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 33
You are here
Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 33]
run them up to town. As every coal barge finished discharging her Cargo she was loaded with men, as full as she could hold them, till only those who did not wish to go ashore were left on board.
Colombo is very similar to most Eastern cities, that portion inhabited by the lower classes being filthy, dirty, & dark with the foulest odours arising from many places, the wonder is that not only is their physique poor & weedy, but that they are able to keep in anything like reasonable good health at all. While the residential portion of the Well-to-do, is most charming & lovely. The gardens are very beautiful & for quite a long way a splendid esplanade runs along the water front similar to that at Manly Beach (Syd) with good roads & walks, forming altogether a most enchanting spot where a month could easily be spent in luxurious ease in times of peace.
During the second day some trouble arose whereby all the best Hotels in Colombo were closed to troops our men stated the New Zealanders from another troopship caused the difficulty.
Our vessel the Star of England moved out of harbour at 4 O'clock on Monday afternoon and anchored in the offing about a mile off shore to await the return of the stragglers, officers & men. A start was made at midnight.
Next morning we found the officer commanding the Military had returned in a furious state, first because all the men who wanted to, had gone ashore in spite of all their arrangements to prevent them & secondly for the trouble in one of the Hotels, for which he openly blamed the men of our vessel, without attempting to enquire if such a conclusion was correct.
A roll call was taken and not a single man was missing.
From this time till the voyage ended, there was nothing but continual