Fifth Fleet Forums

I also arrived in Australia on the Hersey on 2 Nov 50 with my parents and brother. The details on the forum are correct.
We were in the refugee camp in Bagnoli near Naples and we assumed that we would leave from there but we were put on a train to Germany and waited there for a few days for people to arrive from other camps in Europe. The ship actually left from Delmenhorst as IRO  AUS/154.
It may be of interest to other members that a full list of "Passengers" and their details are available from the the Australian Gov archives. It makes very interesting reading.
The Junior Aust Minister in Bagnoli who welcomed us to Australia was Billy Snedden who later became a senior  Liberal Minister in the Aust Government.
I met Billy many years later at a football game , he was the president of the Melbourne Club. Billy passed away some years ago.
We were Italian citizens but became Yugoslavs by decree when our parts of Italy were given to Yugoslavia.
Everyone on the Hersey had to work and as a 14 year old my job was to cut the square bread loaves on the electric slicer 3 times a day. When we arrived in Fremantle the Purser told me that I had done a good job and put a coin in my hand, it was a Florin,unknown to me at the time, but the same as 2 shillings  or 20 cents now. I bought a block of choccolte with the money at the Northam camp canteen.
Four years later I was back at the Northam camp as an Australian citizen and a National Serviceman in the Army.
Details on the  passenger list reveal that 14 people were of the Jewish faith but declared themselves as something else. There were 10 other religions listed as well. Good luck to all wherever you may be.