Passport to Deception

By Frank Buyak

The tragic sinking of the British passenger liner the SS Athenia on September 3, 1939, by a German U-boat provided the opportunity for Marie Annette Watson to steal the identity of her traveling companion who perished when the torpedo struck the ship. She went on to build a life based on lies that satisfied her ambitions. However, in the end, she paid the price for her life of deception. This is the first novel of Frank Buyak (buy ak), who was scheduled to be a passenger on the SS Athenia. However, a good fortune and overbooking on that ship probably saved his life. Frank has an extensive background in writing for industry and has traveled to the places mentions in this book. He is a graduate of several universities and has a masters degree in teaching. Mr. Buyak is retured and living in Connecticut.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 13, 2016
• ISBN: 9781514492703

Frank Buyak

This is the first novel from Frank Buyak (buy ak ), who has authored many technical papers and has an extensive background in writing for business and industry. His professional work brought him to Washington, DC, Germany, and England, where he received recognition for his work. He is currently retired and living in Connecticut. The author, his older brother, and his mother were actually on the Aquatania making the crossing as described in the book. The author’s mother was unable to book passage on the Athenia because of overbooking. Mrs. Buyak and her family waited in Glasgow for passage on the Aquatania. While the author and his family were at sea on the Aquatania, the house where they stayed at, #3 Dale Street in Glasgow, was bombed, killing all who lived there. A special thanks to the author’s mother, Mary Buyak, who had the courage to bring her young family home, across the Atlantic, during the Second World War.

Book preview

Prologue

Mary Ann Winslow was one of the 112 people killed when the torpedo exploded in the dining room of the passenger liner , Athenia . It was September 3 rd , 1939 and the ship’s passengers had just gathered for their evening meal under the twinkling chandeliers. Marie Annette Watson, Mary Ann’s roommate and traveling companion, was not among the victims; feeling under the weather, she had been resting in their starboard stateroom forward of the dining room when the torpedo hit.

No trace of Mary Ann Winslow would ever be found, and the Athenia would not sink for an additional fourteen hours. Fortunately, the night sky was cloudless and the moon was near full. As S.O.S. calls went out, three ships in the vicinity came steaming to the rescue of the Athenia where she sat wallowing 250 miles northwest of Inishtrahull in Northern Ireland.

Most of the 1,100 passengers on board were leaving Europe to escape the danger and threat of war. Mary Ann and Marie Annette were among the fortunate who were able to leave England for the safety of the United States where Mary Ann’s father, Lord William Winslow, had a sister living in New York City. The Athenia was bound for Montreal where the two young ladies had planned to board a train for New York City.

The Athenia departed Glasgow on September 1, 1939, the same day that Germany invaded Poland. Two days later, at 11:15 AM, Britain declared war on Germany.

Knowing that German U boats were patrolling the north Atlantic, Captain James Cook had piloted the Athenia at full speed, making a zigzag pattern every minute. To avoid detection, the ship was running without lights and was completely blacked out.

Despite these precautions, the Athenia was intercepted by U Boat #30 whose 26 year old commander, Oberleutnant Fritz-julius Lemp, decided that the Athenia was an armed merchant cruiser. At 19:30 hours the German submarine fired three torpedoes, one of which was a direct hit. Against norms of seamanship, Lemp offered no assistance to the sinking ship and immediately withdrew from the site of the disaster. Thus began the battle of the north Atlantic: the Athenia was the first naval casualty of the Second World War. The survivors were eventually picked up by the three ships responding to the Athenia’s S.O.S. The Knute Nelson took on approximately 450 passengers, the City of Flint picked up 223 and the yacht Southern Cross saved 300. Nineteen year old Marie Annette would be one of the rescued passengers on the Southern Cross, which was headed for the West Indies. The tragedy of the Athenia would change her life in ways that would stretch beyond the imagination of her young mind.

Chapter 1

Marie Annette grew up on the 240-acre estate of Lord William Winslow in Chelmsford, England. Her mother, Minna, was the cook in the manor house while her father, Herbert, was the foreman in charge of all farming activities. Minna Heisner was from the town of Hependorf near Heidelberg, Germany, and came to England to live with relatives near Chelmsford in 1924 at the age of fifteen. Minna was an attractive blue-eyed blond girl with a buxom figure that caught the attention of many a young man. Minna quickly learned English, which she was soon able to speak without a German accent. She had a lively mind and a zest for learning, and educated herself through reading and by observing those around her.

