On one occasion when the _Diligence_ was "somewhere in the North Sea,"
shore leave was granted.
One of the sailors, a Cockney, returned to the ship with his jumper
"rather swollen." The officer of the watch noticed something furry
sticking out of the bottom of his jumper, and at once asked where he
had got it from, fearing, probably, that he had been poaching.
[Illustration: "... To Nurse it Back to 'Ealth and Strength."]
The Cockney thought furiously for a moment and then said: "I chased it
round the Church Army hut, sir, until it got giddy and fell over, and
so I picked it up and brought it aboard to nurse it back to 'ealth and
strength."--_J. S. Cowland, 65 Tylney Road, Forest Gate, E.7._
Margate In Mespot.
October 29, 1914--England declares war on Turkey and transports laden
with troops sail from Bombay.
One evening, within a week, these transports anchor off the flat
Mesopotamian coast at the top of the Persian Gulf. In one ship, a
county regiment (95 per cent. countrymen, the remainder Cockney) is
ordered to be the first to land. H.M.S. _Ocean_ sends her cutters and
lifeboats, and into these tumble the platoons at dusk, to be rowed
across a shallow "bar."
[Illustration: "Wot price this fer Margate?"]
Under cover of an inky darkness they arrive close to the beach by
midnight. It is very cold, and all feel it the more because the kit
worn is shorts and light khaki shirts.
In the stone-cold silence a whisper passes from boat to boat--"_Remove
puttees; tie boots round the neck; at signal, boats to row in until
grounded; platoons to disembark and wade ashore_."
So a shadowy line of strange-looking waders is dimly to be seen
advancing through the shallow water and up the beach--in extended
order, grim and frozen stiff. As dawn breaks they reach the sandy
beach, and a few shots ring out from the distant Fort of Fas--but
no one cares. Each and all are looking amazedly at the grotesque
appearance of the line--silent, miserable figures, boots wagging round
their necks, shorts rolled as high as possible, while their frozen
fingers obediently cling to rifles and ammunition.
It is too much for one soul, and a Cockney voice calls out: "'Ere, wot
price this fer Margate?"
The spell is broken. The Mesopotamian campaign begins with a great
laugh!--_John Fiton, M.C., A.F.C., 9 High Grove, Welwyn Garden City,
Herts._
Urgent and Personal!
The ss. _Oxfordshire_, then a hospital ship, was on her way down from
Dar-es-salaam to Cape Town when she received an S.O.S. from H.M.T.
_Tyndareus_, which had been mined off Cape Agulhas, very near the spot
where the famous _Birkenhead_ sank.
The _Tyndareus_ had on board the 26th (Pioneer) Battalion, Middlesex
Regiment, under the command of Colonel John Ward, then on their way to
Hong Kong.
As the hospital boat drew near it was seen that the _Tyndareus_ was
very low in the water, and across the water we could hear the troops
singing "Tipperary" as they stood lined up on the decks.
The lifeboats from both ships were quickly at work, every patient
capable of lending a hand doing all he could to help. Soon we had
hundreds of the Middlesex aboard, some pulled roughly up the side,
others climbing rope-ladders hastily thrown down. They were in various
stages of undress, some arriving clad only in pants.
On the deck came one who, pulled up by eager hands, landed on all fours
with a bump. As he got up, hands and toes bleeding from contact with
the side of the vessel, I was delighted to recognise an old London
acquaintance. The following dialogue took place:
MYSELF: Hallo, Bill! Fancy meeting you like this! Hurt much?
BILL: Not much. Seen Nobby Clark? Has he got away all right?
MYSELF (_not knowing Nobby Clark_): I don't know. I expect so; there
are hundreds of your pals aboard.
BILL: So long. See you later. Must find Nobby; he collared the "kitty"
when that blinking boat got hit!--_J. P. Mansell (late) 25th Royal
Fusiliers._