Item 02: Fred Hamilton-Kenny letter diary, 5 December 1914-26 February 1915 - Page 15
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[Page 15]
quite close in all the way up – you could watch the white beach & the small houses & even the cattle – We only draw 12 feet – It's a good point to get to Rabaul quickly for then we get to our job of work – We had to take stations to-day for 'attack'. My crowd is 4 & myself – I have the SBA – the ship's steward – the writer – (In pg office) & the ship's corporal – We stand amidships & have our stretchers ready – The 4 act as pickers up of the wounded – 2 to each stretcher – All the stewards have to become fighters & it was funny this morng to see the chief steward hard at it with his arms full of shells taking them up to the port gun – They have canvas baskets with compartments & in each compartment is a shell – Each basket has 4 & all the stewards are detailed off to carry shells & ammunition to the guns – They have to do it at the double – We haven't got Lyddite – They say the drop of a Lyddite (?raids) shell was the cause of the Bulwark disaster –