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[Page 157]
Ive no time for beggars not since Ive been in the army. The tubes and buses are Par excellence for getting about. One of the best ways to see london is from the top of a motor bus. I reported at Horseferry road, and was sent to Weymouth and lodged in Westham camp. Weymouth is a dreary place at this season and the camp was rough after Hospital. In the town is a statue of one of the Georges.
Chapter XV1 "Homeward bound"
In a few days I was sent to Devonport and went on board the B,I boat "Takada", Hospital ship, to sail on Christmas Day of all days. At 10 oclock on Christmas morning we set steam, and steamed out of Devonport and soon the coast of "Blighty" were slipping away, and mingling with the blue and white of the horizon. A year ago today we were approaching the coast at Plymouth, but many of those who were on board then are not going back nor will they, the poppies will be blood red, and the cornflowers blue, around the hills and gullies on the Somme and they are mingling with the dust under them. Ah! the fields are pretty around, Ville Sur Amere in Maytime. We had christmas dinner on board of Pork. About 2 hours after I had a sneaky feeling round my heart, and so remembering that pork wasnt good for one, I went to the side and threw it out into deep cold sea. We passed a lighthouse "Eddystone" I think. Pretty lonely sort of life I should say. On the 28th Dec, we sighted some of the Spanish coasts and for the ensueing 3 days, were in sight of the Spanish and Portugese coasts till we reached the Straits of Gibraltar. We passed the celebrated Rock at about 4 oclock in the morning. I was asleep at the time and missed the well known sight; but was amply rewarded by the sight of the Sierra Nevada mountains, the crests of which were covered in white snow, which showed brightly in the light.