No. 5 -- 18 June 1931

Mr. N. A. Hughes,
Passenger, R.M.S. "Niagara",
C/o Young Men's Christian Association,
Cambie Street,
VANCOUVER. B.C. Canada.

My dear Noel,

Here is another letter sent ahead of you , so that it might be awaiting you on arrival.

I need hardly say how anxious I am that you should watch your expenditures, especially when you take the train journey across Canada. My experience in my two crossings, indicates that you will be badgered by attendants on the train, to buy  postcards, books, fruit, spectacles and all kinds of things which they have for sale. Be adamant in your refusal of the things which you do not want and make it unmistakably clear that you do not want them, or you will have the life worried out of you.

The Banff train station as Noel might have seen it
on his journey through Canada
on the Canadian Pacific Rail in 1931.
Courtesy of Lictio via Flickr

The Pullman attendants are generally decent enough fellows, but naturally they live on the tips which they receive from tourists. Keep your tipping within reason. This will also apply to the hotels you stop at at Lake Louise and Banff. Most of these hotel employees are students from the Universities and Colleges who are earning money over their College Vacation and they naturally expect some degree of help for attention they give, but in many cases very little attention is expected and given and consequently you must be very wise and judicious in what is done by you in the tipping line.

Always ask the price of the room at the hotel before you engage it. Tell them flatly that you want a cheap room. Then remember that you may find in most of the hotels a considerable section of people who live on the tourists. All kinds of confidence tricks are worked. You will discover how may friends there are who want to make your acquaintance because they imagine if you are travelling you have money to burn.

Watch the pretty girl who drops her handbag, or her handkerchief, or otherwise attracts your attention. There are scores of them who are doing the rounds at the tourists resorts, who are of no class. They are generally attractively dressed and have any amount of self possession and poise. They are looking for "suckers", especially the chaps who come from Australia with plenty of money!

I hope you will have a thoroughly happy time as you cross the Great Continent. Don't forget to look up Archie Kirkpatrick at the Winnipeg Y. He is a New Zealander who was at Chicago Y College, and you will find him full of information concerning college life. You should be able to gather a great deal of helpful advice from him when you make contact with him. I have written him telling him of your coming.

Well, Cheerio! Keep a stiff upper lip; face the future with optimism and trust.

What I said in my earlier letters I repeat -- the effectiveness of your future work will be largely dependent upon the sense of comradeship you cultivate with Christ. I know of no other incentive to successful service that is not based upon devotion to Him and His cause.

Again, our hearts follow you on your journeyings.

With love from us all,

Dad

See related posts: Crossing Canada on the CPR

Crossing Canada on the CPR

Approximation of the route Noel took across Canada: (A) Victoria, British Columbia;
(B) Vancouver (C) Banff, Alberta (D) Winnipeg, Manitoba (E) Toronto

The next letter was addressed to Noel in Vancouver. He would have received it right before starting his train journey on the Canadian Pacific Rail across Canada on his way to Toronto.

For more about Noel's crossing of Canada, see
this post from 26 January 2013:

Noel's Account of Crossing Canada in 1931 - Audio

The post contains an audio file from 1982 of Noel
recounting his trip across Canada.

Also, for more about the Canada crossing, click
the tag Canada, which will bring up posts about the
crossing.

It's a trip that George writes about in his letters with fond memories and a certain amount of wistfulness, although that doesn't come through that well in the Vancouver letter.

While he does end with the wish that Noel has a "thoroughly happy time as you cross the Great Continent," most of the letter is full of advice on how to save money and avoid being swindled. The advice makes me wonder what first-hand knowledge George had of the experience.

It is in the other letters that his fondness for the journey comes out.

A travel poster of the correct-looking
vintage found through AllPosters.com

"Well, I suppose you have had a remarkably interesting journey so far. I know the run through the Canadian Rockies will remain a vivid memories for years to come," he said in an upcoming letter addressed to Noel in Toronto."Then your contacts with the beauties of Lake Louise and Banff will also please you."

And in his Hawaii letter: "You will have a wonderful time going through the Rockies, and I envy you the trip as it is one of the most remarkable railway journeys to be had anywhere in the World."

That sentiment that it is a great train journey holds true today, as the trip is consistently listed in the travel literature as one of the best in the world.

The above video is for the Mountaineer, which is a train that makes the trip across the Canadian Rockies today. Much of the route, especially around Banff and Lake Louise, is in a national park, and I can only guess that it is very similar looking to what Noel saw in 1931 and George saw in 1917 and 1919.

