12.45pm – Have made our best day’s run so far – 440 miles in the past 23½hours. Tomorrow will be Christmas Eve.
9.15am – Have just had a sharp scud of rain and it looks like more to follow, so we are moving our “500” game under cover.
11.30pm – Raining steadily. To bed.
25th Day (Christmas Eve) – A nice morning after a wet night. Those who didn’t seek cover in time are still busy drying saturated clothes.
1pm – Weather hot and steamy. A good day’s run again 436 miles. We will be passing the Cocos Islands about midnight tonight.
7.30pm – Some Carol singing has been going on along the Promenade Deck, but that has now finished in favour of recordings. Bing Crosby is singing “Holy Night”. The evening is warm, clear and otherwise quiet.
The mind wanders. How are others spending Christmas Eve? Our nearest point in the world at present is Java. There the scene must be a sorry one. Little peace and happiness instead news of starvation, looting and murder. The mind leaves this ugly scene and thoughts of Australia enter. Christmas Eve is likely to be at celebrated in a much freer and happier spirit than in the recent past years. No doubt the sun continues to beat down fiercely on Australia’s wide, sandy beaches and its rolling plains.
The mind turns back to our Training Days in Canada where the snow lies thick on the slopes of the mighty Rocky Mountains. It lies too on the prairie country of Saskatchewan and over the Maple Forests of Ontario. In fact, everywhere from coast to coast Canada will be celebrating a “White Christmas” in peace and harmony, as few countries in the world can celebrate it.
Let’s go down over the border now to the Colossus of the New World, New York City, where we spent a week’s final leave before embarking for the U.K. On Park Avenue, the mind sees again the Mink Coats and faultlessly groomed women of Café Society taking their silky coated pets for their daily walk. Down at Jack Dempsey’s Bar on Broadway can be heard, over the bar chatter, the filling of beer glasses and the tinkling of ice cubes as the Tom Collins and the Rum and Cokes are prepared.
The mind now flits across the Atlantic to the first Christmas war shattered Britain and Europe have spent in peace since 1939. A raw, heavy fog is likely to be hanging over the Thames Estuary, indeed over London as a whole. It hangs too, over the Moors of Yorkshire, over the Merseyside and the Cumberland Hills. The first snow has probably fallen on the rugged highlands of Scotland while down in Cornwall the sun breaks through intermittently. Britain will be having its happiest Christmas for years. There’s no doubt about that. But there are still problems in transitioning to normality. However, mercifully the trouble no longer comes from the skies in the shape of Bombs VI’s and VII’s or from the long casualty lists in the daily newspapers. Across to the continent of Europe where the scene can only be described as grim. Destruction, death, starvation and homelessness,stalk the lands.
The mind turns now to the Middle East – The very birthplace of Christmas. Here, too, the scene is troubled. Suspicion, hostility and unrest stalk the area. What a relief to find oneself
26th Day – Christmas Day has arrived and incidentally Harry’s birthday as well. Celebrated with two small bottles of beer each.
12.30pm – Lunch was nothing unusual. The day’s run was only 406 miles. This brings us within 950 miles of the nearest point of Australia – the North-West Cape.
5.45pm –It has been a warm, sunny afternoon and we are ready for Tea.
7pm – The evening meal made up for the ordinary lunch. Turkey, Plum Pudding and fruit was well received by all. The wind is getting up and we look set for a rough night.
10.30pm – It has started to rain heavily and we have moved under cover.
27th Day – A rough morning with weather reminiscent of the North Atlantic – high wind, heavy grey swell and driving rain. It’s the heaviest sea we have experienced for the whole voyage. The boat is rolling quite a lot.
1pm – The day’s run was 421 miles. We are 600 miles west of the North-West Cape and should reach Fremantle by Saturday morning. Deck sports are scheduled this afternoon. Have entered for Quoits.
4.30pm – Deck sports fell flat owing to non-attendance of most competitors due to the foul weather.
28th Day–A finer morning dawns although still very windy. At noon we were 245 miles west of Dirk Hartog Island and 517 miles short of Fremantle where we are now due to arrive by tomorrow evening. Leave passes have been given out although there is some doubt as to whether any personnel other than West Australians will be getting off.
10pm – Enjoyed a very good concert this evening given by the Ship’s Concert Party.
29th Day – A daily run of 430 miles has put us within 97 miles of Fremantle. We should pick up the coast about 3pm this afternoon.
4.30pm – A fine warm afternoon. We are cruising some miles off shore.
5.40pm – Approaching Rottnest Island at reduced speed. Will have tea early and get up on deck again to watch the pull into Port.
6.45pm – Two miles off Fremantle and the tugs are coming out. The Port looks pretty.
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| An unknown troop ship berths at Fremantle 1945. |
7.25pm – Abreast of our berthing position, one lady in the excited assembly on the wharf has fainted and been rescued by an Ambulance crew. The ship has developed a decided list to Starboard and a request to personnel to balance the ship falls on deaf ears.
8pm – We have finally berthed. A number of officials have come on board. Also, an entrepreneurial newspaper boy is doing a roaring trade. The Western Australians on board are first to disembark and later the rest of us can go ashore for a few hours, but we expect to sail again tomorrow morning.
9.30pm – Ashore in Australia for the first time for four years. Tried to telephone home by long distance telephone. Had no luck. Instead sent telegram reading “arrived Fremantle. Expect to reach home God willing next Wednesday.”
Continued.......
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