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 89
You are here
Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 89]
it soon leaked out that an enemy wireless plant had been discovered installed on the roof of one of the leading hotels & that as it was anticipated that advice would have been already sent advising the probable departure of the Convoy, arrangements were accordingly altered. The sailing was delayed & the course, we afterwards discovered was altered so as to pass the Island of Crete on the port hand instead of Starboard. The slowest vessel was despatched a day ahead of the others & while in what was considered as the danger zone, no less than seven small gun boats escorted the vessel spread out in fanlike fashion ahead.
After passing this zone a destroyer or Gunboat acted as escort for each vessel in the Convoy. Nothing of interest occurred excepting that in consequence of the very close packing of the troops on the vessel all drills etc were dispensed with as quite impossible. The rationing on this portion of the voyage was not nearly so generous as that from Australia to Egypt & this reducing difference was perceptible the more & more, the nearer we approached the firing line. On arrival at Malta we were again delayed & had to await new escorts & these again were changed as we neared the French coast. A "Frenchman" taking us into Marseilles.
A delay of another day saw us all disembarked & we marched to the accompaniment of the most enthusiastic cheers and demonstrations on the part of the people of Marseilles, to the Railway Station, where we entrained & were carried from one end of France to the other passing through most of the large towns on the main line (& through a corner of Paris), till we reached after three days & three nights journeying