Voyage diary of Robert Lancelot Buchanan, passenger on board Ortega, PSNC, Liverpool - South America - Liverpool, 1922-1923.

Voyage diary of Robert Lancelot Buchanan. Contains details of locations visited and illustrations. Black and white photograph of Buchanan on board a vessel wearing a striped blazer. Aged 21 when on voyage. Good line drawing/cartoon illustrations throughout the diary - ship in heavy weather, local people, penguins, playing deck sport, bands, etc. Address in diary given as 6 Rodney Street, Liverpool. Sails from Liverpool 12 October 1922. Stops at La Rochelle, France and picks up Jewish emigrants from Palestine to South America. Stops at La Coruna, Spain. More migrants picked up at Leixoes, Portugal. Mentions lots of seasoned travellers with South American connections who are interesting to talk to. Travelling first class as mentions going to a second class concert 25 October with Italian and Spanish singers and the Stewards’ jazz band. He plays ukulele and drums with some passengers and crew bands. Travel down the coast of Brazil. Talks about passenger interactions and gossip. 31 October Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Description of the city and inhabitants, uses language from the time in his descriptions. Vessel stops at: Santos, Montevideo, Port Stanley, Falklands, Punta Arenas, Coronel, Taleahuana (where he describes a dangerous drive back from Concepcion to reach the boat in time), San Antonio, Valparasio. By this point, 22 November, all the young men have left the boat. Only him and 2 Scots are going back to Liverpool. Some new passengers, Chileans and Americans (Yanks), but they are only going up the coast, not back across the Atlantic. Vessel stops at: Mellejones, Iqueque, Mollando, Pisco, Cerva Azul, Callao, Huacho, Punta Chicana, Panama Canal, (at some point have been hit by a tug and have a leak), Havana, Azores, (Christmas Day at sea ‘feeling bucked about job and everything’, La Rochelle, Liverpool. The diary contains a few examples offensive language Buchanan was born in Liverpool around 1903 and died in Sealescombe, East Sussex, Feb 1968 aged nearly 65. He was the second son of Dr Robert Buchanan, Professor of Forensic Medicine. Went to school in Tonbridge, as did his brother. Brother died of flu after returning from service in the First World War. Buchanan married Mary Morag Maclay, daughter of Johnny Maclay, editor of the Liverpool Daily Post. The couple moved to London and Buchanan worked for ICI plastics sales division. One son, John Ruddiman Buchanan who served in the Kings Regiment.