The Guardian's Wartime Travels
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Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Harry Liedtke, The Guardian's Wartime Travels, bahai-library.com.
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The wartime travels of Shoghi Effendi
Compled by Harry Liedtke

It   is   an    almost     forgotten         episode      in   Baha’i   history
that the Guardian left Haifa for England 9 months after the beginning of
World War II, returning half a year later from a 24,000 kilometer danger
fraught journey across the Mediterranean and through war torn France, a
month long voyage on a U-boat infested Atlantic Ocean and an expedition by
land across the full length of East Africa.

In Chapter 9 of “The Priceless Pearl,” Ruhiyyih Khanum vividly describes this
extraordinary odyssey and hints at some of the reasons for the Guardian’s
decision to leave the Holy Land. She writes: “Shoghi Effendi was the keenest
observer of political events and kept abreast of all happenings. His intelligence
and analytical faculties did not permit him to lull himself into any false
complacency, induced by the rather childish idea people sometimes have of
what "faith" means. He well knew that to have faith in God does not mean one
should not use one's mind, appraise dangers, anticipate moves, make the
right decisions during a crisis.”

For a student of history it is important to juxtapose the Guardian’s moves
against the political and strategic developments that were taking place at that
time. A time line of events which follows should be of help. From the time that
he became Guardian, right through to May 1937, Shoghi Effendi had
expressed the highest hopes for Germany’s Baha’i community. He had called it
“the standard bearers of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh in Europe” and repeatedly
referred to Germany as a “promising country.”

When in May 1937 the Baha’i Faith was outlawed in Germany, it must have
been a big blow to his high hopes and when in August of 1939 Germany made
an alliance with the Soviet Union, he suddenly saw not one, but two super
powers aligned against the Baha’i Faith. When this odious alliance continued
even after the outbreak of war, the Guardian clearly foresaw that the
combined resources of Germany and the Soviet Union could overwhelm the
rest of Europe, and with it the isolated British protectorate of Palestine. There
was the forlorn hope that the island fortress of Great Britain may be able to
resist the onslaught and remain a sanctuary.
But everything stayed strangely quiet on the western front after the Nazis and
the Soviets had gobbled up Poland, until in early April 1940 this so-called
‘phony war’ turned real and threatened the rest of Europe with the invasion of
Denmark and Norway, followed by the quick conquest of neutral Luxemburg,
the Low Countries and with the simultaneous, unstoppable blitzkrieg into
France. Only then must Shoghi Effendi have decided to leave the Holy Land to
protect a divinely decreed Guardianship.

It had been decided two months earlier that Ruhiyyih Khanum’s father Mr.
Sutherland Maxwell should in his weakened condition leave Montreal and
join his family by crossing the Atlantic in a neutral vessel. His New York
departure on the Italian liner SS “Rex” was on the day the Netherlands
surrendered and the Guardian and his wife were leaving Haifa. It became the
last North Atlantic crossing by a civilian ocean liner. Italy’s neutrality would
have made their return to Haifa across the Mediterranean still possible should
England refuse to issue an entry visa. As it turned out, it was Mr. Maxwell’s
daughter who won the consular approval for entering England, instead of
them eventually getting interned in Italy as enemy aliens. Mr. Maxwell’s
presence in turn proved to be providential when it was his friendship with
Canada’s High Commissioner in London which secured their sea passage to
South Africa. Here it should be noted that the Guardian had hoped that a
personal intervention by his old friend Lord Lamington would expedite a
British residency visa. However, Lord Lamington, 80 years old, was in failing
health. He died that same year on September 16 at his estate in Scotland.
A Timeline of World Events
vs. a Timeline of the Guardian’s Travels

