Item 01: Fred Hamilton-Kenny letter diary, 29 August-19 October 1914 - Page 22
Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 22]
Sunday - Sept 13 - 14
Mail goes off 4pm to - day by the Melbourne - Flag ship sent that message round the fleet last eveg - The whole Australian Fleet is here & we look very fine & large - It's a little like comic opera our overwhelming force & these defenceless places - However its war & got to be done - Thank heaven its mainly bloodless - Poor Pockley will feel the loss of his boy - Mab & I shook hands with him at that Congress in Sydney – at the close of the ball in the Town Hall - I was up last night looking after a Chinaman – one of the crew of the captured Sumatra - His guard made me laugh - The guard was an immense man & the Chinaman very small & inoffensive looking – guard had loaded rifle – fixed bayonet & was in full marching order with contraptions hanging all over him - I had to consider the question of chloroform & an operation by a tallow candle - Eventually I sent guard & all over to one of the war ships with a note to the doctor - Its raining - No leave of course - Ribaul is occupied - We saw the troops going ashore a bloodless occupation -