Diary of George Booley, 5th Battalion, AIF, 1914 - Part 2 of 8

out of Europe now, by what we hear of them 
they wont make that much difference 
but you may depend Kaiser Bill is  
at the foot of it all. Tuesday 3^rd.Nov. We were 
again innoculated for fever this time on 
 the right arm, it has taken more effect 
 on me this time my arm is very stiff 
& I feel pretty seedy & feverish & to make 
matters worse it has been a bit rough 
& I am feeling very much like sea sickness 
We received news today by wireless of  
the winner of the Melbourne Cup, our 
fleet was increased today by two, the 
West Australians joined us, we are  
told that we have 6 gunboats with us 
now but I think it is a bit of gammon 
to give us a easier feeling, we are travelling 
about 220 miles a day, there is one 
boat keeping us back she is plugging  
for all she is worth to do 10 knots an hour. 
I am going to bed early tonight I feel a 
bit miserable, what with a head-ache from 
the  innoculation & a cold I have, I feel down 
in the dumps. Wednesday Nov. 4^th. I still feel 
the effects of the Innoculation & last night 
we ran into some rough weather the dishes 
on the tables were dancing about all night 
I have given up sleeping in the hammock 
it was not made for me it is too short 
for me & too narrow & I burst the end

out of it getting out, last night I would 
be first sliding to one side of the deck then 
back again, so needless to say I feel a  
bit off this morning, but this morning  
the sea is steady, a mail boat passed 
us on her way to Australia I dont know  
the name of her.  Nov 5^th. It is getting a bit 
warmer now the coverings were put 
up today & we were ordered to wear hats 
when on deck as it is easy to get sunstroke 
 in these parts, one of the chaps 
was operated on successfully for Appen- 
dicitis, one of the other transports came 
up close enough to signal by Semaphore, 
they said they have lost a  
lot of horses.  The Osterly passed this  
evening homeward bound, they may  
have some mail on for us, she has been  
lucky in seeing sights, she passed the  
Indian Contingent as she came out. 
Friday Nov 6^th.  A quiet day so I will fill up  
with the daily Routine 6.30 Reveille, 7.30 
Breakfast, 8.30 dress for parade, 9 oclock 
Fall in, 11 dismiss, 11.30 beer, 12 dinner 
1.45 Fall in, 3 dismiss & issue of Lime Juice 
5. tea lights out 9.15.  Saturday 7^th Nov. A  
half holiday & cricket match, about 
8 oclock there was a fire alarm & 

me being policeman I had to stay below 
& look after things, they turned out the lights 
& it was like the black hole of Calcutta. 
Sunday Nov 8^th. When we were on Church 
Parade we saw the Euripideas pull out 
of line & bury one poor unlucky chap 
who died of Pneumonia, they pull out  
& stop while they lower the body, they 
say there are a lot in hospital on the 
Euripideas.  Monday. Nov 9^th Tonight we 
had to screen all the port holes as we 
are in the neighbourhood of where the 
Emden made her last raid. Saturday 7^th 
The Minautor left us early this morning  
the Melbourne has gone up in front 
& the Sydney on the Port side, the Jap 
on the other.  Monday Nov 9^th. About 6.30 
this morning the Melbourne dropped 
back alongside us & was speaking us 
by Semaphore, the reason of it came  
out later on, our boat had picked up 
a wireless message in a strange code 
& she was letting the Melbourne know 
soon after this we saw the Sydney 
disappear in a dense cloud of smoke towards 
the South, there were all kinds of tales 
going around the boat as to the cause 
of it, in the meantime the Melbourne  
dropped back to the place the 

Sydney had left, there was a good deal 
of excitement on the boat & more so  
about 10.30 our boat got another wire- 
less this time from the Sydney saying  
she had sighted the Emden & was chasing 
her North that meant she was coming 
towards us & we were only 50 miles 
away, then we saw a good sight, the 
Melbourne at once turned off & went 
off full speed & the Jap crossed right 
in front of us she was cleared for action  
her flags were up & the water was fairly 
flying from her bows, she just seemed 
to fly through the water it was no time 
before they were both out of sight, we 
learned then how it was the Sydney 
started off, it appears soon after hearing  
the strange message that came from  
the Emden speaking to her Collier, they  
got a. S.O.S. signal (meaning in Nautical 
language Save our Souls) from Cocos Is. 
saying there was a strange boat entering  
the Bay. About 11 oclock we got a message 
from the Sydney saying she had settled 
the Emden & was after the Collier, you  
should have heard the yell when it 
was made known, when details came 
to hand later in the day we were told  
that a party had landed from the 

Sister Wells became 
George's wife met in 
Egypt. 
  
Harry Booley (his Brother) 
met up near Harry. 
  
