[Page 36]
Tuesday 1 February 1916
Fairly rough when we woke; a very strong wind had been blowing in the early hours of the morning, & there was still quite a fresh breeze. During the day the sea moderated & the sun came out again.
I was Orderly Officer next for-duty, but as we were running company sports, I did not worry about the duties, spending the time with the company. There were running, relay, 3-legged, carry-your-chum, potato, egg & spoon races, etc, besides team events such as rifle-exercises, medicine ball, tug-of-war etc. from the Comforts Fund a sum of £12 was devoted to prizes which were arranged so as to amount to 5/- for 1st & 2/6 for 2nd prize. We kept going during the day but even so were not able to get thro' all the events.
At night the passengers & officers gave a concert on a specially erected stage. There were the usual songs & recitations, the comic song proving to be the popular item to judge from the applause. In addition there were one or two small amateur theatr4icals which were very well received. It was quite a picture to see the men crowded everywhere doing their best to watch the performance, & one wished for a flashlight view of the scene.
Ship's run to noon was 332 mls. We crossed the line during the afternoon.