A travel poster of the correct-looking
vintage found through AllPosters.com

On a personal note, my family did  the car trip across the Canadian Rockies twice, both in 1977 and 1979, when I was 8 then 10 years old. I remember it vividly, and I also fell in love with Banff and Lake Louise.


I remember seeing the rail lines carved into and through the mountains, and my parents telling me what an incredible engineering feat it was.

Someday, when my son is older, maybe we'll get back there. Maybe we'll even get to take the train.

No. 4 -- 18 June 1931

Mr. N. A. Hughes,
Passenger, R.M.S. "Niagara"
HONOLULU. Hawaiian Islands.

My dear Noel,

Only another week and you will be setting your foot on Canadian soil. I hope you had a thoroughly good time at Honolulu. My two visits to Honolulu were full of interest. No doubt you met the Association men, and I hope they were able to extend some courtesies to you.

Honolulu is a beautiful place, and I know you will feel as I did -- that you wish the boat would give you another few days, so that you might have longer time to enjoy its beauties.

I suppose you went to the Pali and also to the Waikiki Beach, the Japanese Gardens, the Aquarium and other points of interest. It is a great place to visit.

You will have shaken down to the routine of shipboard life. Usually at Honolulu, quite a number of Americans join the ship and you have a new set of passengers to become acquainted with. I am hoping that some of the Association fellows will be travelling on the ship to the Conference, although they may travel in another class. You may be able to establish some degree of contact with them. It would be fine to try and arrange an occasional group meeting, so that you may chew over with the Americans, any of the matters you have discussed together in preparation for the Conferences.

I found on my trips abroad, that it was a wonderful help to have regular group meeting to discuss mutual problems.

I suppose you have had a good programme of sports, entertainments, etc. On some of the ships very elaborate programs are arranged, and the interest culminates in the last week or so, just prior to arrival at the port of destination.

George's letter of introduction for Noel.
(click to enlarge or view on Flickr)

If the ship calls at Victoria, I would suggest, if you have time, that you visit the Association building and meet Mr. Wilson, the Secretary. I think he is still General Secretary at that centre. It is probable that at Victoria, the Agent of the C.P.R. may arrive on the ship. Establish contact with him as quickly as possible, so that all the details in connection with landing arrangements are attended to.

Mr. Stanley Brent, the Secretary at Vancouver Y, is a man I know personally, and I am sure he will be helpful in every way open to him. You might consult him with regard to where you should stay overnight. The little hotel that I stayed at was called the Dusnmuir, where the rates were very reasonable, and it was fairly close to the Y building.

You will, of course, do your utmost to conserve the little cash you have. Watch the multitude of small expenses. They soon run away with a lot of money in the end.

I mention these things simply because I am anxious that you should arrive at Chicago College with as much cash as you possibly can. You know how important it is, and I will trust your judgment to the right thing in this connection.

As all of these letters have been sent on ahead of you, naturally I have not been able to give you any home news, and you will not be able to receive any until you have arrived at Toronto or Cleveland. I may even be later than that before a mail can make contact with  you. I would suggest that you leave your address for forwarding mail at the Toronto Central Y.M.C.A., also at the Cleveland Central Y.M.C.A.

You will have a wonderful time going through the Rockies, and I envy you the trip as it is one of the most remarkable railway journeys to be had anywhere in the World.

Make all the contacts you can with delegates travelling to the Conference. You will find it well worth your while to keep a record of the names and addresses of people you meet in this way, because later on you will want to write to them.

I must close now. You know that all of us are thinking of you, and we pray God's richest blessing upon you in your journeyings.

With warm love,
Dad

See related post: Building Contacts and Religion

No. 3 -- 18 June 1931

Mr. N. A. Hughes
Passenger, R.M.S. "Niagara",
C/o Union Steamship Company
S U V A.

My dear Noel,

Well you have been to Suva. I hope your impressions of the Island are as vivid as mine were on my first visit, as you make the acquaintance of Mr. Barker.

We are naturally anxious for you to let us know just exactly what occurred and hope you will not fail to write regularly, so that we can be kept advised of each stage of your journey.

Remember that apart from your mother and myself, the two little ones at home will be full of eager interest to know how you are faring.

R.M.S. Niagara (source: Wikipedia)

I want you to be specially careful that you maintain the high standard of personal conduct with the folk you are mixing with. The tendency is, on holiday "to let down the bars" a little, and "when in Rome do as Rome does". I know shipboard life well enough to know how easy it is to "slip" on some of the seemingly small things in personal conduct. Don't forget you have two standards to maintain. First, that of a Christian man and secondly, that of an Association Officer. Throw yourself heart and soul into the life of the ship as far as you are able, but do not compromise your position in either of the relationships I have referred to.

