The Voyage of Their Life: The Story of the SS Derna and its Passengers

by Diane Armstrong

In August 1948, 545 passengers boarded an overcrowded, clapped-out vessel in Marseilles to face an uncertain future in Australia and New Zealand. They came from displaced persons camps in Germany, death camps in Poland, labour camps in Hungary, gulags in Siberia and stony Aegean islands. There were those who had been hunted by the Nazis and those who had welcomed them; those who had followed the Communists and those who had fled them. Diane Armstrong set sail on the Derna with her parents when she was nine years old. Like a detective searching for clues, she has located over a hundred of the passengers. Through their recollections and memorabilia, as well as archival documents, she has recreated the voyage and traced what became of their hopes and dreams. The result is the unique portrayal of a migrant ship and its passengers.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Australia, Audiobook, World War II, Biography, Holocaust

483 pages, Hardcover

First published September 26, 2001

About the author

Diane was born in Poland and arrived in Australia in 1948.

At the age of seven she decided to become a writer. Her first article, about teaching at a Blackboard Jungle school in London, was published in The Australian Women's Weekly in 1965. Diane subsequently became a freelance journalist, and over three thousand of her investigative articles, personal experience stories, profiles and travel stories have been published in newspapers and magazines such as Readers Digest, Vogue, The Bulletin, Harper's Bazaar, The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, Good Weekend, and The Age. Her articles have also appeared in major publications in the UK, Canada, Poland, Hong Kong, Hungary, Holland and South Africa.

Over the years she has received numerous awards for journalism, including the Pluma de Plata awarded by the Government of Mexico for the best article written about that country, and the Gold Award given by the Pacific Asia Tourist Association. In 1993 she received an award for an investigative article about Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease. In 1998, she received the George Munster Award for Independent Journalism.

Reviews

[Hermien · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am somewhat conflicted about this book. It is obviously a story worth telling and the writer has put a lot of effort into it. I have to say though that at times I thought it was a bit self-serving and was disappointed when it appeared that a number of the passengers themselves continued holding on to their own prejudices and traditions and sometimes perpetuated the discrimination from which they had fled. There are however also some beautiful and moving parts in the book and I do realise that the book deals with the author's personal history.

[Lilisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lofty undertaking, author Diane Armstrong meticulously details the journey of more than 500 passengers who traveled aboard the less-than luxurious ship – the Derma – in August 1948 from the port of Marseilles to Australia and New Zealand. Immediately following World War II, the ship consisted of those who had been persecuted in Germany and Eastern Europe, who had been in death camps and labor camps, and those who had both welcomed and been hunted by the Nazis. The author was nine years old at the time and traveled on the Derna with her family. Making the harrowing journey in tight quarters with a diverse set of passengers – the atmosphere aboard the ship was filled with anxiety, tension and challenges – but relief as well, as many passengers yearned for a new beginning. Decades later, Armstrong tracks down more than 100 passengers and pieces together their lives since they landed in Australia and New Zealand. She reveals the prejudices of the New World population as they eyed the migrants suspiciously, the hardworking approach of the newly landed passengers and their longing and homesickness for their native lands by some, while adjusting to the New World. Understandably, this was a very personal endeavor for the author and she has painstakingly recorded the lives of those she was able to contact and interview. What I found interesting was that while she detailed out the lives of others, she was rather reticent about herself personally and I was waiting for her story to unfold, but not so. A tome at 624 pages (I listened to the book via CD), it’s a tribute to the passengers who left all they knew – the good and the bad – to sail into the great unknown for a better life for themselves and their children. How similar is that to what many families in war-torn countries are doing today?

[Mel Ostrov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out of Desperation

This is a valuable, true account of the destiny of a large group of Holocaust survivors seeking to find a home after the war ended. Most Holocaust nonfiction stories seem to have only one, or a few, protagonists. However, in this book there are descriptions of numerous individuals and families packed into an old, barely seaworthy ship as immigrants who no longer had a home or family to return to three years after being liberated. There is a plethora of personal accounts of having suffered and how they survived, not only in the camps and displacement but also during their voyage to Australia on that ship.
As such, the story describes experiences that would be familiar to those who have already read a quantity of Holocaust books. But for those such as high school students who are not well versed in the subject, this book serves as a more all-inclusive introduction to the meaning of The Holocaust. Also, since the information was derived from the actual survivors, it additionally serves as a historical record of immigrants settling in Australia.
The latter part of this long book is not as poignant as that of the voyage itself. It follows up on the fate of the numerous Jewish passengers who settled there as loyal Aussie families, some of whom becoming astonishingly successful. That too, is an important contribution to the history of the immigrants’ new homeland. For all this, the author should be congratulated for a very well written contribution to history.

