VOYAGE TO EGYPT
To assist me in recruiting, I decided to take with me Claude Rolo,
Captain Trumpledor, and Corporal Groushkousky, D. C. M. At 2 P. M. on
the 25th July we steamed away from Cape Helles in a little trawler and
without adventure arrived at Lemnos at about 7 P. M. We immediately went
on board the Staff Ship the _Aragon_ in order to get a warrant for our
passages to Alexandria.
I must say that I was astonished to find such a splendid Royal Mail Line
Steamer as the _Aragon_ anchored idly in Mudros harbour, merely to
provide quarters for the Lines of Communication Staff. She must have
been costing thousands of pounds per week and might have been doing much
more useful work on the high seas, where there was a shortage of ships
of all kinds.
I have no doubt there were many good men aboard who would prefer to have
roughed it on the island in tents, as did the members of Sir Ian
Hamilton's Headquarters Staff at Imbros, and there was no reason, so far
as I know, why they should not have camped on Lemnos.
It was twenty-four hours before we could take ship for Alexandria, so,
during the interval, I went to call on a naval officer who held an
important Staff appointment, and who happened to be at the moment in
Mudros harbour.
I found the same old difficulty of getting about in the harbour from one
ship to another, and it was only due to the courtesy of the Captain
commanding the _Aragon_, who kindly placed his boat, cox, and crew at my
disposal, that I was enabled to visit my friend. It was a lovely
moonlight night as we skimmed across the shimmering water and it was not
long until I found myself on the quarter deck of the "----."
My naval friend had just finished dinner when I got aboard, and was most
sympathetic and helpful when I told him some of the things which were
troubling my mind, and which I had specially come to lay before him. I
was anxious to get him to use his influence to send more lighters and
more tugs to assist in the disembarkation of stores at Helles. The
landing officer there, just before my departure, had begged of me to do
what I could in this respect with somebody in authority, as he said he
had made repeated requisitions for more tugs and lighters, but all in
vain. I was anxious, too, because the pier which had been built by the
sappers was of a very flimsy nature, and I knew that the first storm
that arose would wash the whole thing away, and then, unless there was a
good store of provisions, ammunition, forage, etc., on shore, it would
be a very bad look-out for those of us on the Peninsula. As a matter of
fact the pier was washed away later on, and for some time the horses and
mules were on half rations, and we ourselves were threatened with a
shortage of food, but, mainly owing to the excellent arrangements made
by Brigadier-General Coe, the head of the Supply and Transport
Department, Colonel Striedinger, and other members of his efficient
Staff, no breakdown ever occurred.
My naval friend was not over pleased when I told him about this shortage
of boats and tugs, and led me to understand that the Navy had supplied
everything which the Army had demanded.
It is of vital importance, when our Army and Navy work together, as so
often happens, that the Staffs of both should pull together. I think
this could be ensured if a capable naval officer, having the entire
confidence of the Admiral on the spot, were attached to the General's
Headquarters, and a capable military officer, in whom the General placed
implicit reliance, were put on the Admiral's Staff; these two officers
working together for the common good would obviate all friction. Of
course, I am aware that naval and military officers are interchanged on
the Staff, but juniors are not good enough for this; they should be
senior men who could speak with authority, and whose opinions would
carry weight.
The position of the island of Lemnos, some forty miles southwest of the
Dardanelles, makes it an important strategic point, more especially as
it possesses a magnificent harbour which, with very little trouble and
expense, could be made practically impregnable. I sincerely hope that we
will retain possession of this island for, with it as a naval base, the
Dardanelles can be bottled up at any moment, and the whole of the
adjacent seas dominated.
Turkey at present still claims the island. It should therefore be
annexed by us as some small compensation for the Gallipoli failure.
On the following day at 7 P. M. we got on board a transport bound for
Australia, via Port Said. I found myself the Senior Officer on board,
and therefore had to take command of the troops, and among my other
charges were some fifty nursing sisters, who had been brought to Lemnos
direct from England, and were now being transferred for duty to the
military hospitals in Egypt.
Soon after I got aboard we weighed anchor, and I then put the ship's
adjutant to the task of detailing to their boats every individual on the
ship for whom I was responsible, as I knew there were hostile submarines
six or seven hours out from Lemnos, and I wished to be as ready as
possible in case of an attack.
At nine o'clock I got the Captain to sound the alarm, when everybody
rushed and stood by their own particular boat; I then made a minute
inspection, looked over the list of names boat by boat, and by ten
o'clock all knew their proper places.
The night was hot, so laying a blanket on the deck, I slept on it there.
I was awakened out of a deep sleep by a loud explosion. I leaped up
instantly, not yet quite wide awake, saying to myself, what a funny time
for an aeroplane to drop a bomb. The next instant I realised that I was
at sea, and it flashed through my mind that we had been torpedoed. As I
looked over the side, I saw a shell explode a mile or so away, over and
beyond a submarine which, in the bright moonshine, could just be made
out. The report which had roused me was a shot which had been fired from
our own 4.7-inch gun fixed on the stern of the ship. The vessel was
instantly swung round so as to present as small a surface as possible to
the submarine, and we made off as fast as the ship could steam. A
British war-vessel of some kind came up in a few minutes, and we saw and
heard nothing more of the submarine, but during the few minutes while
the alarm lasted, things were pretty lively on board our transport, and
many of the nurses rushed to the side to see what had happened, but
there was no sign of alarm or panic among them; they took it all as a
matter of course, and seemed quite disappointed when we reached Port
Said without further adventure.