IN LATE December, Hampshire Heritage recalled the career of the former troopship turned educational cruise ship, Dunera.

The story revived happy memories for Daily Echo reader Vic Styles, of Warsash, who, more than 50 years ago, was one of a number of local youngsters lucky enough to take part in a trip of a lifetime when Hampshire County Council chartered the Dunera for a 15-night voyage to Scandinavia and other Baltic ports, which included Stockholm, Leningrad, now St Petersburg, Helsinki, and Copenhagen, via the Kiel Canal.

“About 900 children from Hampshire were mustered by Hampshire County Council Education Department by train to London Waterloo” said Vic, reminiscing about the adventure in June 1962. “We then went on by coach to Tilbury Docks and about 30 of us, all lads in our teens, from Southampton, Winchester, Basingstoke, Alton, Havant and the Portsmouth area, were billeted in ‘Baffin’ dormitory on the ship.”

As Vic and his new ship mates settled into their new surrounding on the Dunera, the “Baffin Boys” – as Vic and his new chums now referred themselves – discovered that there were other surprises awaiting them onboard the 1937 built, 12,620 ton, Dunera.

“When we boarded the ship we learned that Southern TV were on board and were making a film called ‘School at Sea’, which was to be televised on Christmas Day 1962. Also on board was the Army’s Junior Leaders Band, who played some excellent traditional band music as well as popular music from the time, such as the trad jazz songs played by Kenny Ball and his Jazzman.”

Vic also recalled what the living conditions were like onboard the Dunera for the educational voyage that cost each young passenger £38 for the trip, which equates to roughly £724 in today’s values, and was able to be paid in instalments.

“Living accommodation was not bad and we had a shower, which in the 1960s was a luxury”, said Vic. “There was plenty of food at meal times, you did not have spam, but you did have everything with baked beans!”

The regularity of baked beans at meal times also prompted some light-hearted humour amongst the boys, as Vic explains, “We had a pipe overflow that came through our billet, and we were told it was the surplus baked beans going into the sea!”

“After leaving England our first port of call was Stockholm via the Kiel Canal in West Germany. Before the approach to Kiel, I remember I saw lights on land and this was the first time I saw a foreign country. Later that day we went through the canal and we were told it was the largest vessel to do this, but unfortunately one of the propellers struck the bottom and bent it. When we arrived at Stockholm an inspection was made and when we left port the captain made an announcement stating that were going at a slower speed, and we would not be calling at Helsinki.”

“We continued our journey and eventually docked in Leningrad, now St Petersburg, and we didn’t know what to expect. The local political commissars arrived with their military bands and local youngsters to give us a warm welcome and as we approached the Junior Leaders Band started playing British traditional tunes, but so did the Red Army and it sort of clashed!”

“Whilst the MV Dunera was in dock we had to wait for hours to get off, because of the slow method the Russians used to check passengers before we could disembark. As we waited, the Hampshire youths and children started throwing ball point pens to the local children below, who in return started throwing back gifts, which caused a bit of a minor riot!”

“I remember we had a cornet player on board who went to the top deck and played ‘Midnight in Moscow’ the tune that Kenny Ball made a hit, which delighted the crowd and the military band below.”

Once disembarked, the authorities arranged various trips around the city for the youngsters, with the events of one particular visit still very familiar to Vic.

“We went to the Young Pioneers Palace in Prospekt Nevskiy Street formally Anichkov Palace, where our hosts gave a concert, and in the background on the stage were two portraits, one of premier Nikita Khrushchev the other Joseph Stalin.

During the concert an official came and quickly removed ‘Uncle Joe’ during the show, because at that time the Soviet Union was denouncing Joseph Stalin and he was not flavour of the month.

Despite what the West was saying about the USSR the locals were very friendly, and the young Leningrad locals spoke very good English and were very interested in Great Britain.

We left Leningrad to Copenhagen and we were a day late, it was wet and we had the tours and went to the Tivoli Gardens and the Hampshire Junior Leaders played there. After Copenhagen the Dunera went to Immingham Docks near Grimsby Lincolnshire for repairs while the Hampshire youngsters returned home by train.

Looking back at the old photographs of the “Baffin Boys” Vic continues to recall the happy memories of the trip that happened well over 50 years ago.

“There was a lot of banter with the adults and leaders, and we had our anthem which was ‘We are the Baffin Boys, we are the crew’ which was played with the tune ‘Anchors Away’. Our dormitory was always untidy but Mr ‘Hoppy’ Hopkins, Hampshire County Council Youth Officer offered us a free drink at the bar if we achieved 100%. A couple of days later we did, and it cost him 30 pints of beer! I often wonder how the Baffin Boys careers got on, since that trip, and what they are doing today?”