Todd war diary, 3 August 1914-29 February 1916 / Arthur Todd - Page 118
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[Page 118]
in the White Star liner were some Americans and other neutrals from on whom one could not enforce secrecy and thus it was that an event which was a close official secret in England was well known on the other side of the Atlantic and probably equally well known in Germany.
The loss of course has long since been admitted and this very valuable unit has been replaced by ships much more powerful. So the reader can quite imagine that the Sydney's dinner party was a success and the stream of war reminiscences flowed on far into the night.
Next day we coaled and the fleet broke up. The Admiral transferred himself to the Gloucester bound for England and the Sydney was shorn of her short lived greatness. An Admirals flag is always flying, night and day, and as Rear Admiral Stoddart left the Sydney his flag was slowly hauled down but as ours came down the Gloucester's was hoisted to the masthead and so the tradition of continuity maintained.
So the Gloucester and Liverpool left for the North with the Laurentic Celtic and Macedonia. The Glasgow turned South again to police the South American Coast and the Sydney made for St Lucia. The South Atlantic was clear and the ships had useful work to do elsewhere.
On looking back over the period of war one could not help admitting that the Australian Navy had done its share of work and perhaps a share out of proportion to the number of its ships.
The Pacific had been denuded of German stations with the help of the Japanese and French, and all the German colonies captured. The New Zealanders, convoyed by the Australia & Melbourne, had taken Samoa and there is no possible doubt that the fear of the Australia kept von Spee away from our coasts and drove him east to South America to be finally destroyed by Admiral Sturdee.