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[Page 12]
turning in now so Good night. I have just written you a short letter which I intend to post on board. This one I am going to hang on to till I get to some port and can post it myself. It is still as rough as ever, this afternoon we could not stay on deck as there were too many seas breaking overboard. This morning we had our usual parade which really only amounts to keeping the men amused in healthy exercise, we give them a bit of physical exercise and keep them busy with games such as bull in the ring, tug-of-war etc. I generally have charge of a section as there is always some one sick and I take their place, of course we N.C.O.s join in with them as much as possible and have some real good fun sometimes. There is one good thing about the men on board, they are always themselves, that is they don't come out in the morning suffering from the effects of drinks etc., and I can tell you it makes a lot of difference in them.
Saturday 23rd
I have not written anything for a couple of days now but as things are of the same pretty well every day. We are still having rough weather and although it was not too bad yesterday this morning we started drill but it came up wet and we had to knock off. Today is our 10th day out and I think it will be a month before we strike a port so you will it is a bit monotonous but we have to make the most of it. Corp Hosier has been very unwell the last day or two, he has developed a bad back like you used to have – lumbago. By the way I suppose you will post my letters to Aunt Gretta's and get any one else you know to do the same as I think I will get them sooner through her. Ken is quite all right again now and is back on duty, he is going to get a Corporal's pay for the voyage and is lucky to get it as Corp Hosier and a number of others who got passes from Duntroon are only going as Act. Corp. without any pay. I am still doing a Corp's job myself and am going to keep on at it as long as I can as it is all good experience and I will have a good show if we get into a school the other side. I don't know whether I told you before we only get 1/- per day pay on the boat the rest is paid to me in England. We put in all our spare time playing cards or draughts. I have learnt to play Bridge but of course we don't play for money like most of them do.
Sunday afternoon – It has turned up a warm sunny day at last although there is still a good swell running. The deck is covered with men lying around enjoying a good sun bake. This morning we had the usual Sunday morning church parade at which all the troops on board assembled, it is held on deck and is conducted by two Chaplains. I do not know their names yet but I suppose I will find out later, the sermon was on "Strength" of man or something like that. I am writing here to the music of a piano which we have on deck, that is on the lower deck where we sleep and eat.
Monday, 25th
Still in bad weather, we had no parade this morning and this afternoon we drilled in a rain of salt spray. Soon after dinner the ship blew the alarm, which is six short whistles blasts. On the alarm being blown everyone has to grab a life-belt, put it on and fall in on their parade deck as quickly as possible while a number, about 12, go to each boat. This is practice in case we get torpedoed but I hope it will never come in earnest and I don't think it will as we are sure to have an escort through the danger zone. For a while this morning I had charge of 10 men working down in the hold packing away kit bags etc. The changing weather has given me a bit of a cold but nothing to speak of. Yesterday we came on a school of whales about 6 of them and we saw them spouting, one that came out of the water was very large. Tonight I have just had a few games of draughts which I was lucky enough to win, before that I was playing quoits with a couple of black boys, Harris and Archie, there are quite a number on board and very good sorts they seem to be, we have two in our reinforcements. We seem quite out of the world here, never getting any news of how the war is going or anything.
Tuesday night – about 3rd July
We have just had an alarm and everyone grabbed a lifebelt and rushed up on deck and in a few seconds everyone was in line on deck, boats crews at boats had silence everywhere, this is only practice but they might happen at any minute