Brewster 'A Glimpse of War through a Private's Eyes', a retrospective account of experiences in World War I, 1915-1917 / John James Brewster - Page 290
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[Page 290]
a dastardly, cowardly, manner by the heartless merciless, destructive, fight evading Huns, was observed in dry dock, and a close scrutiny of the graceful yacht-like lines of the underwater portion of the hull is sufficient to indicate to even a layman, that the steamer is a "flyer" in the front rank of the highest class.
When looking upon the huge dimensions presented by a close view of the whole of hull & deck fittings of a vessel of this size it almost appears to be a foul sin that such a vessel should be utterly destroyed and irretrievably sunk & lost while engaged in the merciful work of the care of the wounded, as the Britannic & others, or the conveyance of peaceful citizens from one port of the world to another without in the very least degree helping to improve the condition of affairs from a battle point of view.
The loss of the large Red Cross vessels in the Mediterranean & in the English Channel & the destruction of the "Lusitania" with the attendant loss of over 1000 innocent unoffending lives including a large percentage of women & children together with quite a few "neutrals" so horrifies all rational & reasonable people that acts like these can only be performed by hell fiends, double dyed degraded cowards never fit again to bear the honored name of men.
About half a mile away was lying a large three masted vessel also of huge tonnage purchased by the Cunard Company to replace the regretted "Lusitania" This vessel was a fine one but hardly up to the standard of the "Mauritania".
After short stops in various towns, the city of London was reached and as formerly mentioned the thought of disappointment & dissatisfaction kept arising that the entrance into London by Railway should so ineffectually indicate the size, the immensity & the dominating influence of this the largest City & head centre of Finance & Commerce in the whole world. However London soon commences to assert itself, as it were, on closer acquaintance.
London with every Street Road Lane