original document, it is an immediate copy, contemporary to its time and reflects the significance of this rite of passage for the thousands of migrants who arrived in Australia during the post-war period. The photo album provides an evocative complimentary visual record of the experience.
- Acquisition Information:
- Donation from Libby Wattis, 2008
| Discipline: | History |
| Dimensions: | 295 mm (Height), 243 mm (Width) |
More information
| Tagged with: | english immigration, travel, immigration, immigrant voyages, immigrant shipping, british immigration, diaries |
| Themes this item is part of: | Migration Collection, George Palmer, English Migrant, 1947 |
| Primary Classification: | MIGRATION |
| Secondary Classification: | Travel - Shipboard Life |
| Tertiary Classification: | diaries |
| Inscriptions: | Folder cover has 'G.N.Palmer' written by hand in blue ink Inscriptions: Front page: 'Palmalia' the Story of the Palmer's Journey to Australia March 1947. |
| Author: | George Palmer, Victoria, Australia, 1947 |
| Ship Depicted: | ., 1947 |
Themes
This item is part of the following themes:
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