LEAVING AUSTRALIAN SHORES : 1 November, 1914 and 23 September 2022
As the 2022 Connecting Spirits Community Tour finally depart for Europe, we will look back at the day Lieutenant Reginald Harrington DCM, also finally left Australian waters. His ship was in the very first convoy of troops from Australia that left from Albany in Western Australia on the long journey to the western front via Ceylon, Egypt, Turkey and finally to Marseilles. He writes of the sadness about leaving his young wife Edith and baby Gwen and looks forward to the day of his return. Reg and his brother Keith sailed from Port Melbourne on 18th October, but it wasn’t until Sunday November 1st that his contingent finally left Australian waters. Conditions on board were not great and many horses and some men died on the long voyage across to the middle east. He wrote:
‘I slept on the deck
last night but tonight am in my hammock, these are hung in troop deck, above the mess tables, and in my
opinion far too close, especially as first above ones are the horse stalls, the
smell from which are far from pleasant. I would not be surprised if we are
subjected to an epidemic of some sort before the voyage is over.
Sunday
1st November 1914
As
expected, we sailed early this morning from Albany, got under way about half
past 6 o’clock and we have been steaming three quarters speed since: the sight
of all the transports is really wonderful. We do not know where we are sailing
but are now 7 o’clock p.m. nearing the ‘Luewin’ and so, I suppose have seen the
last of dear old Australia for some little time to come. The sea is very calm,
and the prospects are for fine weather. Our squadron had to do stables today,
and early this morning we put overboard the fourth horse, destroyed by the vet
on account of becoming mad! The second from the same cause since leaving
Melbourne. It is a mark against our administration I think that arrangements
were not made to land the horses whilst we were laying in Albany, as we’re
there over a week.
No comments:
Post a Comment