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[Transcriber's notes:
Diary written by Keith Harris (born on 7th May 1902) and commencing on 27 July 1917 when he left Sydney on the S.S. Matunga as a Deck Hand. He was 15 years old The Matunga was captured by the German ship the "Wolf" near Rabaul. The crew and passengers of the Matunga were taken on board and eventually landed at Kiel, Germany, some six months later, and interned at a POW camp at Gustrow, Germany. Keith Harris remained there until he was repatriated to England in December 1918. He sent a cable stating "London Well – Love Xmas Greetings" to Mrs Harris, Northcliffe Street, Milsons Point, Sydney. The diary concludes when he arrived in London on 20th December 1918.]
I left Sydney on the 27th July 1917, in the S.S. Matunga, bound for Newcastle, Brisbane, Rabaul and Islands. She was a ship of 1800 registered tonnage.
We arrived at Newcastle on the 28th July at 6.30 a.m. and took 900 tons of coal for Rabaul. We sailed at 10 p.m. the same night for Brisbane.
We had good weather and arrived at Brisbane on the 30th July, at about 5.30 p.m. and sailed at 11 p.m. that night for Rabaul.
Nothing of importance happened until the 6th August and twelve hours steaming from Rabaul. It was a fine warm morning on the 6th at about 6 a.m. when we sighted the mast tops of a strange ship on our port quarter steering the same direction as us. She came well in sight on the horizon and then slowed up, then she altered her course and steered across our bows. Then she turned about and headed straight for us. She came to within a distance of about 300 yards, turned broadside, and fired a shot across our bow, at the same time hoisting the German ensign and ordered us to stop. This we did, and the Captain gave orders to lower the life boats. We provisioned the boats and swung them out ready to lower, but the Germans sent orders over to us and told us to haul them in again. We then saw a motor launch leaving the Raider and making for us. Then we also saw a seaplane directly above us.
The motor boat came alongside us and a Prize Crew came on board. The first words the German Officer said were "Good morning, you are late". So we were. We were about half a day late. We afterwards discovered that the Huns knew our every movement from the time we left Sydney.
Well all hands were mustered and ordered to hand over all arms, and then informed us that we were Prisoners of War, and we were to take orders from them. Our Captain, Ships Officer and Soldiers were taken off to the German Raider "Wolf" but we were left on board to work the ship.