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© courtesy: Ron Merritt — USA

© courtesy: Ron Merritt — USA

I believe the attached three bulletins of the Red Cross from 1943 are intresting because they have details and some photos of the Gripsholm voyage.

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© courtesy: Ron Merritt — USA

© courtesy: Ron Merritt — USA

I noted you have individual photos from Life Magazine already on your web site of the 1943 Gripsholm stop at Goa.

In case you would like to have the full magazine article, I am forwarding a good quality scan of the Life Magazine issue of 20 Dec 1943 that with photos of repatriated civilians on the Gripsholm voyage from Goa to NYC. I have been curious to learn further details on several persons featured in photos and that prompted my interest in further research.

Regarding the Life photo of Capt Tornroth in sick bay, I had contact with one of his relatives and was able to forward the attached scan onward to his relative. I received the attached photo of Capt Tornroth in mariner uniform. He was born in Finland, and eventually died in 1948 in Seattle USA.

When I save research excerpts from books and magazines, I like to include the photo in the scan to visually document my source.

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© courtesy: Ron Merritt — USA

© courtesy: Ron Merritt — USA

I was intrigued by the Life Magazine photo of the burial of James Hillcoat Arthur at Goa. How sad to have commenced his journey home and then have it suddenly end by heart attack.

I attach for your info a copy of several documents of further detail, including the Consular Report of his death prepared by the American Embassy staff on temporary assignment to assist with processing internees from the Gripsholm. I found the attached photo of Rev. Arthur in files at the Princeton Theological Seminary.

© courtesy: Ron Merritt — USA

© courtesy: Ron Merritt — USA

I am forwarding a scan of the 07 Sep 1942 issue of Life Magazine that published news of two persons who returned on the first repatriation (1942) voyage of the Gripsholm as well as two pages of photos of American Embassy staff held in Tokyo.

I found the coverage of John Benjamin Powell to be of interest and decided to write the attached brief data sheet. Mr. Powell was from Missouri and obviously had a very distinguished journalism career in the US and China. A fellow journalist from Missouri, Vernon Nash, had been a Rhodes Scholar and taught journalism at Yenching University from 1924 - 1936. Prof. Nash left China in 1936 to return to teaching at the Univ of Missouri. His first wife, Mary Rooker (from a family of China missionaries) died in the US in 1957. Prof. Nash subsequently in 1958 married my grandfather's first cousin Mary Cookingham, whom Mr. and Mrs. Nash had known earlier at Yenching.

© courtesy: Ron Merritt — USA

© courtesy: Ron Merritt — USA

I am forwarding a scan pdf copy of a letter from Shelley Mydans that was published in Life Magazine on 29 Nov 1943. The letter was descriptive of their 1943 voyage to Goa to transfer to the Gripsholm. Although the Maydans were captured in the Philippines, the letter's details of arrival at Goa may be of interest to readers of your website.

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© courtesy: Ron Merritt — USA