Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 7]
Infantry Reinforcements which was the 13th reinforcements of the 21st Battalion. We went through the same camp routine in Broadmeadows for 8 weeks, expecting every day from the beginning to receive sailing orders. At last we received our final leave passes and went home to say "Good-bye" for the last time. We said "Good-bye" two or three times previously, but on this occasion it really was the last, for we sailed on the "Ayershire",(Troopship A33), on Monday the 3rd day of July.
This was the first long sea voyage I undertook in my life, so therefore, it was very interesting to me. The life on the Troopship, I might mention, was something in likeness to camp life as regards comfort, that is say having a tendency to be on the rough side. The ship accommodated 1,300 soldiers, and was not a very large ship either. We amused ourselves in playing games, such as cards, dominoes, boxing, wrestling, and having concerts on the deck of an evening. The officers organised a boxing and wrestling tournament to determine the champion of each on the boat. The tournament lasted four or five weeks, and provided good entertainments which the troops keenly appreciated. The sleeping accommodation was built very sparingly, and consequently very inconvenient, as the hammocks were hung very closely together, and when the ship would roll the men would be knocked about and jammed between one another, disturbing their night's rest. To relieve this inconvenience a little, some men would sleep on the mess tables and on the deck floors, but they had to depend on their good fortune as to whether the men above took a bout of sickness or not.
As regards the rations on board the vessel, I can say that we got enough to satisfy our hunger, but on account of it being served in the same "menu" day after day, we became tired of it and the result was that we had very small appetites after we had been a few weeks out on the water. The organisation for the distribution of meals was very good. Each group of 16 men would have a table on which to eat their meals, and each group would elect a mess orderly to attend the galley each meal time to draw the necessary food for his table. When the meal was over this man would wash up the dishes with the aid of volunteers from the table. It