Friday
(2.3.1917)
Dear Mum,
We are still pushing ahead, and still no nearer anything. I had no idea before there was so much water in the world. We are having a delightful trip. One day about Monday or Tuesday it was a little rough but absolutely nothing to speak of. Since then there hasnt been a single ripple. For the last three days the sea a has been quite like oil. Just an almost imperceplable swell. This boat is very steady and absolutely no vibration. You said at first to take care of the ladies but I believe we have ladies on board but I havnt had time to look yet and I am quite sure most of them havnt stired from their cabins.
Mrs Clarke is hardly ever up. I have a tremendous amount of work to do, but it is very nice and just fits in and fills in the line time. I havnt had time to start any books yet, but I must say I dont feel wonderfully energetic. The parades take up most of the day and there is often quite a lot of routine work to be done some days there will be enough to keep me off parade for on an hour or so and other days very little atall. I spend a good deal of time reading up notes & work. In the evening we usually have either concerts, etc, band, lectures on various interesting subjects by the Captain, or a Mr Gullett the war corespondent who is on board or by a Y.M.C.A. organiser who was 2 years in Egypt & Suez. The Col. gave us a talk on the taking of German New Gunney Ginney Guiney, a or something of that sort. The whole ship is in darkness & has been since we left Australia. All ports screened at night, deck lights either out or painted black. The boats have all been overhauled and swung out and provisioned, but of course we dont expect anything for a time yet. One of these days when it is perfectly smothe we will do some real boat drill, getting into & lowering the boats. We expect to be in the next port bout next Wednesday, (pencilled 7.3.17) exactly three weeks, from embarkation, and a fortnight from Australia. We havnt a quarter run through our available supply of lectures although the other units are almost altogether run out. That note book I was writing has been a perfect godsend to me. I thought so.
We have seen absolutely nothing since we left civilisation. Not a boat of any kind. Occasionally a solitary albatros looks at us but we see very few of them. We ran through a small school of flying fish yesterday. They were being chased by some huge sharks and were in a hurry. In the last few days we have seen some huge schools of porporses but they dont go with us, We appear too fast for them and they soon drop behind.
One thing that surprised me was l was the little sun shine. I dont think we have seen the sun for more than an hour since leaving Australia. but one of the ships officers told me it is always like this down here. It is still very cold & not comfortable after 4 oclock without a coat, and this is summer. The men are all in good spirits and quite happy. The food for the men is perfect. Butter however is rather short throughout the whole ship & both the troop decks & the saloon is only allowed it for breakfast.
After leaving (I nearly forgot) (word scribbled out) think we will have to be careful of fresh water. We may be two months out. One gallon per day per man is to be the ration. Also water bottles are to be kept filled as in case of emergency. We have had no ‘crimes’, except one man overstaying leave at the last port.
And there has been no serious sickness on board except bruze bruised shins, knees, & hands, and we had one man broke his wrist this morning. He fell slipped on the deck, but it is not a bad break. A seasick man is taken as a huge joke. I heard of one case of a man who was awfully ill in the troop deck one night. He was a making a terrible noise & was having a bad time. Someone suggested that he was dying and should be taken up to the doctor, but all the sympathy he got was a sleepy voice saying “well let him die & perhaps he wont make so much noise.” They are really like a huge lot of big children, and are our lot are far and away the best in every way on board.
I will finish now as the censor has asked for the letters as soon as possible & wants letters in instalments. I will write again
Arndell.
(written on board R.M.S. Osterley)
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