She met Herbert Watson at a church social. He was several years older than Minna, but still a strapping young man. He was already employed by Lord William Winslow and could afford the time and money to court Minna. Herbert had quarters over the stable and had finished the place to a point where the touch of a woman could make it a home. Their marriage ceremony was a small affair, attended by local friends and family.

Lady Winslow especially liked Minna because, unbeknownst to most people, she too was from Germany. Lord William met Lisa Von Ludenburg, his wife-to be, while he was on a business trip to Heidelberg. He was taken not only by her presence, education and beauty, but also by her family lineage. Lisa’s mother was distantly related to the house of Hohenzollern by way of being a second cousin to Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert, first grandson to Queen Victoria; she was therefore related to the royal family of England.

Lady Winslow was pleased to have Minna as a member of the working staff because she could speak German with her. And she was delighted to have Minna take on the role of cook for the manor because her German cooking reminded her of her childhood. Minna’s presence in the house gave both of them a chance to practice their German, giving them a means of private communication that most others could not understand. They were friends inside the confines of the estate, but class differences prevented them from socializing beyond the walls of the manor.

Lady Winslow, while growing up in Germany, was educated in English as part of her specialized education. She was also schooled in accounting and mathematics. Lisa spoke English without an accent; few people knew she was from Germany.

Lord William inherited his title and lands from his father and grandfather. His grandfather fought Napoleon at Waterloo and his estate and other lands were given to him by the Crown in recognition of his service. William’s father also saw his share of war in the trenches, fighting the Germans in France in 1916.

Lord William’s father was an astute investor, acquiring farmland around Great Dunmow and White Notley. Eventually, he bequeathed the agricultural enterprises to his son, who hired Herbert Watson to manage them. Lord William had a total of twenty-two employees. Most of them lived in houses off the estate which he owned.

Lord William Winslow was a stately man, both in stature and in his activities in local government. His financial and social position afforded him time to work with members of parliament to improve agricultural yields in England. His high blood pressure prevented him from following the military path of his father and grandfather, but he undertook other programs and responsibilities that would later prove to be of strategic importance to England.

Chapter 2

Natural rubber came from trees in Southeast Asia, and due to its high value and high demand was subject to piracy and warfare on the high seas. Synthetic rubber had not yet been perfected for large-scale production, so most of the world was dependent on this area of the world for its rubber n eeds.

Nigel Laken, a friend of Lord William, ran a chemical laboratory in Harlow, Essex. With Laken, Lord William developed a method of making natural rubber from the sap of the milkweed plant. Even though most farmland was used for the production of precious food, Lord William had sixteen acres of land planted with milkweed by his foreman. Herbert was known locally as an excellent farmer. He developed a method of separating the milkweed seed from its wispy carrier so that the seeds could be planted using conventional seeding machinery.

At the time of the harvest, students from the local grade school were enlisted to remove the seedpods from the plants prior to the crushing process. The process of crushing the leaves and stems produced large volumes of white sap that was then converted into latex rubber. The quality was so fine that it was used for medical purposes, making other supplies of latex from Asia available for military and industrial use.

Based on the initial success of this process, Lord William converted his fields in Great Dunmow and White Notley into milkweed and continued to enlist the local students in the harvesting and preparation work. Seedpods not used for seeds were shipped to manufacturing facilities that produced life vests for the navy. The cotton-like gossamer material from the pods was stuffed into the tubular portions of the life vest for buoyancy.

Lord William and Herbert were impressed with the willingness and effectiveness of their student workforce, and soon found another important way to use their young laborers. Because the farm machinery could not get close to the stone walls or into square corners, the angles and edges of the fields were untilled. Hand cultivation by the students in these areas increased the farm’s yield by as much as ten percent. Lord William published papers and conducted lectures on the methods developed under his guidance, which greatly helped England not only in the production of food, but also in securing a second, local source for natural rubber. While he patented the process for making natural rubber, Lord William made the process available to all who wanted it as a means of aiding the war effort. He never requested any royalties from his patent.

