Todd war diary, 3 August 1914-29 February 1916 / Arthur Todd - Page 331
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[Page 331]
lawns, tennis courts and a swimming bath. So as often as possible we put in a few days there to get away from the fug of the ship and have some exercise. The races in Kingston were always worth going to see. The quality of the horses was probably not good, and the riding was pretty crooked; but the antics of the coloured onlookers were most amusing. They jumped into the air, stamped on their hats, kicked each other and spat in one another's faces, and then fought till separated by the police. An unregistered pony meeting was tame by comparison.
Jamaica at this time was busy recruiting, and by band marches, flag-flapping and street prating the martial ardour of the people was aroused. In fact, except for the colour of the people one might have been in Martin Place, Sydney. The Jamaican is not particularly robust, and is the prey of all manner of tropical diseases. The broiling sun and moist climate do not make for stamina. One could not help wondering how those coloured men who marched so lightheartedly away would fare amid the rigours of a French winter.
The West Indian Islands were doing well financially as a result of the war. The fruit trade had fallen off owing to the cost of freight, but cane sugar was being shipped away to replace the beet sugar which was made in Germany, and logwood was being cultivated everywhere. This logwood is indigenous in the West Indies, and yields a dye which makes an excellent substitute for the aniline dyes of which the Germans