March 11–13, 1938 Germany annexes Austria in the
‘Anschluss’.
September 29, 1938 Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and
France sign.. the Munich agreement which forces the
Czechoslovak Republic to cede the Sudetenland
including the key Czechoslovak military defense
positions to Germany.
March 14–15, 1939 Under German pressure the Slovaks
declare their independence and form a Slovak Republic.      Prior to 1940 the Guardian and
The Germans occupy the rump Czech lands in violation
of the Munich agreement, forming Protectorate of            Ruhiyyih Kamum stayed in Haifa
Bohemia and Moravia.
while Mr. Sutherland Maxwell
March 31, 1939 France and Great Britain guarantee the
integrity of the borders of the Polish state.               and Mrs. May Maxwell were
April 7–15, 1939 Fascist Italy invades and annexes
Albania.                                                    living in Montreal.
August 23, 1939 Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union
sign a nonaggression agreement and a secret codicil
dividing Eastern Europe into spheres of influence.
September 1, 1939 Germany invades Poland, initiating
World War II in Europe.
September 3, 1939 Honoring their guarantee of
Poland’s borders, Great
September 17, 1939 The Soviet Union invades Poland
from the east.
September 27–29, 1939 Warsaw surrenders on
September 27. The Polish government flees into exile
via Romania. Germany and the Soviet Union divide
Poland between them.
November 30, 1939–March 12, 1940 The Soviet Union
invades Finland, initiating the so-called Winter War. The
Finns sue for an armistice and have to cede the
northern shores of Lake Lagoda and the small Finnish
coastline on the Arctic Sea to the Soviet Union.
April 9, 1940–June 9, 1940 Germany invades Denmark            "DEPARTURE South America by wish of beloved
and Norway. Denmark surrenders on the day of the              Guardian!" May Maxwell heralded the news, and on
attack; Norway holds out until June 9.                        January 24th 1940 on board the SS Brazil she left New
May 10, 1940–June 22, 1940 Germany attacks western            York, with many a heart in East and West speeding
Europe—France and the neutral Low Countries.                  swiftly after her. "Although in body I am sailing away,
Luxembourg is occupied on May 10; the Netherlands             yet my deep love and spirit will be as close to you as it
surrenders on May 14; and Belgium surrenders on May           always is, and that is a nearness which can never be
28. On June 22, France signs an armistice agreement by        described in words."
which the Germans occupy the northern half of the             March 1, 1940 May Maxwell dies in Buenos Aires The
country and the entire Atlantic coastline. In southern        Guardian invites Sutherland Maxwell to live in Haifa
France, a collaborationist regime with its capital in Vichy   May 15, 1940 Guardian left Haifa on aquaplane for
is established.                                               Italy. On the same day Mr. Maxwell sailed from New
May 15 1940 German breakthroughs through                      York as the SS “Rex” took five days for the crossing to
Ardennes and at Sedan                                         Genoa.
May 26 - June 4, 1940 The Evacuation of Dunkirk               May 20, 1940 The SS “Rex” arrives in Genoa from New
June 10, 1940 Italy declares war against France and           York. Drive back to Rome to obtain British landing
England.                                                      permit.
June 14, 1940 The fall of Paris                               May 25, 1940 Entering France at Menton en route to
June 21, 1940 Italy invades southern France.                  Marseille.
July 13, 1940 Bombing starts of British coastal airfields.    June 2, 1940 Depart St. Malo arrive Southhampton next
Southampton not bombed until November.                        morning.
August 1, 1940 German directive to gain air superiority       July 28, 1940 Leaving England for South Africa aboard
intensifies bombing attacks on Channel traffic and            the SS ‘Capetown Castle’
England’s south coast.
The most precarious part of the journey would have been the sea voyage to
Italy. The route may have led 1,000 km from Haifa to Heraklion on Crete and
from there a further 800 km to Reggio. Since a hydrofoil of early vintage, - “A
small and smelly Italian aquaplane with water sloshing around under the
boards our feet rested on as if we were in an old row-boat” - had a speed of at
most 50 km per hour, their uncomfortable sea voyage must have taken some
36 hours.

The land route from Reggio to Rome would have been a further 700
kilometers, plus 500 kilometers from Rome to Genoa. It seems incredible that
in five days they travelled 1,800 kilometers by sea and 1,200 kilometers by
road in order to meet Sutherland Maxwell in Genoa, especially at a time when
Italy only had narrow, two-lane roads. Equally hairy must have been their
1,800 kilometer trip from Rome to the port city of St. Malo on the Channel
coast.

France was collapsing all around them and roads were jammed with millions
of refugees. Anything that had wheels was blocking traffic. Quite apart from
these dangers and the unimaginable stress connected with the trip, there were
four other incredible key events that in the end enabled them to return to
Haifa.

A look at the timeline shows that one of those frequent Atlantic spring storms
could have easily delayed the SS “Rex” and scuttled their plans to drive back
to Rome to obtain that all important passport stamp and still make it across
the French border before Italy declared war on France. This event closed that
exit for good. The same is true if it had taken the British consul any longer to
make up his mind and affix his magic stamp. With Italy at war against both
France and England, there would have been no more hydrofoil to return them
to British controlled Palestine. They would have been interned in Italy as
enemy aliens. As it turned out, they made it across the border to France with
just two weeks to spare.

The next challenge was to travel in under a week through utter chaos and
blocked roads 1,300 kilometers from Melton on the Riviera to St. Malo. Next, it
was almost too good to be true that on June 2, when the historic troop
evacuation of Dunkirk was in full swing and pressed into service every
available vessel regardless of size, a ship was there to take them overnight
across the English Channel just days ahead of Hitler’s army.
The final unreported hurdle that threatened their return to Haifa was a
directive to the Luftwaffe issued on August 1, 1940. It ordered the
establishment of air superiority along the British Channel coast in preparation
of ‘Operation Sea Lion,’ code name for the invasion of England. The SS
‘Capetown Castle’ left Southampton on July 28, just three days before German
bombing and strafing attacks put an end to all civilian shipping out of British
Channel ports. Risking U-Boat attacks, ‘Capetown Castle’ took them 7,900
nautical miles to Durban. As all flights to Khartoum were booked solid by the
military, the Guardian and his wife set out on their 9,000 kilometer safari
back to Haifa and left Mr. Maxwell in Durban where he waited for weeks to get
on a plane. After an arduous trek through the length of East Africa the
Guardian and his wife arrived at Khartoum. As they were resting late one
evening on the hotel terrace, a small group of air travelers arrived. Among
them was Sutherland Maxwell. The timing had been perfect.

The SS Rex, commissioned in 1931, was Italy’s premiere Luxury Liner. Her
trip with Sutherland Maxwell on board turned out to be her last Atlantic
crossing. SS Rex was kept moored near Trieste for the duration of the war. In
September 1944 the ocean liner was sunk by the Royal Air Force after she was
hit by 123 rockets.

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-- The Guardian's Wartime Travels (Used by permission of the curator)