Penkerton boys old family 
friends 
  
III 5 Bn. A Coy 
2 Inf Bde

Emden & had started to wreck the wireless 
station & cut the cables, but the operators 
there had been a bit sharp & buried 
some of the instruments, while they we 
breaking things up the Sydney came on 
the Sydney scene, & they could not get  
back on their boat again & while the Sydney 
was dealing with the Emden they got on 
a Schooner that was in the harbour & got 
away, the Emden lost 119 men & the Sydney  
lost 3 killed & 14 wounded, we drank 
the health of the Sydney chaps in Lemonade 
tonight & things were very good. 
Two more deaths on the boats today 
again one on the Euripideas & 1 on the 
Africa Tuesday Nov 10^th. Last night all  
lights were switched off at 7 o'clock it 
is as black as pitch down here. Tonight 
we are allowed lights again, they consider 
it pretty safe now the Emden is out of 
the way.  Wednesday 11^th Nov. We went down 
the lines on a tour of inspection it looked 
well to pass along the lines & see them 
all passing.  Thursday Nov 12^th. Early this  
morning we pulled to the outside of 
the lines & stopped alongside the 
Melbourne the Jap was about 1 mile 
away, we thought there must be something 
in the wind but all that happened 
was a boat put off the Melb

& came over to us then the officer went 
from our boat over to the Jap, the other 
boats looked grand passing us with 
the Sun just rising & shining on them, 
there have been a lot of beds put up in 
the hospital for the wounded off the  
Sydney & Emden, it appears the Emden 
was beached to save from sinking, she  
was on fire & a terrible wreck, but there 
were prisoners taken off.  Just after dinner 
a big boat appeared in front, the Jap 
at once went out to investigate but 
she turned out to be the Empress of Asia 
a big armed merchant boat sistershi 
belonging to the same line as the Empress  
of Ireland, & belonging to Canada, she 
was going out of Cocos to repair the  
cables, she sent us a wireless message 
saying "Good Luck Australians". Friday 
Nov 13^th. The New Zealand Transports all  
steamed past us today & went on ahead 
we are told they are going on ahead to 
Colombo to coal. Another big Cruiser came 
up with us this morning they come & 
go it is hard to say what they are & 
how many are with us, we have seen 
nothing of the Sydney since the day 
she had the go in with the Sydney  
we are told she is intact, or at least

has not sustained any serious damages. 
Today I was relieved from my M.P. job 
by until I get over the vaccination 
I wont be sorry if I dont get it back 
again it is too lazy a game for me. Sat 
Nov 14^th. Nothing fresh today only we are 
getting anxious to get to Colombo Ceylon & 
wondering if there is any chance of getting off 
for a run round. Sunday Nov 15^th. We  
have arrived at Colombo at last, the 
first sight we got of land it was not 
unlike the coast line of Victoria in the  
distance,  the first view you get of Colombo  
is very pretty & not unlike the inside  
of the Sydney harbour but the trees are 
palms instead of gums, there are some 
fine buildings. they are very different 
in build to anything you see in Aust  
but never the less they look well, of 
course all these views are very distant 
ones, as we are not landing & where we 
are anchored is two or three miles from 
the main part of the town, I was not  
able to see all the beauties of the place 
coming in as I was on guard & my post 
was down below on the troop deck, but 
I managed to get a screw through the 
port holes now & again.  There is no 
sheltered harbour here it is purely 
open sea they have built several 
nice big breakwaters for ships to 

anchor inside for shelter, I had a good  
look at the place through glasses, it 
is altogether a different place to what 
I imagined it, the strange part of  
it is the jungle grows right up to 
the edge of the town, it is just a dense 
mass of Palm trees it looks very nice 
I would like to go exploring in it for 
a while, another funny thing about  
here is the. color of the water for about 
3 miles from the coast it is almost 
yellow, I heard Professor Mudd lecture 
on Ceylon, one night at Underbool 
& he spoke of it, but I forget what 
he reckoned was the cause of it. About  
2 hours before we reached Colombo 
we came in sight of fleets of funny 
looking little boats no doubt fishing 
boats, they were only wide enough 
for the niggers to squat in & they had 
affairs one like outriggers, some of 
them had sails & some they paddled 
the boat is just a log of wood trim-  
med up a bit & the outriggers are for 
to balance it & keep from capsizing, 
 they tell me that when the sea 
is rough the niggers sit on the end 
of the outriggers, that is how they 
tell the amount of wind blowing

if it takes 1 man to balance it, it is 
a 1 man sea wind if 2 men a two men sea wind 
& so on, they were in fleets of 50 or 60 
we passed some hundreds of them 
altogether, they are pretty game to  
go to sea in such boats. They seemed 
a bit surprised to see such a big 
fleet of boats as ours. This morning early 
the Empress of Asia & the Sydney passed us 
on their way to Colombo, the Emden prisoners 
were put on board the Empress of Asia. 
It was about 2 P.M. when we arrived at 
Colombo, a signal gun was fired from our  
boat & all the others dropped anchor where 
they were in line, there are a big crowd 
of boats of all kinds here, Men-o-war of 
Japan, Russia, British & Australian. 
Monday Nov 16^th. A water barge came along 
side this morning we knocked a great bit 
of sport out of them, the chaps started 
throwing pennies to them & they would  
scramble after them, they would be  
doing something hauling on a rope & as 
soon as they heard a penny land on the  
barge they forgot the work & dropped the 
rope then their boss would rouse & they 
would all jaw, some of them would have 
 a wrestling match fore & after capering 
about for awhile lay down & make out