East London, South Africa Passenger Lists 1911-1954

Passenger Lists available from the GG Archives from the Port of East London, South Africa. Organized by Date of Departure, Steamship Line, Steamship or Ocean Liner, Class of Passengers, Route, and the Ship's Captain.

East London is a city on the southeast coast of South Africa. The city lies on the Indian Ocean coast, largely between the Buffalo River and the Nahoon River, and hosts the country's only river port.

1911-07-15 RMS Walmer Castle Passenger List

Steamship Line: Union-Castle Line
Class of Passengers: First and Second Class
Date of Departure: 15 July 1911
Route: Southampton for Capetown via Madeira, Algoa Bay, East London, and Natal
Commander: Captain F. Whitehead, R.N.R.

Front Cover of a First and Second Class Passenger List from the RMS Armadale Castle of the Union-Castle Line, Departing 12 November 1920 from Southampton to Natal via Madeira, Cape Town, Algoa Bay and East London

1920-11-19 RMS Armadale Castle Passenger List

Steamship Line: Union-Castle Line
Class of Passengers: First and Second Class
Date of Departure: 12 November 1920
Route: Southampton to Natal via Madeira, Cape Town, Algoa Bay and East London
Commander: Captain J. W. Hague, R.N.R.

1927-11-04 R.M.M.V. Carnarvon Castle Passenger List

Steamship Line: Union-Castle Line
Class of Passengers: First and Second Class
Date of Departure: 4 November 1927
Route: Southampton for Capetown via Madeira, Algoa Bay, East London, and Natal
Commander: Captain W. F. Stanley

Front Cover of a First and Tourist Class Passenger List from the SS Kenilworth Castle of the Union-Castle Line, Departing 18 October 1935 from Natal to Southampton.

1935-10-18 SS Kenilworth Castle Passenger List

Steamship Line: Union-Castle Line
Class of Passengers: First and Tourist Class
Date of Departure: 18 October 1935
Route: Natal to Southampton via East London, Port Elizabeth, Capetown, and Madeira
Commander: Captain E. S. Vincent, R.D., R.N.R.

Front Cover, Union-Castle Line RMMV Stirling Castle Cabin and Tourist Third Cabin Passenger List - 13 July 1939.

1939-07-13 RMMV Stirling Castle Passenger List

Steamship Line: Union-Castle Line
Class of Passengers: Cabin and Tourist Third Cabin
Date of Departure: 13 July 1939
Route: Southampton to Durban via Madeira, Capetown, Port Elizabeth, and East London,
Commander: Captain H. R. Northwood

1949-04-21 Passenger List for the R.M.M.V. Capetown Castle

1949-04-21 R.M.M.V. Capetown Castle Passenger List

Steamship Line: Union-Castle Line
Class of Passengers: First and Cabin Class
Date of Departure: 21 April 1949
Route: Southampton for Capetown, Port Elizabeth, East London, and Durban via Madeira
Commander: Captain W. D. Roach

Front Cover, Union-Castle Line RMS Warwick Castle First Class and Tourist Passenger List - 15 December 1949.

1949-12-15 RMS Warwick Castle Passenger List

Steamship Line: Union-Castle Line
Class of Passengers: First Class and Tourist
Date of Departure: 15 December 1949
Route: Southampton to Durban via Madeira, Capetown, Port Elizabeth, and East London
Commander: Captain J. Trayner

1954-12-09 Passenger List for the R.M.M.V. Winchester Castle

1954-12-09 R.M.M.V. Winchester Castle Passenger List

Steamship Line: Union-Castle Line
Class of Passengers: First and Tourist Class
Date of Departure: 9 December 1954
Route: Southampton to Durban via Madeira, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, and East London
Commander: Captain G. W. B. Lloyd

⚠️ About Accuracy in Historical Records Research Tip

Context. The GG Archives presents passenger lists as faithfully as possible to the original documents. While OCR is generally accurate, portions of these collections—especially image captions and some transcriptions—are typed by hand and may include typographical or spelling variations. The original manifests themselves also contained clerical inconsistencies (names recorded phonetically, mid-voyage corrections, etc.).

What this means for your research:

Search variant spellings of names (e.g., “Schmidt/Schmitt/Smith,” “Giuseppe/Joseph”).
Cross-reference with immigration cards, passport applications, naturalization files, city directories, and newspapers.
Treat manifests as primary sources with historical quirks—use them alongside corroborating records.
For place names, consider historical borders and language variants (e.g., Danzig/Gdańsk, Trieste/Trst).

How to cite. When quoting a name from a manifest, consider adding [sic] for obvious misspellings and include a note such as “spelling as printed in original passenger list.”

Need help? If you spot a likely transcription error in captions, feel free to contact us with the page URL and a brief note—we love community input. 🙏

Curator’s Note

For over 25 years, I've been dedicated to a unique mission: tracking down, curating, preserving, scanning, and transcribing historical materials. These materials, carefully researched, organized, and enriched with context, live on here at the GG Archives. Each passenger list isn't just posted — it's a testament to our commitment to helping you see the people and stories behind the names.

It hasn't always been easy. In the early years, I wasn't sure the site would survive, and I often paid the hosting bills out of my own pocket. But I never built this site for the money — I built it because I love history and believe it's worth preserving. It's a labor of love that I've dedicated myself to, and I'm committed to keeping it going.

If you've found something here that helped your research, sparked a family story, or just made you smile, I'd love to hear about it. Your experiences and stories are the real reward for me. And if you'd like to help keep this labor of love going, there's a "Contribute to the Website" link tucked away on our About page.

📜 History is worth keeping. Thanks for visiting and keeping it alive with me.