In a remarkable tale of adventure and romance, a Glasgow botanist, Blodwen Lloyd, was nearly left behind in the Amazon during a 1951 expedition but was saved by the ship’s captain, James Binns. The incident unfolded on the Hilary liner, a passenger cargo vessel, which had set sail 1,000 miles up the Amazon River. A delay caused by a dockers’ strike allowed Lloyd to explore the vast tropical rainforest, but it also put her at risk of missing the ship’s departure.
As the ship prepared to leave, Captain Binns became alarmed at her absence and initiated a search to locate her. According to historian Elizabeth Allen, who presented the story at the Scottish Maritime History conference in Glasgow, “Blodwen’s natural charm successfully smoothed troubled waters, for romance blossomed and the widowed captain became her husband the very next year, on his retirement.”
Captain Binns, a decorated war hero, had previously been awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his leadership during World War II. He successfully led the crew of the Booth Line merchant ship Fort La Maune to safety after the vessel was sunk by a U-boat off Yemen in 1944. Following their marriage, the couple settled in Glasgow, where they lived together for a decade until Binns’ death in 1962.
Lloyd dedicated 36 years to teaching botany and bacteriology at the Royal Technical College in Glasgow, which is now known as the University of Strathclyde. After Binns passed away shortly after her retirement, Lloyd, then aged 63, chose to return to academia. She became a professor of botany at the University of Limbe in Malawi, where she worked for seven years. During her time there, she created a comprehensive dictionary of the country’s plant life and established a national herbarium, despite facing health challenges, including a heart attack in the jungle.
The couple’s unique story began when Lloyd responded to a newspaper advertisement promoting the Amazon trip, which she viewed as an exciting adventure. Allen noted, “The romance between James, an experienced master, and Blodwen, a talented botanist travelling ‘for fun’ when she saw the advert, was one which developed late in life but gave happiness to both.”
Lloyd’s journey aboard the Hilary, the largest ship in the Booth Line fleet, offered her a captivating view of the Amazon’s lush vegetation. Despite its beauty, the Amazon River presents significant navigation challenges due to fluctuating water levels and shifting channels created by silt and debris.
After retiring again at age 70, Lloyd continued her botanical work with the Scouler Herbarium Collection at the University of Strathclyde. She also authored a botanical dictionary in Welsh. Blodwen Lloyd Binns passed away in 1991 at the age of 89, leaving behind a legacy of dedication to botany and a love story that transcended the challenges of their time.
Lloyd and Binns’ journey reflects not only the personal triumphs of their lives but also the broader narrative of post-war optimism, as they transitioned from the struggles of conflict to a life enriched by discovery and love.
