Item 01: Fred Hamilton-Kenny letter diary, 29 August-19 October 1914 - Page 183
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[Page 183]
Thursday Nov 5 – 14 We are still coaling - The collier we are alongside has a suspicious history - She is the Cairnhill – the same steamer that, some months back broke her shaft & drifted – up New Ireland way - Eventually she was picked up & towed to Townsville - One of the destroyers or battle ships picked her up outside Suva & went aboard & examined her papers & found that her cargo – 6000 tons of coal – was consigned – ostensibly – to a German firm in San Francisco - She was ordered into Suva with the result that all her coal is commandeered & the fleet benefits - That's the yarn anyway - Buz has it that the German cruisers wd have intercepted her & taken the coal & that that was her real job of work - In the aftn of yesterday I witnessed a cricket match between the Grantala & the Fijian constabulary - The latter were by far the better team - They outplayed the Grantala in every department of the game - The Fijians were fine specimens of Natives – bare legged & bare footed but when batting they put on pads & used gloves for wicket keeping & played an A1 game - Their bit hitting roused great enthusiasm - No wicket for over 100 -