Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 71]
disembarked. Descharged our mails & found we could only obtain sufficient coal for 2 days at Taranto & took in 350 tons of coal & had orders to proceed to Port Said at 7 a.m. tomorrow. Most of our officers & engineers went ashore to see some of our troops & sisters away by train at 6 p.m. going to England via Rome & Cherbourg.
7.3.19
At 7 sharp this morning we departed from Taranto for Port Said with only 2 Military officers on board & they going to India. Fine weather prevailed. We passed Cephalonia Is. at midnight. The H.M.T. Burmudean a Canadian liner still at Taranto During the last 3 weeks at anchor, her owners having ordered the Captain not to proceed to see evidently difficulty between the owners & the British Government. Still idle & yet a heavy pressure for troopships to transport the soldiers from Salonika. This is the transport that were formally sunk at Alexandria, Egypt having been submerged for 5 months & cost the British Government £60,000 to raise her last year.
8.3.19
At 10 a.m. we passed the H.M.A.T. Canberra she being full of troops bound for Taranto, Italy. At 11 a.m. we were off C. Matapan & at 7 p.m. off Gavdo Is. Lt. south of Create Island. We are all wondering where our next port of call will be after Port Said. We all hope it will be Blighty or Australia. At 12 p.m. sighted the southern most & eastern part of Create.
9.3.19
The day fine & splendid weather the temperature going up as we are steaming south & at noon 300 miles from the nearest point of land in the middle of the Mediterean.