Diary of Herbert Vincent Reynolds, 1914-1915 - Part 2

Addresses
Name	Residence
P Hodgetts	Brigade Section
	2nd Div Signal Co
	4th Inf Brigade
Miss Sargent	81 Park St
	Parkville Melbourne
	16 Narong Road
	Caulfield Melb
Mr S Davies	c/o D Howells
	3 Miller St Richmond
Mrs H Roynolds	Albert St
	Sebastopol
	Ballarat Vic
	35 Webster St Ballarat
Mr G Davidson	427 Armstrong St Ballarat
Miss Ida Thompson	"Briarholm"
	Wellington Road
	Smithwick Berm
	Birmingham
	Eng

 

H V Reynolds No 622

B Section

1^st Field Ambulance

1^st Inf Bgde

 

January 1915

1 FRIDAY New Years Day. We started

the New Year in mid ocean, except

sports which were held on deck

during the afternoon, the day

passed very quietly. The West

Australian troopship Ajana

joined the fleet at about 2 pm,

bringing the total number of boats

up to 18. We have no escort

that we know of. Our boat the

Berrima has the submarine AE2

in tow, she is on her way to

the Dardanelles.

2 SATURDAY The submarine broke

away, and had to travel under her

own power till the cable with which

she was being towed was repaired,

it was a steel cable about 1½ ins

in diameter, and about 600 feet long.

The submarine sometimes got round

at almost right angles to

the way she was travelling, and

the sharp nose of her getting

against the cable would wear 

away the strands untill it would

not carry the weight behind it, and

suddenly snap.
1915    January

3 SUNDAY 

2 AFER CHRISTMAS Church parade

was held as usual

The boat stoped to get the

submarine in tow again, after

travelling under her own

power during the night. For Church parade all the

troops on board are fell in on their respective

stations and then marched to the aft well

deck and ranged up on the hatches derricks

& any where there is sitting or standing room

military prayers & hymn books are then distributed,

in the way of music the ships piano is

run down into a suitable position & a couple of

violines belonging to a couple of the chaps are used.

4 MONDAY Things are pretty quiet on board

we have not much to do, there are 16 of us in our

mess & 12 of us pay two mess orderlies 1/6 per man

per week for washing up etc. I am just begining

to enjoy the trip, have got used to the motion

of the boat. The food is good and there is a

fair ammount of it, there is a good variety.

 

January 1915

5 TUESDAY The submarine broke

the cable again and had to

travel under her own power

for the rest of the day. Today

is pay day I drew 14/-. The

Ayres hires engines broke down

and she dropped back out of

sight.

6 WEDNESDAY We stopped to get

the submarine in tow again.

We passed the Cocos Islands

on our right but did not get

within sight of them. It was

here where the HMAS Sydney

gained her victory, over the Emden

on Nov 10th 14.

7 THURSDAY

8 FRIDAY Reported at sick parade

and instructed to stop in the

hospital for a couple of days, and

have my throat properly treated.

Encountered a heavy rainstorm during

the night.

 

January 1915

9 SATURDAY Had a quiet time,

spent the day reading. This

hospital is very comfortable it was

orriginally the 1st class smoke

room.

10 SUNDAY

1 AFTER EPIPHANY My throat was

almost right, and

I left the hospital, I had a

touch of tonsilitus, and a severe

cold. We crossed the line this

evening, but the ceremony will be

carried out tomorrow. An evening

of song was held tonight at 8 pm.

on the promenade deck.
1915 January

11 MONDAY The doctors on board

were buisy onoculating the

troops during the morning.

The ceremony of crossing of the line

was held during the afternoon.

King Neptune was well represented

by Mr Beresford the ships fourth

officer, his assistants were other

members of the crew and military

officers. All the officers on board

were put into the tank, every one

was sat down and plastered with

flour and water, then ducked 3 times

in the tank.

12 TUESDAY

January 1915

13 WEDNESDAY Arrived and dropped

anchor outside Colombo harbour

early this morning. Took up a

position in harbour at 8.30 am.

This is the first port of call since we

left Australia, and the sights are

all strange to us, the natives do

the coaling of the boats here, all the

loading of cargo etc, is done from

luggers. We were not allowed ashore,

from what we could see of the place from

our anchorage, it seemed to be a very

pretty place. the natives were allowed

on board with their goods.

14 THURSDAY The natives were very

interesting, and we spent most

of our time in watching them

over the side. We left the berth

in harbour and anchored outside.

The searchlights were

playing on us all the night.

