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[Page 17]
| 1917 | |
| Jan 4 | on deck and found poor old Dawn just poking through the dark clouds his welcome face. Cold morning. In fact, the whole of to-day was cold enough for the wearing of a top coat on deck. Did more souvenir work. Weather getting dull again. Had light rain in the evening. Had rehearsal in Smoke room for Saturday's final concert. Wrote letter home at night. |
| Jan 5 | Nothing special happened to-day. Weather still cool. Feeling in excellent health. Sleeping below again now as it is too cold on the deck at night. |
| Jan 6 | Did more work on souvenir. It is beginning to assume a business like shape and promises to be quite a success if the printing and arrangement is done well. Nothing out of the ordinary happened to-day. |
| Jan 7 | Our duty day again. On guard. Happened to be the neatest man on parade before the O.C. and was detailed by him for his orderly for that day as a "penalty" for my trouble and care with my toilet. Spent the day on the souvenir again and was very glad of the opportunity of so doing. Besides it meant being under the decks out of the cold all day and being able to have a smoke when I felt inclined without having to steal it, as it were. We have run into real winter at last. The sea in the last few hours is beginning to rise and shows signs of a heavy blow with thick weather. Latrine wireless abroad that we are to pick up our destroyer convoy to-night at dusk. Proved to be correct. Just at dusk, as we were all on deck looking ahead of us for a sight which might prove interesting as well as novel. There, sure enough, on the horizon, was a squadron of "wasps" signalling with their searchlight morse signalling apparatus, racing towards us so that they might take us in their protecting wings and safely escort us to a haven of safety, free from the menace of vicious Hun submarine attacks. Can feel the barometer falling every hour. About 9 pm we ran into a howling hurricane with wind at anything from 60 to 80 miles/per hour, I should think, and as cold as ice. Bore it with patience. Got hot tea at 10.30 and 12.45 pm for the Guard and then turned in in the Orderly Room and slept, brokenly, until morning. |
| Jan 8 | Cold and wet and blowing like the very devil. In fact, the weather is dreadful. There is not a warm spot on the ship except the stokehold. It proved too rough to dismiss the guard on the deck. Stood on the poop, on the lee side and watched the antics of men trying to walk along the frozen decks between the intervals of the ship's heaving and tossing. Many laughable events took place. No parades to-day as it is too rough. Packed our bags and were ordered to make all necessary preparations for disembarkation early on the morrow at ---. Much joy and jubilation at the thought |
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