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Initially troops changed ships at Suez, so there were different ships on the routes England to Suez, and Suez to India, but subsequently (and by 1886) ships sailed a round trip from England to India, approximately three weeks in each direction.
Each season generally there were only two of the twelve or so voyages which called at Aden on the way out to India and three on the way back. The extra one coming from India was needed to effect the annual relief of the British infantry battalion in Aden.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20141117074608/http://www.peterpickering.com/aden/page282/page303/page336/page336.html Troopships] from "Aden in Days of Empire". peterpickering.com/aden, now archived</ref>
==HM Indian Troopships==
*[http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1858/08/13.htm "Transport of Troops to India"] by Frederick Engels from ''New York Daily Tribune'', 13 August, 1858 states that some troops were sent from England by the overland route from 1857. Marxists.org. This route became permanent some years later, see [[Trooping season#Historical books online|Historical books online, below]].
*Terrible conditions are described in a [http://www.old-merseytimes.co.uk/infantmortality.html Letter home from a soldier’s wife on a voyage to India] 1859 As a result, the Captain was murdered! [http://www.old-merseytimes.co.uk/EasternMonarch.html Eastern Monarch 1859] Fire broke out in English waters on this ship, whose passengers included 352 invalid soldiers from North West India. Old-merseytimes.co.uk.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150226054503/http://greenhowards.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Job-Waterhouse1.pdf *The Diary of Job Shepherd Waterhouse, 1864 – 1870] Pte. [[19th Regiment of Foot|19th Foot Regiment]] No.1691. There are descriptions of the voyage to India in 1865 and the return to England in 1870. greenhowards.org.uk, now an archived webpage.
*[http://www.garenewing.co.uk/angloafghanwar/resources/troopship_crocodile.php Troopship movements: The Crocodile 1878-1881] during the [[2nd Afghan War]]. garenewing.co.uk
*[http://www.lookandlearn.com/history-images/U187019/The-Indian-Relief-Trooping-Season-passing-through-the-Suez-Canal?img=3&search=delight&bool=phrase The Indian Relief Trooping Season, passing through the Suez Canal] Illustration for The Graphic, 12 September 1891.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140726104656/http://www.merchantnavyofficers.com/Troopships.html BI Troopships 1902 to 1922], [https://web.archive.org/web/20140811103629/http://www.merchantnavyofficers.com/Troopships2.html BI Troopships from 1923], now archived. merchantnavyofficers.com
*[http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Ships/HMTroopshipPlassy.html HM Troopship Plassy]. Sailed 1901 until scrapped in 1924, including the Indian Garrison rotation run. During the First World War she was converted for use as a hospital ship. roll-of-honour.com
*[http://www.simplonpckingsownmuseum.coplus.ukcom/PO_Liners2galleryship024.html#Dongola1905 htm HMT Dongola 1905-1926] simplonpc.co.ukUsed Used for seasonal trooping from 1906 between England, India and Hong Kong. King's Own Royal Regiment Museum. [http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/PO_Liners2.html#Dongola1905 Dongola 1905-1926] simplonpc.co.uk
*[http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Ships/HMHSGrantuallyCastle.html H.M.H.S. Grantually [sic<nowiki>]</nowiki> Castle] Prior to becoming a Hospital Ship during WW1, the Grantully Castle was used as a troopship, including a trip to India at the end of 1914, refer above.
*[http://www.photoship.co.uk/JAlbum%20Ships/Old%20Ships%20H/slides/Hecuba-04.jpg Image: HMT Hecuba] photoship.co.uk. Originally the "Brandenburg", built in 1901 for Norddeutscher Lloyd. The ship was awarded to Great Britain as war reparation in 1919 and had brief service as a troopship 1922-1924<ref> Ebay, seller three4five</ref>. There was a voyage from Southampton to Bombay, arriving 1 December 1924.<ref> [http://jramc.bmj.com/content/46/3/214.full.pdf "A Few Stations In India"] by Mrs. H. V. Bagshawe. ''Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps ''1926;46:3 214-223. </ref>
