Todd war diary, 3 August 1914-29 February 1916 / Arthur Todd - Page 329
Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 329]
[Dogger] Bank the Drake and the Levi shot away the mines that strewed the path. A cheerful job, and her people were glad enough to give their nerves a spell in the peace and quiet of the West Indies. All the same, any flagship is a nuisance and upset's one's routine. On detached service a ship makes her own routine and gets into a comfortable sort of groove that makes life tolerable; and the Sydney had either been employed in this way or as acting-flagship - in which case she annoyed other people - for several months. In the West Indies in general and Jamaica in particular- a spot which we had come to look on as our Headquarters - we always endeavoured to do what was necessary in the easiest fashion. We always went alongside a wharf to obviate boatwork and always coaled at night when the heat was less. But with the flagship in harbour all this was at an end and an era of frightfulness began. It was wrong, we were told, to go near a wharf as bombs might be placed aboard; and night coaling was disapproved of on account of the risk of accidents. Also all officers were to change into their hot blue rigs at sunset, and on no account to be ashore before 4 p.m. without helmets. This last meant taking a cap ashore, and at four precisely halting in the street, when an evolution of "off helmets and on caps" was gone through. One then carried one's helmet under the arm for the rest of the evening, or hired a nigger to carry it two paces astern.
The flagship had been up north when the Kronprinz Wilhelm made for cover, and the Levis told us that the Suffolk