More than 100 persons boarded the Stella Polaris to get away from the cold in England. Some of the passengers are on holiday, but some have come to find a better life.

Published Wednesday, December 8, 1948

Britons Come To Make Jamaica Their Home

‘No fun living in England now’

Getting away from England where “conditions are not so good now”, most of the 150-odd Britishers who landed here yesterday morning from the m.s. Stella Polaris have come to make Jamaica their home, while some will increase the island’s resident tourist population.

They all told the same story: “It is no fun living in England now.” “Too many shortages.” Life is too dull” and so forth. Some even revealed that they were here in quest of employment and were “hoping to find good openings".

Lack of steamship passenger accommodation prevented the Britons from getting away to the West Indies, for which they said there was mounting preference, and when the special trip of the Stella Polaris was arranged, bookings went in a flash, the vessel sailing from Tilbury on November 20.

Spending The Winter

Heading the long passenger list were a number of notables who have come out on vacation and are “glad to be in the sunshine". They are spending the winter in Jamaica.

The vessel came via Madeira, St Thomas, and the Virgin Islands, and brought 169 passengers, 153 of whom landed here. The remainder are proceeding to the other islands.

Among the newcomers were war veterans, professional men, businessmen, elderly retired people, ministers of the gospel, and, in fact, people representing a cross section of their country.

An interesting circumstance about the travellers was that the average age of the passengers of the ship was 47 although among them were 12 children, the youngest of whom is three months. They were all British except for a couple of Norwegians.

First Holiday In Years

Many of those who came yesterday said that they had had no holiday for a long time due to the war and its aftermath. Quite a few were visiting the West Indies for the first time.

The friendships made by local people while in England drew a crowd to the Hanover Street wharf, where the vessel docked.

A number of immigration officers who boarded the vessel in Kingston quickly got through the usual port formalities, and the passengers were soon all ashore.

In the baggage room, a big staff of Customs officials, working with their accustomed speed and efficiency, enabled the visitors to get away in a hurry.

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