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[Page 28]
[The following paragraph crossed through.]
Copy of apology from Master S.S. "Patmos"
I wish to apologise in full for not dipping my colours to H.M. Ships "Hope" and "Warrego". The reason being that I have no crew on board, only the officers and myself, also one Boatswain and one Carpenter, and when ships passed I was not on deck.
(?) Hannersein
Captain S.S. "Patmos"
The Swan was despatch to the Sea of Azov where besides having a most interesting trip she was nearly frozen in.
Leaving Sevastopol December 11th in company with the French T.B.D. "Bisson" they proceeded first to Kertch and thence to Mariorople where nine days were spent in an exhaustive enquiry into the economical, commercial and political state of the country occupied by the Don Cossacks, who were at that period busy fighting the Bolsheviks. A party consisting of Commander Bond R.N. (Commanding Australian Flotilla), Lieut. John Boyd R.A.N.R. Paymaster, Sub-Lieut. Munro and five ratings, with the captain of the "Bisson" two of his officers and five French sailors took train for Novochissak some 150 miles from Mariorople. Here they were entertained most hospitably by the Atam or Governor of the province. N.B. Governor under the Czar. From Novochissak many places were visited such as Taganroc and Rostov etc., and conditions closely enquired into. One of the most interesting of these trips was when the whole party embarking in motor cars were driven to the headquarters of the Don army, and were entertained by General Jranoff, C. in C. of the Southern Army - as it was called - then opposed to the Bolsheviks.
Before leaving Novochissak the Governor, acting in his vice-regal capacity invested Commander Bond with the order of St. Vladimir with Crossed Swords. The Captain of the Bisson received a similar honour while the officers of both ships were decorated with the Order of St. Anne, 2nd class the chief benefit of which - one of the recipients informed me - was, that it entitled the holder to visit any girls school throughout the dominions of the Czar. Whether this privilege will hold good under Russia's present or future regime is hard to say. The men at the same time all received the medal of St. Anne, and so far no information is forthcoming whether the medal conveys the same privileges as the Order. By the time the party returned to their respective ships winter had set in in earnest and the surface of the water was already thinly coated with ice. Obviously no time was to be lost if they did not wish to spend the next few months at Mariorople, so at fifteen knots