The joy and excitement of overseas travel by ship is obvious on this girl’s face. Port of Melbourne, c 1937. Author’s collection.
Above: Orion departing Sydney in 1947. The Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales and Courtesy ACP Magazines Ltd.
These are the first departure dates of some twentieth century Australian actors. Of course, many travelled to the US or UK under other names, but for ease of reading their best known stage name is used.
Above: A symbol of status and modernity – a P&O advertisement from The Home, 1 March, 1932, P3. Via National Library of Australia’s Trove. Readers may find Angela Woollacott’s book To Try Her Fortune in London (2001) interesting, particularly Chapter 1.
Maie Saqui
Sailed to the UK in May 1897 on the RMS Orizba
Alf Goulding, Daphne Trott (aka Daphne Pollard), Madge Williams, Irene Goulding (aka Irene Loftus) and other Pollard Opera Company performers
Sailed to North America in September 1901 on SS Sierra – the first of a number of tours.
Marc McDermott
Sailed to North America in July 1902 on the RMS Miowera
Dulcie Cooper, Ashley Cooper and Emily Curr
Sailed to North America in June 1905 (Ashley) and August 1905 (Emily & Dulcie) on SS Ventura
Paul Scardon, Mario Majeroni and Giorgio (George) Majeroni
Sailed to North America in December 1905 on SS Sonoma
Oliver Peters (O.P) Heggie
Sailed to the UK in 1906 on the SS Grosser Kurfürst
Snub Pollard (Harold Fraser), Fred Pollard (Fred Bindloss) and Jack Pollard (Jack Cherry)
Sailed to the US in 1909 on the SS Aorangi
“Toots” and Lorna Pounds
Sailed to the UK in April 1911 on SS Suevic
Elsie Jane Wilson and Rupert Julian
Sailed to North America in July 1911 on the SS Zealandia
Queenie Williams, Billy Bevan, Ivy Moore and other Pollard performers Sailed to North America in August 1912 on the SS Makura
Elsie Mackay
Sailed to the UK in November 1912 on the SS Morea
May Dahlberg (As Charlotte M Cuthbert)
Sailed to the US on 5 May 1913, on the RMS Niagara
Ivy Schilling
Sailed to the UK in June 1914 on the SS Otranto
Arthur Shirley
Sailed to the US in November 1914 on the RMS Niagara
Louise Lovely
Sailed to the US in December 1914 on the SS Sonoma
Enid Bennett
Sailed to the US in March 1915 on SS Ventura
Lorna Volare
Sailed to Canada in April 1915 on RMS Niagara
Nina Speight
Sailed to the US in April 1916 on SS Great Northern
Tempe Pigott
Sailed to the US in May 1916 on SS Sierra
Dorothy Cumming
Sailed to the US in July 1916 on SS Makura
Sylvia Bremer
Sailed to the US in October 1916 on SS Ventura
Marjorie Bennett
Sailed to the US in December 1916 on SS Ventura
Harry Quealy and Nellie Quealy (Finlay)
Sailed to North America in January 1917 via South Africa on SS City of Lahore
Judith Anderson
Sailed to the US in January 1918 on SS Sonoma
Gwen Burroughs
Sailed to the US in May 1918 on SS Sonoma
Ena Gregory
Sailed to the US in January 1920, on the SS Ventura
Trilby Clark
Sailed to the UK in July 1920 then to the US in Feb 1921.
Suzanne Bennett
Sailed to the US in October 1922 on the SS Niagara.
Lotus Thompson 
Sailed to the US in March 1924, on SS Ventura.
Robert Grieg and Isabelle Holloway
Sailed to the US via the UK in 1925
Blanche Satchel
Sailed to the UK in May 1925 on RMS Ormuz, then on to the US in August.
Phyllis Gibbs
Sailed to the US in June 1927 on SS Sierra
Marcia Ralston
Sailed to the US in October 1927, on SS Sonoma.
Finis Barton
Sailed to the US in November 1928 on SS Makura
Fred Stone
Sailed to the UK in May 1929 on SS Benalla.
Lucille Lisle
Sailed to the US on the SS Sonoma in May 1930
Carol Coombe
Sailed to the UK on the SS Moldavia in July 1930
Click to enlarge: This is the menu from the MV Warwick Castle, in 1936. Clearly aspiring actors had to be careful what they ate from this huge menu! The Union Castle ships ran from South Africa to England, but it is typical of ship board food of the time. Author’s collection.
Judy Kelly
Sailed to the UK in June 1932, on the RMS Cathage
Mary MacGregor
Sailed to the UK in February 1933, on the SS Mongolia
Mona Barrie
Sailed to the US in June 1933, on the SS Monterey.
Gwen Munro
Sailed to the US in September 1933, on the SS Monterey.
John Wood
Sailed to the UK in October 1933, on the MV Troja.
Margaret Vyner
Sailed to Europe in late April 1934, on the RMS Orsova.
Margaret Johnston
Sailed to the UK in March 1935, on the SS Mongolia
Janet Johnson
Sailed to the UK in March 1936, on the SS Largs Bay.
Constance Worth
Sailed to the US in April 1936, on the SS Monterey
Mary Maguire
Sailed to the US in August 1936, on the SS Mariposa
Joan Winfield
Sailed to the UK in late 1936, then to the US in 1939
Murray Matheson
Sailed to the UK in August 1936 on the SS Orsova.
Enid Hollins
Sailed to the UK (via the USA) in April 1939 on the SS Monterey
Shirley Ann Richards
Sailed to the US in late 1941 on the SS Mariposa.
Joy and George Nichols
Sailed to the UK in September 1946 on the Dominion Monarch
Above: Click to enlarge. The RMS Queen Elizabeth’s menu in 1947. Author’s Collection.
Patti Morgan
Sailed to the UK in March 1947, on the MV Selandia
Allan Cuthbertson
Sailed to the UK in March 1947, on the RMS Rangitiki
Gwenda Wilson
Sailed to the UK in February 1949, on SS Arawa
Dorothy Alison
Sailed to the UK in April 1949, on SS Orion
Michael Pate
Flew to the US via Hawaii in November 1950
Lloyd Lamble
Sailed to Europe on the MS Torrens, Jan 1951
Victoria Shaw
Flew to the US via Hawaii in July 1955
Above: Menu from the SS Orion in April 1947. The austerity of the post war world is still obvious. Author’s collection
