Item 01: Eric Susman war diary, 1 January 1915-4 April 1916 - Page 42
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[Page 42]
Monday 18 January 1915
As I have remarked before, the best way of getting a soldier to do as he is told, is to appeal to his stomach. But this is not done. Again, to-day, a meal was served, and its fitness for human consumption was very doubtful indeed. At any rate, everyone "turned down" their food, and the officers and the chief steward were subjected, in not a mild or complimentary manner, to the scathing criticisms of the occupants of the troop decks.
As far as I can make out, the whole trouble is this. The chief steward, a pig of a man, most unpopular and deservedly so, wants to make his fortune and retire after this trip. The Commonwealth Government's allowance to the Shipping Company with which to feed the men, is, I am informed, 1/4 per day per man. A bigger allowance of course for officers' and sergeants' messes. Now, for the class of food we are getting, -/6 per day per man is probably an excessively high estimate. The chief steward could, if pressed, probably throw a little light on the matter. But how the other -/10 is spent, God alone knows – and, luckily for the chief steward – He won't tell us!