Such was the scenario under which the Strathallan set off from Tilbury on Monday, June 9th 1939, but life had to go on as normally as possible while there was hope. However, it would not have been surprising if the passengers and crew were a little apprehensive by the daily news, which was probably dispensed by the vessel’s wireless operators during this voyage. Any such fears there may have been were not unfounded for it is recorded that while on the return journey the ship left one of its ports of call, namely Bombay, on the 26th August, and she would therefore have arrived back in England not long after Neville Chamberlain’s historic announcement of the 3rd September 1939 - the declaration of war with Germany, thus fulfilling the guarantee which had been given to Poland on March 31st.

Hitler had ordered his troops to attack Poland on the 1st September claiming that the Polish had fired first, when apparently what actually happened was a fake attack on a German radio station at Gelidity by S.S troops dressed in Polish uniforms. World War II had commenced, and when the Strathallan docked at Tilbury the passengers disembarked for their first experience of food rationing, the blackout, wailing sirens and a lot more besides, while the liner was immediately requisitioned as a troopship.

It is possible she may have sailed back to Barrow from Tilbury to be fitted out for her new role as a troopship, which included having many alterations and the white and yellow livery changed overall to grey, but that is a matter of conjecture as also are her voyages prior to October 1942 during which period it is believed she sometimes sailed with her sister ship, Stratheden, transporting troops to Middle East and India or across the Atlantic. (The Stratheden had sailed for Australia shortly before the declaration of war and was not requisitioned as a troopship until March 1940). However, the sisters were brought together again, along with very many other vessels, in the autumn of 1942 for a specific purpose - ‘Operation Torch’.

This operation, which had been in the minds of the Allied leaders for a long while, was to be an Anglo American landing in North West Africa. There was great difficulty in deciding who should do what and how, it was a political minefield with Roosevelt and Churchill the king-pins and it seems De Gaulle was carefully kept out of the proceedings as he had become a pain in the neck. Eventually a plan was hatched which entailed simultaneous landings of American forces in Morocco (Casablanca) and American/British forces in Algeria, the latter were destined to land, behind the Germans, at Algiers and Oran.

It was uncertain how the Vichy French would react - they were not friendly especially after the fracas at Oran in July 1940, when the British Navy were ordered to fire on French warships, which were laying in harbour, to prevent them from falling into German hands. Ships were sunk and a large number of French sailors were killed because the Petain Government were not prepared to break the terms of the Armistice signed with Germany (Hitler) on the 22nd July 1940. Included in this agreement was a provision for the French fleet to be demobilized, disarmed and laid up in home ports, while the Germans in turn declared it did not intend to use the fleet for its own purposes in the war; although this turned out to be a joke! Nevertheless, the sensitive issue was deemed to raise the thought that the French may be more amenable to the Americans than the British, if they were given the impression it was solely an American operation. Thus America provided the majority of the personnel and equipment.

The date of the landings was fixed - the 8th November 1942, when hundreds of merchant and naval vessels were to take part in the operation, and a total of 60,000 troops would initially be involved.. One large contingent of American troops coming directly from the U.S. to land in Morocco. An even larger group consisting of both American and British troops was to sail from Britain (Clyde) for Algeria, and when in the Mediterranean this group would split into two, one part of all American troops going for Oran, while the other made up of American/British troops going for Algiers.

Thousands of American troops with their equipment were brought across the Atlantic and placed around Scotland and Northern Ireland while British troops were moved to locations near the ports. There is always difficulty when quoting numbers as references vary but it seems that roughly 36,000 were set to sail from Britain and three quarters of that number were Americans. The logistics were immense.
This is why the Strathallan and her sister the Stratheden were together again in the Autumn of 1942. In fact is seems they may have practiced for the landings in the vicinity of the Isle of Mull, and have been fitted out with additional armament, perhaps in similar fashion. However, the Strathallan carried a number of weapons - one 6 inch, two 3 inch H.A/L.A, a 12- pdr., 1 Bofors, 7 Oerlikons and many machine guns - together with other types of weapons, 4 Pig troughs, 4 F.A.M’s., 2 U.P’s., 4 P.A.C. rockets and 3 depth charges.

Both ships took part at the commencement of the Operation when, after embarking troops at Greenock on 26th October 1942, they sailed in convoy for Algiers. The planned landings of the British/American troops at and around Algiers duly took place in the early hours of 8th November, and by all accounts there was less opposition from the Vichy French than expected. After the Strath’s troops, equipment etc., had been put ashore, the two sisters returned uneventfully to the Clyde for further contingents.

It was a familiar scene at Greenock in December 1942 when many of the rear echelons of British and American troops assembled to board the Strathallan. Sacks of mail and military equipment was also in evidence as preparations were being made for sailing under the command of the Master,
Captain J.H.Biggs, as the commodore ship of convoy K.M.S.5. He reported as having a crew of 466 personnel which included 13 Army and 13 Navy gunners, while the passengers numbered 4656 - consisting of 296 officers (some possibly being H.Q. staff of the U.S. First Army), 248 nurses, 4112 W.O’s and other ranks. Thus a total of 5122 persons were aboard when the Strathallan sailed from the Clyde, in convoy, for Algiers on the 11th December 1942. It was a far cry from her peace time sailings from Tilbury, for now there were no cheers, streamers, whistles or bands playing as she left Greenock - everyone concerned would probably have been