[Jazzy Lemon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well-written account of the nightmare ship and its travels to take post second World War emigrants to the shores of Australia.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an interesting compelling read this one is. This book tells the journey if the over crowded and worn out boat, the Derna which travelled from France to Australia in 1948. Aboard were 545 passengers, mostly survivors from the war seeking a new life in Australia or New Zealand.

The author was just a young girl who was with her family on board and she tells the amazing stories of many of the passengers. It still shocks me to hear what these poor people endured in concentration camps, in gulags, hidden in convents, holes in the ground or hidden in attics.

Interesting to hear too, about their lives in Australia and New Zealand and how hard they worked. This us one of those books that I will think about for a long time.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written true account of the voyage to Australia of migrants on the "Derna" in 1948. I was concerned that such a big book with so many characters would be difficult to follow, but that was not the case at all. Every chapter reads like a short story. Most were harrowing accounts of people who survived death camps, labour camps and gulags, and how they coped during the awful voyage. The second half of the book describes how they managed to build new lives in Australia and New Zealand.

[Toni Umar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't read non fiction - I like to escape with invented novels. However this book was one of 15 books lent to me in a bag recommended by a friend - this friend has gone through a lot so i felt if she said it we good I needed to try.
Wow, it was fabulous, a lot of incredibly sad content but very readable. The characters were so life like - well they were! An excellent read an an eye opener, a reminder to appreciate those we love and what we have. I plan to read more from this author - fiction and non fiction!

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing book that gives you a different perspective on the survivors of WW II and their personal journeys back to life and happiness. A must read for anyone who had parents that lived during the war.

[Karin Christo · Rating 4 out of 5]

excellent I particularly enjoyed the personal details of the passengers after they arrived in Australia and how the developed their lives here.

In August 1948, 545 passengers boarded an overcrowded, clapped-out vessel in Marseilles to face an uncertain future in Australia and New Zealand. They came from displaced persons camps in Germany, death camps in Poland, labour camps in Hungary, gulags in Siberia and stony Aegean islands. There were those who had been hunted by the Nazis and those who had welcomed them; those who had followed the Communists and those who had fled them. Diane Armstrong set sail on the Derna with her parents when she was nine years old. Like a detective searching for clues, she has located over a hundred of the passengers. Through their recollections and memorabilia, as well as archival documents, she has recreated the voyage and traced what became of their hopes and dreams. The result is the unique portrayal of a migrant ship and its passengers.

[Bernice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.8 What could have been a boring read was in fact fascinating and well put together to present an interesting recount of the lives of some of the 545 passengers on the SS Derna which sailed from Marseilles to Australia and New Zealand in 1948. The writer, Diane Armstrong, was 9 years old at the time the ship sailed. Late 1990s - 2000 she follows up on the lives lived by some of the passengers. Part of the book sets the scene so that the reader fully understands why such a diverse group of people happened to make up the passenger list. A really interesting read and look into the early years of those who made the difficult journey from post war Europe to the bottom of the world.

[Goldenwattle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a small book. An amazing amount of research went into writing this. It tells what people had been through to leave Europe behind and move to Australia, and where they were at later in their lives. Having grown up in that era I can recognise some things mentioned. Immigrants running cafes for example.

[Suz Bennett]

Long list of passengers stories on board and before and after the journey.
At times disconnected and sudden shifts to next person . Clearly some shared more than others about their own experiences
Heartbreaking stories that were hard to read How hard to live those lives!

[Jane]

DNF

While I found this an exciting book, it was just too long. I think I may have enjoyed this book more if the focus had been on one family rather than every detail from every person on board the ship.

This just wasnt for me.

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book!

[Michael Vawser]

Alternate cover

[Hazel Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Technically well put together from diverse stories and personalities. In two parts: the voyage out and the new life.Insightful of how some cope in extreme circumstances by either stoicism or being 'difficult' and how those attributes carry into a non-war lifestyle in a new country. Infighting based on former political allegiances or bullying but also the pragmatic coping mechanisms by those whose countries or cultures were under threat.
Inevitably the reader asks themselves what they might have done in those circumsances.

[Pauleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favourite books, mainly because I have a fascination with migration.

I wrote a review a few years ago. https://bewitchedbybooks.wordpress.co...

[Rich Brothers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy her books. The Jewish Experience in the 20th Century.

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14310160

[Diane in Australia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars = Okay. I liked the book. It was worth reading.

[Jen Roe · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book