Notebook 1 of Vivian Agincourt Spence Little, 1914- Part 3

standing some 50 feet? distance away was also

struck by a fragment of shell and badly

wounded. Some slight damage was

done to the guns lighter fittings.

But the effects of this destructive shell

were also felt in the cause of another danger.

Near the 'midship gangway, many

cordite charges for the guns, had been

gathered together in preparation for the

order to fire for the star-side guns to 

fire.The flash from the shell burst

cause these charges to ignite. A great
blaze shot up 25 to 30 ft in the air,
and the heat was intense.Several

of the gun's crews were ordered to jettison (throw

overboard) the blazing cordite, the and in

jettisoning the blazing cordite several

doing so, received severe burns to

arms, face and chest. And the wounded

gun layer P.O.Lynch was burned about

the body as he lay in the deck in his helpless

plight.

One of the most interesting hits made by

a shell was where a shell pierced the

engineroom skylights, penetrated the
thin iron partition walls of the

starboard passage, thence through

similar plating into the Commander's

Cabin.There the shell smashed the

washhand basin stand, gouged out a 

deep furrow in the cabin deck, then, 

turning sideways, it passed through the

Knee-hole space of his des writing desk,

and finally smashed through the ¾ in

steel of the ship's side, making an

opening about 15 in long, and at last,

fell into the sea without bursting.

The holed plates were cut out when the

ship was repaired in Gibraltar, and

were kept in the Captain's Cabin for as

interesting exhibits to visiting friends.

The port side armour plate was

struck early in the fight by a shell

which burst outside the ship, leaving

a dent in the steel plate at its point

of impact.That spot happened to 

be filled by a rivet. This rivet was

driven through the st its place in the steel

plate by the impact, and ∧ was forced out

with sufficient impetus to cross the

bunker coal bunker and mark the

steel on the other side of the bunker.

The mainmast was grazed slightly

about 30ft above the deck.

Another interesting bit was where

the thin armour plate beneath

the boat deck was pierced on the

port side.This shell merely put 

its nose through, as though to look

in, and then retired into the sea.

It so happened that a stoker was

standing at the door of his mess, when 

the shell hit the side with a resounding

crash.Taking in the situation at a

glance, he did not hesitate to make 

himself scarce. But by the time

he had heard the crash, the danger

was over. For shells which hit 

one are those that are neither seen

un heard by the one hit. The piece

of shell plate penetrated was cut out

and mounted in a frame by the

carpenter and is among those now

on view for the interest of visitors.

Each gun is protected around

its breach by a heavy steel shield.

One of these was grazed by a shell and

slightly dented.

Another shell, late in the action,

fell upon the fo'cstle deck, port side.

It burst on contact, and blew a hole

large enough for a man to stand in

and have plenty of room around him

A photo of a carpenter in such a

position was taken. Just beneath

is the Boy's Mess Deck. The

steel deck beneath the planking

was neatly rolled back by the

force of the explosion for two or 

three feet. And in the Boys Mess

was a mess of another kind.

Tables were riddled by fragments

of shell, even the steel deck

below was penetrated by several

fragments. And as the steel

fragments were projected in all

directions by the force of the explosion

many of them penetrated the Boy's

clothes bags, so that when they took

out their jerseys,tunics and trousers

Capt. Muller of Emden

and several officers and

about 140 of his men were

taken on to Colombo

and handed over to the

Defence authorities. The

sick wounded, our own and German,

were landed in hospital

where I visited them.

Other Germans were taken on 

board the A.I.F. transports

as prisoners.

"Sydney" was ordered on

ahead, to Gibraltar for 

repairs.

they resembled wire netting for the 

multitude of holes. Kettles,saucepans,

teapots etc were also riddled in

abundance. And moreover, as the

sea was constantly breaking over 

the bows, many tons of water poured

down this hole, flooding the Boys

Mess and the Stokers mess adjoining.