Item 01: Eric Susman war diary, 1 January 1915-4 April 1916 - Page 30
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[Page 30]
Wednesday 6 January 1915
To-day was a fair "scorcher" and a spirit of listlessness pervaded the whole ship. Hardly a breath of air, and the night seemed hotter than the day. The muggy, tropical heat is taking all the energy and vigour out of the troops; it is also causing everyone to be snappy, irritable and bad-tempered. In a word everyone is getting on everybody else's nerves, as is want to happen when a great number of men are living under confinement and under the most trying conditions.
To-day I had a good conversation in French with a most remarkable linguist. He speaks eight languages, including Hebrew and Arabic. His French, as far as I can judge, is spoken with an excellent, cultured and refined Parisian accent. So you may be quite sure that I intend to see a good deal of this individual during my trip.
To-night, a mere sprinkling of rain has made this stifling night absolutely unbearable – "hell with the lid on" as one fellow said.