Item 01: R. T. Vowles diary, 22 August 1915-23 February 1916 - Page 94
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[Page 94]
any relief & the whole ship was just worked up to that pitch when it is better by far, to avoid trouble to try & pacify the men rather than provoke them until they take the law into their own hands, as at present seemed imminent.
My own sympathy was with the men to a great extent although they did not go about things as they should have done. They had acted up to it last night & all had turned up so that to be turned down when they had come all this way under most trying conditions was most dissappointing, consequently they were hardly to blame. The whole cause of the trouble had been the food on board. & the number of restrictions placed on the little liberty they had. Certainly the time had been anything but pleasant, As they all say – there is plenty of money to be found in Australia for races & for other purposes, but when it came to the soldiers it meant bare, specific rations all round, that had been sold to us, & they were not to object