Chapter 3

Lord William and his wife had two children, Gary and Mary Ann. Gary was two years older than his sister and shared his father’s interest in agriculture. He spent much of his youth working outdoors with Herbert and eventually went on to major in agriculture and accounting in college. His long-time wish was to see the giant expanses of wheat and corn in Iowa, where the fields are measured by the mile, not the acre. Gary resembled his father and had a ringing baritone voice that easily could have made him a career as a si nger.

Mary Ann was reserved in manner and fully aware of her role in life. She was expected to represent the family in social and community matters as a lady and as a member of the upper class in England. She was charming and pretty, and she knew it. She was one year older than Marie Annette, the daughter of Minna and Herbert Watson, but similar in appearance. Both of these young ladies were blond blue eyed beauties with matching figures that got noticed by the young men in their respective social circles. They were often taken as sisters. However, the relationship was clearly dominated by Mary Ann, who was older and of higher social rank. She played this card when she and Marie Annette were alone, making sure the latter knew her place. When they were younger, Marie Annette often got hand-me-down clothing from Mary Ann, who made sure their playmates knew it.

Even though Marie Annette knew her position in the social structure of both families, this did not limit her determination to become successful in her own right. She learned the proper setting of a table, how to plan large parties, cooking and sewing. She also learned to speak German like a native, both from her mother and from listening to conversations between her mother and lady Winslow. Knowing that a good education would be her ticket to success, she excelled in school. Marie Annette may have been born into a working class family, but she was determined to not stay there. She learned all that she could about the ways of the upper class. She often told those around her, I’m going to be somebody important someday.

Marie Annette had an older sister, Hanna, who was two years older than she was, and an older brother, Richard, who was the eldest child in the Watson family.

In general, the members of both families got along well, although Mary Ann continuously maintained an attitude of snobbery and self-importance, especially around Marie Annette.

Chapter 4

It was the first Sunday of the spring season and perhaps for this reason Father Roberts spoke of new beginnings in his sermon. His words caught the interest of Marie Annette, who usually paid little attention to church services. The reverend spoke of the grand design of life and how all God’s people must live life to its fullest. He pointed out to his parishioners that their lives should not follow a haphazard fashion, but be based on achievable goals. We should take our fellow man into consideration, but we need to have our own ambitions and dreams, he stated to his listening congregation. If you’re going to make a difference in this world, it starts with you. Think about what you want for yourself and your families, and take the first step to obtain it – starting t oday.

Marie Annette actually began to listen to Father Roberts. Perhaps today was the day that she should begin thinking of putting herself first, she thought. Usually, Marie daydreamed during Father Roberts’ sermons, but this day was different. The reverend had given her a new outlook on life. Under her breath she said to herself, I’m not going to waste my time or energy helping people that are not in a position to make my life better. I’ve got to concentrate on getting what I want, and that includes leaving this tiresome farm village behind me. She was determined not to stay in the lot into which she had been cast.

Marie Annette was now seventeen years old and on the cusp of developing into a lovely young woman. She soon learned how to use her charms to get what she wanted from those around her. She showered her friends and family with attention and smiles and pretty manners. In turn, they did her bidding cheerfully. She enjoyed her new feeling of power. Marie Annette would not allow herself to be bogged down in trivialities; she would get others to take care of the minutiae.

Marie Annette was fully aware of the situation on the continent of Europe and realized that America was probably a safer (and more enjoyable) place for her to be. Once she’d arrived at this conclusion, she moved like a shark through water to get what she wanted, using Mary Ann as part of her plan. Even though she really didn’t like Mary Ann very much, she knew she would get more of what she wanted by being a friend to Mary Ann.

Now the plan: How to get Mary Ann to think it was her idea of the newly developing friendship?

Mary Ann was a pushover. She responded to flattery of any kind, never considering whether or not it was sincere. She was especially sensitive to what others thought about her. When Marie Annette would return from school, church or a visit to town, she always told Mary Ann that she had talked with someone – anyone - and that they had mentioned how nice Mary Ann had looked in a particular dress or bonnet. In this way Marie Annette was able to tap into Mary Ann’s vanity without playing the role of the flatterer herself. Over time, the relationship between the two young women grew stronger and more intimate, the negatives of their past history together eventually put to rest.

