Iles war diary, 1914-1919 / G. H. Iles - Page 14
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[Page 14]
and inspected the efficiency of the ship generally, various evolutions and exercises were executed during the day, and the men were in a very high state of tension, as we had been laying here at anchor for a few days, and one and all were extremely anxious to get moving to see what our next move would be; - persistent rumours were circulated, from whence they came no one knew, but later on in the day wireless orders from the Admiral instructed our Captain to release the collier 'Alconder' with orders to her to proceed direct to Newcastle N.S,W. and there to report herself – eventually at 4 PM the collier began to move, and at 4.45 PM we weighed anchor and followed in the wake of collier.
The men posessed a very ecstatic feeling because we heard that we were on an expedition, and very soon after leaving the Lagoon, we passed the collier, and all hands were ordered to General Quarters, to prepare the ship for any eventuality, our speed being 18 knots per hour