| AdminHistory | Ezekiel Frederick Soudien was born on 31 August 1920 at Kimberley, South Africa. He was a seaman of Black African heritage. Known as 'Fred', in correspondence he is also referred to as 'E.F. Sochier', 'Fin' and 'Finny'.
He began working on whaling ships at 18. In 1946 he joined the Uniwhaling Company, travelling from Durban, South Africa to Norway, South America and Antarctica. He was on onboard a whaling ship in 1958 when his young son, Ashley, was killed by a lorry back in South Africa.
In 1965 he was issued his Seamen's Record Book in Poplar, registration number, R.817680, and membership of the National Union of Seamen, No.860659. It lists him as residing at Queen Victoria Seamen's Rest, 121-131 East India Dock Road, Poplar. He was still there in 1985. In 1965 his wife Amy Elizabeth Soudien was living at 92 Vink Street, Bellville South, Capetown, South Africa. He had a career in the Merchant Navy from at least 1964 to 1972. His official discharge was in 1973. Ports he sailed to and from included Hull, Liverpool, London and Tyne and Wear; abroad Antwerp, Belgium; Lisbon, Portugual; Le Havre, France; Rotterdam, Netherlands; and Vancouver, Canada.
He was involved in the Falklands War in 1982 as a Merchant Seaman onboard Fort Austin, part of the Royal Fleet Auxillary. During this conflict between Argentina and the United Kingdom he saw war ships and troops heading for the Falkland Islands, and experienced shelling. He remembered Fort Austin taking on survivors from the torpedoed ship, Sheffield, and hearing about other ships being sunk, including the Belgrano and Sir Galahad. He received his Falklands medal, but was disappointed that Merchant Seamen were not acknowledged in the Victory Parade.
An oral history of Fred Soudien was collected by Peter Gibson (then Head of Area of Docklands Tower Hamlets Adult Education Service) and Alex Hooper in 1985-1986, as part of a project to document the history of the Queen Victoria Seamen's Rest. In his interview he recounted his whaling experiences, his time in the Merchant Navy and Falklands War in 1982.
After interviewing Fred Soudien for the project he became a close friend of Peter Gibson and Alex Hooper. They helped him reconnect with his family in South Africa. They also raised the necessary funds for him to return there for his remaining years.
Fred's photographs indicate his interests included ballroom dancing. |
| CustodialHistory | These records were collected from Fred Soudien in 1980s during the oral history project, 'Oral Histories Queen Victoria Seamen's Rest'. This was a collaborative project by Peter Gibson at based at Tower Hamlets Adult Education Service and Alex Hooper in the 1980s. The project interviewed seafarers who were resident at the Queen Victoria's Seamen's Rest (QVSR) in Poplar. Peter Gibson donated them to Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives in 2018. |