Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 5]
head. Then bang went the gun aft. We all said "Another poor beggar gone". Then another bang!! Hullo whats this. Then a broadside, which smashed every electric globe in the 'tween decks and lifted several hatch covers on top of each other with the vibration. Then bang!! Again, another broadside which sent a shower of rubbish and a great flash down amongst us. This put the wind up us. We rushed into two rooms partitioned off for our ships officers and laid flat on the deck, waiting (as we thought) for the end. For we thought we had struck something better than ourselves. A third broadside sent another flash down to us. At this a boot fell on one of the lads. He thought he was wounded and said "Oh, I am hit". He was hit, but he was glad when he found he had only been hit with a boot.
While the firing was going on there were 20 sentries and an officer on each side of the ladder, armed with mauses pistols, a bayonet and hand grenades, in case we tried to escape, so we stood a fine chance.
The firing continued until 4 p.m. and then silence. The Huns told us the other ship was sinking and all the people were in the boats or in the water. At 5.30 p.m. we were allowed to go on deck to our stores, I being one of the orderlies. I saw the ship with 5 holes in her stern above the water line. She had a gun mounted on the poop. We went below and told the rest of the men who mostly shaking from the shock. I know, I was. I never wish to go through another hour like it again.
We could see some of the crew on the deck near our hatch. They were all Japanese. They were put in the next 'tween deck to us. We removed several bolts from the steel bulk head and got full particulars from them.
That night when we went to draw out tea, we saw about eight bodies laying on No. 3 hatch covered by a Japanese flag.
That night at 7.30 p.m. the dead were buried as many as five bodies were lowered in one canvas. The German Commander and his officers