Item 01: J. E. Morrison diary, 13 October 1917-29 October 1918 - Page 38
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[Page 38]
14 [Mar]
Whilst on watch this day sighted broken water & foam. Then a huge object just awash astern. We trained a 4.1 inch gun on same but could not fire as the Sloop of War was in the way. So we signalled & the H.M.S. Wallflower made for it & rammed it. It proved to be a whale.
Lovely trip. Calm not a ripple on the water so far. A bad day for us re submarines. Zig Zag day & night as the nights being as bright. It mean 10% loss off the total distance travelled yet a splendid way of fooling a submarine. Our Sloop of War is camilflaged yet from experience it does not prove to be of much value. We are steaming at 15 knots as these sloops are not capable of steaming faster.
Met some chaps off the Howard Smith's line Cycle & the Wiltshire just out from Australia. So we were pleased to hear of the latest local news. The Wiltshire having brought troops & nurses & escorted as far as Colombo by the Encounter & to Suez by 2 Japanese destroyers. When on the boat deck this day I had a long yarn with General Freeman who is going to Europe after doing service in India & Mesopotamia with his staff.
On the bridge this day on my watch I had 2 Australian naval signalmen. Quite a treat to have a yarn with same