Item 01: Eric Susman war diary, 1 January 1915-4 April 1916 - Page 129
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[Page 129]
Thursday 15 April 1915
General attention today was paid to the rifles. All ranks were ordered to clean them throughly and afterwards an inspection was held. And they needed it badly, very badly in fact. For the usual rust, combined with the dust and grit from this pigsty, has in a few days, caused many of the rifles to border on the verge of being unserviceable. Rather serious, a few days before they are going to be used in action!
I would not like to say for certain, but I think that this ship of ours has a chart on board. Anyhow I could not get a look at it and consequently I do not guarantee the correctness of the information I received on deck with regard to our position. But this afternoon Rhodos [Rhodes] Island was on our starboard, and the Island of Karpathos to port. So I take it that we are now getting up into the Aegean Sea. The land such as we have seen, is similar to certain parts of the Tasmanian coast. Rocky in parts, but green and fertile – trees are conspicuous by their absence. The country is hilly but pleasant, and for troops wearied of sand and desert, it is especially inviting – just the place to have a standing camp for a week or two.