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[Page 5]
some practice - We all did a bit but no one was much good - I got a Centre Bull by a bit of luck - Rawdon will tell you what a CB is -
At 10 am we were off Sandy or Fraser Island so we're moving along - The old tub cant do more than 8 knots an hour - Everyone on the boat is cheerful & jolly & well & we are glad to be going North. The idea is we shall join the Fleet - Patey is the Admiral of the Fleet - we hear that the Hospital ship Grantala went N ahead of us with some Doctors & Nurses fully equipped - I'm alone but I know I can do a bit if wanted - One or two men have been sick bay attendants in the Navy - This is the last day of August - What a change from that of July - We've had no news by wireless since Friday eveg = we hope to get news this way - we're not allowed to send messages but may receive them - By the way on the Submarines is a nephew of Besant & also a nephew of Rider Haggard so we're quite a literary crowd -
AE1 & AE2 are the only Australian Submarines & only landed here via Thursday Island last May - Herbert – L - E - was educated in part at Armidale is a B.Sc. BE of Sydney - I'm - so far as this ship is concerned - the only pure Englishman - All the rest were born out of England - Herbert & I represent - New England -
Tuesday Sept 1 - 14 -
We are off Rockhampton - The sea is smooth & indigo blue - we are in the tropics & the weather is distinctly warmer - Last night we had a reminder that we are at war - We were playing whisky poker before dinner when the Captain came along & said - We've got to put all lights out in the ship - He'd been signalled to by the gunboat - Out went our glims navigation lights & all - we put dead lights in to our port holes & only used just bare necessary light - A steamer passed on the