The girls’ families became aware of the growing bond between their daughters, and generally approved. As for Marie Annette, her plan was working: she was becoming increasingly popular, but not at the expense of Mary Ann. She found that molding a person to her wishes was easier than she’d thought it would be. And it was actually fun.

The next year passed by quickly, as the situation deteriorated in Europe. Quietly, England was preparing for war; Churchill was already buying airplanes and other war materials from America and trying to convince President Roosevelt to commit to all-out support of England. Roosevelt was walking a tightrope between neutrality and full support of Churchill. In his heart he wanted to support England, but was facing strong movements in the United States to stay out of the war.

Mary Ann was now twenty and had already had her coming-out party. She was now considered an eligible society lady and suitors were plentiful. With her beautiful figure and alluring smile she was really a pretty addition to the society of Chelmsford.

At nineteen, Marie Annette bore a striking physical resemblance to her friend. By this time she had mastered the skills of her mother, done well in school and, by working beside her mother at dinners and parties learned all the fine points of how to behave as a member of the upper class. She overheard Mary Ann’s parents discussing their plans for their daughter should war come to England. Lord William’s sister owned an apartment house in New York City and it seemed prudent that, when the time came, Mary Ann should be sent to America to live with her.

Finally, before the end of the summer of 1939 the decision was made. It was decided that Mary Ann would leave for New York within a fortnight.

This was the opportunity that Marie Annette had been waiting for; she would appeal to her parents to accompany Mary Ann, and travel to America as her companion. Once there, she figured, she could reinvent herself and begin a new life using all the skills she had acquired during her time spent growing up at the manor.

Her mother’s first reaction was an emphatic no. The family needed her, and they couldn’t afford to pay her travel costs. But Marie pressed her mother until she agreed to talk to Lord William, and offered to travel as Mary Ann’s domestic attendant if that was what it took to get to America. At length, Minna decided that getting Marie out of harm’s way was a good idea, and that she would talk with Lord William.

When Aunt Helen first arrived in New York City in the spring of 1927, she rented an apartment in the building she now owns on 11th Avenue and west 51st street. With her money and help from Lord William she purchased the dry cleaning business. The location was excellent, people coming in on ships from the west side piers needed clothes cleaned and she also developed some excellent business contacts. One contact was with a dance troop and the other was with a modeling agency. After running the business for 12 years and after her marriage to Tom Ballinger, she purchased the whole building. With the advent of her marriage she hired more help and reduced her time in the cleaners to owner/manager with most of the day-to-day operations going to her supervisor, Dick Denton, who had been with her for several years.

In her late teens Helen had a falling out with her father, and as a result he would not have a coming out party for her and would not confer the title of Lady to her, which she was entitled to. These events became the impetus for her to leave England. She decided to go to America, where English titles made no difference. Lord William always loved Helen and he made sure she had the resources to be successful in New York.

She carried the title Aunt Helen proudly.

Chapter 5

One day when Lady Winslow was in town, Herbert was in the fields, and the girls were at a church social, Minna told Lord William of her idea that both girls should go to New York, knowing that his sister, now a widow, had enough room for both of the girls. The discussion between Minna and Lord William became heated at times and lasted for over an hour. Initially Lord William would not agree to the idea, but Minna persisted and he finally said he would let her know. Minna resolved to be patient and give him a chance to think about the situa tion.

Unknown to Minna, the next day he wired his sister Helen in New York and asked if it would be acceptable to have both the girls come there.

After the death of her husband, Helen‘s life felt empty. She would welcome some family and readily agreed to her brother’s proposition. She’d never had any children, so having young ladies in the house would give her an opportunity to experience a touch of motherhood.

After discussing the situation with Lady Winslow, Lord William told Minna that Marie Annette could join Mary Ann on the trip and that his sister had agreed to the arrangements. He told Minna that he would make all the travel Plans and that Marie Annette should go with Mary Ann to secure passports as soon as possible. Lord William would pay for both the passage and the passports.