Received letter from J, Raine, but

none from home.
1915 January

15 FRIDAY Parties of natives came

out to the boat on small

rafts for the purpose of

diving for money thrown into

the water, one or two of them

dived from the boats for a 1/-

The troops who went ashore, and did

not get back when the boat left

were brought on board by a steam

launch at 9 am and we weighed

anchor and steamed off at 10 am.

The three White Star liners did not

accompany us into the harbour but

went straight on to Aden

16 SATURDAY

January 1915

17 SUNDAY

2 AFTER EPIPHANY Church parade

as usual. We

could not understand why we

were travelling almost due north

for the last 36 hours.

18 MONDAY The doctors had a 

buisy day inoculating the

men for typhoid. We changed

our course today and travelled

almost due west, we have made

a course up the Indian coast

untill level with Madrass, before

changing our course, so as to be

well out of the mail steamers

route.
1915 January

19 TUESDAY We were paid today
20 WEDNESDAY

 

January 1915

21 THURSDAY The NCO^s, who went

ashore at Colombo were Court

Martialed and reduced to the

ranks. All the troops on board

were inspected by Mjr Baker

the CO of the boat at 2 30 pm.

We came in sight of two vessels

to the north; the submarine

went off to find out their nationality,

one turned out to be an, aussie

armed cruiser with Indian reinforcements

on board the other was a tramp boat.

both of which are making for Aden.
22 FRIDAY

23 SATURDAY Came in sight of

Aden at 9 am, the 3 White Star liners

were in the harbour, with the two

boats that passed us Thurs, the

Ayrshire arrived at 3-30 pm. When

we came to haul up the anchor it

was caught in the telegraph cable.

and in going astern to get it clear

the propellors fouled the hawser

towing the submarine. The fleet left

at 6 pm and the submarine followed

A boat was fitted with diving apparatus

but it was to rough to do anything.

24 SUNDAY

3 AFTER EPIPHANY At 8 am a tug

came along side

and towed us into the inner

harbour where a diver got to

work and got the propellors

clear at 3 pm and we steamed

off at 5 pm. The natives came

alongside in boats wanting to

sell their goods, trading was

stopped as much as possible by

the officers. The natives were sent

away from the boat as they were

interrupting the Church parade while

it was being held.

 

January 1915

25 MONDAY A number of the troops

took bad during the night

with poisoning. We encountered

a rather severe gale today.

While in the harbour yesterday a few

of the troops spent the day in fishing

fish being plentiful here, the boat

water where any of the chutes are

was simply alive with small fish

about 3 ins long.
26 TUESDAY

27 WEDNESDAY A medical and kit 

inspection was held today

28 THURSDAY We arrived at Suez at

6 pm. The rest of the fleet were at

anchor in the harbour, we found a

berth and lowered our anchor. We

were buisy barricading the deck

and bridge, in case we got attacked

going through the canal. The canal

is 99 mls long and the minimum

width is about 120 ft, vessels that

draw up to 29 ft of water, can

pass through the canal.

 

January 1915

29 FRIDAY We left at 11 am and

passed the British boat Ocean at

the enterance to the canal, and the

gunboats Minerva, and Himalaya,

in the canal. The New Zealand and

Indian troops were guarding the

canal and are strongly entrenched.

A French gunboat was at anchor in

the bitter lake when we reached it

and we dropped anchor for the

night. The troopship A21 came into

port at 9 am. Our boat was the last

of the fleet to enter the canal.

30 SATURDAY Got under way and

passed the French gunboat Requin

at 12-30 in the lake at Ismalia

where we anchored, an aeroplane

was out scouting over the Arabian

desert and made for the town

and descended. A party of the

3^rd Engineers came alongside on a

pontoon raft and gave us the news

of what was going on locally. The

name of the lake is Timsah.
1915 January

31 SEPTUAGESIME SUNDAY Two of the

monoplanes, rose and circled round

the lake. We weighed anchor and

got under way at 9-15 am, we met

a French mail boat and gunboat

Calabria and had to give way to

them at 11-30 am and started off

again at 3 pm, passed the camp

at Kantara at 5 pm, we had no

searchlight and had to pick our

way after dark, and arrived at

Port Said at 7 pm. We passed the

British cruiser Swiftshure at Kantara.

1 FEB MONDAY The submarine came

alongside and had stores put on

board her. We spent the day taking

in the sights in the harbour,

and left at 4.30 pm, for Alexandra.

Received letter from home.

Trading with the natives over the

side was discouraged. A hydroplane

landed a little way from where we are

anchored today.