Todd war diary, 3 August 1914-29 February 1916 / Arthur Todd - Page 54
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[Page 54]
was on the water and least of all that Australia, a country which was supposed to be ready to cut the painter, should have made so great an effort so early in the war.
They kept saying "If only we could have got amongst them with our torpedoes", but fortunately the secret was well kept.
The Ibuki came in still smoking as of yore, and dropped anchor beside her enemy the
askold, a fine funnelled Russian cruiser known to the sailors as the "Packet of fags". The Askold and the Emden were supposed to have sunk each other in the beginning of the war. In the Harbour the british, Japanese, French, Russian, and Australian navies were all represented and the Germans were already beginning to see the strength of their countries power.
As soon as the ship was moored, the work began of landing the wounded who still remained on board. The writer went ashore to superintend the landing and was immediately surrounded by crowds of dear old inquisitive ladies who wanted to know all about it and even a more accomplished liar would have found it difficult to satisfy their thirst for information. For in those days hero worship was a cult and a real live naval action something new.
The wounded were brought ashore in lighters with awnings spread and were quickly wafted to despatch in motor cars and the tired and worn out officers and ships Company adjourned to their chosen business, where they traded lies for beer.
Colombo Harbour is not large and there wasn't room for all the ships inside the breakwater. The Australians lay outside whilst the more fortunate New Zealanders came right in. The result was, that owing to the difficulties of boat work, the Australians were unable to land and the profanity on the troopsships was horrible. One could quite sympathise with the feelings of the troops who had been cooped up for weeks and looked for the first time upon the coast.
Still the landing of thirty thousand would have been a tax even in Colombo