Helen was looking forward to the visit; it would give her a chance to renew and relive her youth with the two girls. Even though Helen and her husband worked hard in the dry cleaning business, they enjoyed moments of free time on 11th Avenue. They often set up lawn chairs in front of the cleaners and watched the world go by. The area of Manhattan’s 11th Avenue and West End Avenue was the car dealer section of the city. Helen enjoyed seeing the new cars go by and especially enjoyed seeing who was in them. On separate occasions she would see Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh driving by in their new air-cooled Franklin cars. Because they were famous aviators, the Franklin car company of Syracuse, New York provided them with new cars as an advertisement for their air-cooled cars. The Franklin dealership was located on the upper section of West End Avenue.

Other times, fellow business people in the area would come and join them to talk about the economy and the possibility of war. The Great Depression was not really over, and businesses had to work hard just to stay solvent. Even in the great city of New York, people identified with their neighborhood and took the time to socialize and get to know each other.

The West Side piers were in walking distance from Helen’s home, and she and her husband often walked down to admire the great ships sailing past on the Hudson River. It was always an occasion when the two Queens came in because they were the largest ships in the world. Those were good times.

Chapter 6

Mari e Annette was beside herself with joy and excitement when she heard that Lord William had agreed to let her accompany his daughter to America. The parents of the girls were more reserved; for them, the future was uncertain and they would miss the girls. So many families saw their children leave for America, knowing that they might never see them again; these departures were more like a funeral rather than a great embarka tion.

Mary Ann, now twenty, was mature for her age and felt some motherly emotion toward Marie Annette who was just ready to turn nineteen. They had gone past the hand-me-down phase and could now actually share clothing if need be.

The Watsons gathered suitcases from friends and purchased a small piece of luggage for Marie’s personal items.

Lady Winslow purchased a matching set of leather luggage for Mary Ann and had brass plates attached with the initials M.A.W. engraved on them.

Plans were made to take the train to Glasgow two days before the embarkation. The Athenia was scheduled to leave Glasgow on September 1, 1939.

The Watsons said their goodbyes to Marie Annette in Chelmsford, as the train trip to Glasgow was too expensive for the entire family to go and see her off. Lord and Lady Winslow left with the girls and stayed in the Central Hotel in downtown Glasgow. The girls shared a room next to the Winslow’s, as they would once on board the ship in their tourist class stateroom. Normally, as the daughter of Lord Winslow, Mary Ann would be traveling first class, as but passage to America at this time was catch as catch can, they were lucky to get tourist class tickets.

Getting into Glasgow two days early gave them a chance to enjoy the city. At that time Glasgow was the most industrialized city in the world. Everything from ships to airplanes was being made there. During the afternoon of the first day, they visited friends of Lord Winslow living on Dale Street. This was a residential area for working class people, but Lord William knew Mr. John Carter, a chemist, through his work with Nigel Laken on his latex project. Lord William took them all out to dinner at a local pub across the street from a church near Dale Street. Carter and his wife, Lucy, were kind and friendly people. Carter was working as a chemist for a local factory that manufactured gas masks.

They group returned early from supper because Glasgow was operating under a curfew and blackout conditions. The top portion of the headlights on cars was painted black so that the light shined only down toward the street. Traffic lights were blacked out with just a cross in the middle showing the color. After saying goodbye to the Carters, Lord William and his entourage took a taxi back to their hotel. It was just getting dark.

When they arrived at the hotel, they retired to their rooms. Each knew the departure was close at hand. It might be a long time before they would see each other again.

The next afternoon, a taxi brought them to the dock where a tender would ferry them out to the Athenia, which was anchored in deeper waters. The Athenia had left Liverpool earlier that day and would be nearly full to capacity after taking on passengers at Glasgow. With the additional passengers that would board at Belfast, the Athenia would be completely booked. On board were diplomatic families, members of the press corps, and tourists, all pleased to be headed for Canada and the United States.

Having said their goodbyes, the young women boarded the tender and looked toward the ship that would transport them to a new life. Mary Ann’s parents would stay another night in Glasgow and take the train home the following day. The emptiness Lord and Lady Winslow felt was like that of so many others who had seen their children leave, each parent feeling the loss in their own way.

