Todd war diary, 3 August 1914-29 February 1916 / Arthur Todd - Page 282
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[Page 282]
policy of stripping our outer empire bare of defences had been ruthlessly carried on, and the result here was that on the outbreak of war the unfortunate inhabitants had to depend for safety solely on such protection as our exiguous cruiser fleets afforded. In the early days of the war most of our ships were concentrated at home, and in the Atlantic at any rate such raiders as the Germans possessed had a pretty free run.
One needs to travel to realise the extent of our possessions. Wherever we went we were rarely out of hail of a British port, coaling stations abounded, and for nearly two years the ship was never altogether out of fresh provisions. One can quite sympathise with foreigners who look with envious eyes upon our colonies, and with our German enemies who, hunted and harried all over the ocean, had nowhere to turn for relief. At St. Lucia the forts were being repaired, and guns, obtained from our French Allies at Martinique, were being hastily mounted. But while the Sydney was there for the first time she turned herself into a floating fort and lay in the fairway with her guns turned towards the harbour mouth, what time our steam boat patrolled the entrance. After a few days' spell, during which the hospitable white folk of Port Castries extended us every courtesy and all the entertainment possible, we departed again for San Juan, where once more it was reported that the Farn was making ready for sea. From January 21st to January 27th we did our steady six knots up and down outside San Juan, seeing the buildings of the town and the people in the streets, but never once going inside.