Don't forget also that you should put in at least two to four hours a day in definite preparation for Conference and for your future work at the College. You will be expected by the Faculty to pass certain examinations, so that you may get your entrance status fixed early in your College life. Prepare for that work on the basis set out in the College catalogue. Make each day count in preparation for that period and don't fritter away all the hours of the day and night on the unimportant things generally associated with shipboard life.

R.M.S. Niagara (source: Ancestry.com)

I hope both Alec. and yourself will feel that you have a fine opportunity to think through some of the problems associated with the Conferences, so that you may be able to make your own contributions to the discussions.

Also, I would suggest that you get Alec.'s help in preparing a few short talks on Australia and on the Australian Y.M.C.As, so that you may be in a position to speak when called upon at some of the gatherings you attend.

The time spent on shipboard will give you a splendid chance to prepare material which you will afterwards use at the Conference or at College.

I think you should set out to uphold the standards attained by other Australian students in America. This cannot be done without concentration of purpose and hard work. You would be wise to cultivate the Habit of study, and even if the attractive sides of life on shipboard are very appealing, I hope you will maintain a daily habit of study in preparation for the future.

I want you also to take a daily study in the text material you have on "The Life of Christ", so that you will be able to follow in something like consecutive order the great events in His life. Such a study will help you to understand the great ideals of the Kingdom of God, and will fit you to more effectively serve your fellows because you can appreciate the scheme God has for their lives.

We will be anxiously awaiting news from you. You will, of course, write from every port of call. I found it a very great help to write a short portion of my letter every day, while the events were fresh in my mind, and in this way I was able to advise your mother and my friends just what was happening of interest each day. You might perhaps find it wise to adopt a similar method.

All of use unite in affectionate regards,
Dad

See related post: The RMS Niagara

The RMS Niagara

The ship Noel was departing on, the RMS Niagara, was an ocean liner that while being built bore the nickname the "Titanic of the Pacific". It launched a few months after the Titanic sank in 1912 with the new nickname the "Queen of the Pacific".

With Noel and the family being strapped for cash due to the depression, Noel was traveling third class. (Think Leonardo DiCaprio's character in the movie TITANIC, not Kate Winslet's character.)

Noel's route to North America
on the RMS Niagara
(click to enlarge):
(A) Sydney, Australia
(B) Auckland, New Zealand (C) Suva, Fiji
(D) Honolulu, Hawaii (E) Victoria, Canada

Wikipedia says the RMS Niagara could hold almost 700 first-, second- and third-class passengers, but a comment in an upcoming letter indicates it sailed with only a fraction of that -- 26 in the third class sailing out of Auckland, New Zealand. A copy of the ship's manifest found through Ancestry.com indicates only 18 in third class out of Auckland through to Canada.

The ship departed Sydney on 25 June, with stops in Auckland, departing 30 June; Suva, Figi Islands, departing 3 July; Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands, departing 10 July; and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, arriving 16 July, and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, arriving 17 July.

In the letters, George is full of very detailed advice about shipboard life. He would know. He crossed the Pacific twice and the Atlantic twice on his way to and from Europe during World War I. At least one of those Pacific crossings was on the RMS Niagara.

Jumping ahead in time, the RMS Niagara did come to a dramatic end in 1940 when it struck a German mine outside New Zealand and sank. The ship was carrying gold bars intended to pay British debt to the U.S. government in relation to World War II, so an effort was launched to salvage the gold with most of it being recovered.

See related post: No. 3 -- 18 June 1931

No. 2 -- 23 June 1931

Mr. N. A. Hughes,
C/o Y.M.C.A,
325 Pitt Street,
SYDNEY. N.S.W.

My dear Noel,

I am enclosing a card of introduction to Mr. Gordon Virgo, son of Mr. J. J. Virgo. You will notice from the address that Gordon is the Superintendent of the Palama Settlement near Honolulu. I would suggest that you ring him on the phone and, if possible, make an arrangement to see him if only for a minute or two. He will be glad to welcome you I know, especially for his father's sake. I have known Gordon Virgo for many years and of course had contact with him in London during the war. He was then an officer of the Canadian Y.M.C.A.

The original letter on YMCA letterhead.

Flickr

Miss Yates gave you the list of introductions which should prove of use to you for rapid reading, especially when you are at the Conference. You will hear of many of these men and I would suggest that you endeavour to make contact with most of them when you have the opportunity.