Getting onboard and settling into their room was exciting. There was a great deal of activity on the ship and it was all new to the young ladies. Waiting for them in their stateroom was a ship’s cable from Lord and Lady Winslow. It read:

"May God be with you. Our thoughts and prayers shall be with you every moment of your journey.

Love and best wishes, Father and Mother".

Once they got unpacked, they started to explore the ship. Their stateroom was forward of midship and two decks down from the main deck. Fortunately, they had a porthole window; sadly, the glass was painted black to assure blackout conditions at night. That alone was a message that they were sailing into hostile waters.

Marie Annette took the aft bunk and the two bottom drawers in the dresser. The closet was small, but they were able to hang the clothing items that they didn’t want creased. Space was tight, but similar rooms had four people assigned to them. The room was built with upper and lower bunks on both sides.

The Athenia was built in Scotland in 1923 and was a single smoke stack coal-fired ship. Roughly one-third the size of the Titanic, she was owned by the Anchor-Donaldson Line and was most commonly used for crossings between Great Britain and Canada. Her destination on this trip was Montreal.

The anchors were lifted, then one tug boat pushed her bow westward, and with a single blast of her horn she was underway on her own power. Seeing all this from the main deck was an exciting event for the young ladies from Chelmsford.

The next adventure was finding the dining room, as they were both hungry. When they walked into the dining room, the head steward greeted them with a pleasant hello and asked them for their room number. Instead of handing them a menu, the steward, John Walen, who was dressed in a white uniform with gold braid decorations and a gold nametag, gave them a seating schedule. It would be another hour before they could have supper. The girls decided to wait in the foyer of the dining room to get familiar with the procedures and to spend more time with John. He was a treat for the eyes and looked magnificent in his officer’s uniform. The girls took in their pleasant surroundings: the dining room was well-lit and especially cheerful with its Anchor-Donaldson logo’d drapes against the white walls, deep blue carpeting and the aroma of food. All the woodwork was varnished mahogany, which was highly polished as were the brass railings around the room and along the passageways. No question about it, part of the interesting scenery was Head Steward Walen. He was a fine-looking young man with a welcoming smile and when he had a quiet moment he would come and talk with the girls. The steward brought each of them a linen napkin in which was wrapped a fresh dinner roll. Simple bread never tasted so good! The young ladies sat across the foyer to the dining hall so they could continue to observe John. Marie was especially taken by him and told Mary Ann that he was the kind of man that could easily capture her heart. It was more than the roll; John’s smile made the outlook for the voyage a pleasant thought. When John had a break in the flow of guests, he came over and introduced himself and got both of their names. The truth is he already had their names on the passenger list, but he wanted an excuse to get to know the girls better.

Chapter 7

In quiet times Marie Annette had some serious thoughts about how she would fare in New York. After all, she was a cook’s daughter and didn’t have the social rank or privilege of family that Mary Ann had. She and Mary Ann had already agreed that they would both address Mary Ann’s aunt as Aunt Helen. Even so, Marie Annette knew she was not her aunt and wondered how she would be treated. What had Lord William told his sister about the girls? She reassured herself that all this would be manageable and it was nothing compared to the opportunity to be in New York City.

The first day out, Mary Ann quickly gained her sea legs and found the rocking of the ship somewhat comforting. Maybe the secret was that she was relaxed and happy to be underway or maybe all those years of horseback riding helped her become accustomed to the rhythm. On the other hand, Marie Annette seemed to fight the motion of the ship and developed a light case of seasickness.

After taking on a few more passengers at Belfast, the captain began the zigzag pattern while keeping the ship at full throttle. The ship leaned over every minute to accommodate the fairly sharp turns.

Captain Cook decided to take a more northerly course, beyond the normal shipping lanes. His strategy was designed to avoid submarines by being out of the expected path. Unknown to the captain or any of the passengers, they had been tracked by the German submarine U-30 since leaving Belfast. It was easy for the submarine to keep up with the Athenia because it would stay on a straight course while the ship zigzagged.

As the sun set on the night of September 3rd, Lt. Lemp positioned his U-boat so that he could view the Athenia in silhouette against the afterglow of the setting sun, a common maneuver in sea