4 o'clock On Thursday
Southampton In Song
The Songs
4 O'Clock On Thursday
The Union Castle Line, in its heyday, was one of the greatest ocean-going passenger liner services anywhere in the world. Plying between Southampton and South Africa, it was an integral part of the maritime history of the city for over three-quarters of a century between 1900 and 1977. Cunard may have had its 'Queens' but the long line of ships that bore the 'Castle' name became part of the city like no others. No more so than on Thursdays, when at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, regular as clockwork, a siren would sound across the city from the docks, and all would know that another of the Castle line was starting its trip down to the Cape, laden with mail, cargo and excited passengers.
One of the more infamous episodes in the Union Castle history occurred in 1947, when the Durban Castle arrived back in Southampton with one passenger less than she had left Cape Town with. En route, Eileen 'Gay' Gibson had been murdered by deck steward James Camb, and her body thrust through a porthole in an attempt to cover up his crime!
This tribute to the "Lavender Ships" was written by local songwriter Ken Stephens.
Brian Hooper
Jeff Henry