I had a letter from Alec. Moodie this morning and I would suggest that early on the voyage, you propose to Alec. that you should meet daily to consider the outlines prepared by the World's Committee on the Conference subjects. This will be a useful thing for you to do, and Moodie's long experience in Association world should help to clarify many of the problems dealt with in the outlines.

Letter from Chas. F. Grosby of the
Melbourne YMCA accepting
Noel's resignation as he leaves for
the United States.
(click to enlarge or view on Flickr)

I am specially anxious that you should let me know what your address will be immediately you conclude the Cleveland Conference. If you get any jobs offered to you, please write immediately do that we may be able to send to you direct during the period between the close of the Conference and the Commencement at the College.

I had a ring from Mr. Boyer of the C.P.R. this morning to say that the insurance of your baggage requires a further payment of 5/2d. They forget to charge you the difference in the exchange rate on the premium. This I am paying, so you need not worry about it.

Of course you will ring up your relatives as soon as possible. My suggestion to you is to pay your visits not later than Wednesday night, so that you have Thursday morning free to attend to your own affairs. It would be a good plan to leave for the boat about 2 o'clock so that you can take everything direct to your cabin on arrival at the ship, and thus save all the mad rush at the end.

Noel's letter of introduction from
F.D. Trainor, the National General Secretary
of the Australian YMCA.
(click to enlarge or view on Flickr)

Little Edith came to me this morning and said that she was crying for you during the night. You can readily understand their feelings and our own just now. Mother has not said a great deal but I know quite well that she is feeling the parting very acutely. I can only suggest, old fellow, that you will drop her a line before you leave, so that she might hear from you at once.

Please remember me to all the folk in Sydney, and of course to Mr. Swainson and the members of the staff.

With warm love,

Dad.

P.S.  This afternoon Keith brought in your wristlet watch. I think it would be a good plan for you to take this with you, so I have packed it separately and have addressed it to the boat. Please do not fail to make enquiry regarding it when you arrive on board. I thought it might miss you at the Y.M.C.A.

See related post: About the Sydney letters

No. 1 -- 19 June 1931

Mr. N. A. Hughes
Passenger, R.M.S. "Niagara",
SYDNEY. N.S.W.

My dear Noel,

You are now starting out on the great adventure. I know quite well the sense of adventure is likely to be uppermost in your mind just now. There are many new experiences awaiting you and I can understand the thrill you will feel as you face them.

Noel's passport photo

Flickr

You know quite well that the folk at home are naturally anxious that you should "make good" in every sense of the word. You have your opportunity, and it will largely depend upon yourself just how far you will capitalise it and make it of real value in your life. All that we can do is to help provide that opportunity. The responsibility is now upon your own shoulders and you will have to measure up to the possibilities which lie ahead of you.

On shipboard there will be many new experiences, some of which may not be as pleasant as you would have them. You will be in the company of all kinds of folk and will need to be exceptionally careful in your choice of friendships. Scores of young fellows who have set out upon similar journeys have palled up with folk that they felt were companionable and safe, to find that they are simply looking for the opportunity to prey upon the confidence people repose in them. Every company of people has a section which lives by its wits. On shipboard you find that proportion greater than in normal life.

Flickr

The fact that you have Alec. Moodie with you should make it unnecessary for you to extend your friendships too widely. Be careful of the fellow who is short of money and who wants to borrow as he comes to the port, or, who at the port, discovers that he has only a few shillings and would like the loan of a pound or two, and will return it when you get back to the ship. There are plenty of that kind around, but they seldom pay up.

Be careful of your bags. Leave nothing lying around or it will disappear. Keep your bags locked and see that the first thing that you do is place your papers, wallet, etc. in the care of the Purser. Don't delay in doing this. There are some folk who clean up several cabins shortly after the boat starts. Be specially careful that your stuff is properly secured before you leave the ship at any of the ports of call. When you get to Suva, I expect Mr. A. Barker of the Methodist Mission may have some little courtesy to extend to you. If he should not put in an appearance at the ship, please look  him up, because you will find him a good friend. I have written him advising him of your arrival.

Old business cards from his Melbourne days
that my grandfather saved.

Flickr

And now, my boy, I have just this word for you in closing. If your service in the Young Men's Christian Association is going to be anything in the future, it will be largely determined by the depth of your own religious experience and your determination to make it of large account in the service of others.

Life has two major aspects, one in relation to God and one in relation to one's fellows. You cannot expect your service to your fellows to be of the greatest value unless you cultivate a deep and abiding fellowship with the living Christ.

Our love is yours as you go,

Dad

See related post: About the Sydney letters