After Ron posted the first "M.V. Hardship" version above, he emailed me some more notes:-

M.V. HARDSHIP email

Ross, I've posted M.V. Hardship on your perm. thread on Mud Cat.
As mentioned in your introduction I had versions from Union Castle & Harrison's. I've never bothered with them because I've always preferred the 'Hardship' version, but, just for the record, here they are.

Union Castle version

As I was a' walking by Southampton quay
The 'Rustbucket' Castle I happened to see.
She was bound out to Cape Town & then to Durban
Where she'd load up with fruit and come back again.

Ch. Pound away, pound away
From England to Yarpie is a hell of a way.

2nd, 3rd, 4th verses as in 'Hardship'

When we got to Durban we all went ashore
Piled in to 'Mat lot's' for a drink & a whore
But when we got there the pickings were poor
'Cause the Bullard & King lads had got there before.

Now our voyage from Yarpie has come to an end
But of Castle fruit boats be warned my friend
'Cause for six weeks we've been anchored here
As a floating warehouse stuck off Southend pier.


'Rustbucket Castle'…..Rustenburg Castle [or any of the old 'R' class fruit boats.]
Yarpie….Jarpie [in Afrikaans] farmer, seaman's name for South Africa.
Bullard & King….. at one time a First class passenger line to the Cape, but post war went down in the world, having a rag bag of cargo ships, bought by Cayzer Irvine and then transferred to the S. African Flag as 'Springbok Line'.
'…off Southend Pier'…fruit boats occasionally did not unload straight away, but were kept 'hanging around' until their cargo was sold.


These give a few more variations, and a bit more background to the fruit transports.

Ross