Friday 19/9/41
H.M.S. Achilles is convoying us. Boat Drill at 3:30PM. Didn’t feel too well, nothing to eat, ½ a glass of orange juice all day.
Saturday 20/9/41
Sighted a light house on East Coast of N.Z. at 11PM. Cold bleak weather rough sea. Inspection of all for Small Pox.
Sunday 21/9/41
Docked at Auckland at 1PM. Went ashore at 2:30PM. Vern Barnes, Eric Ding & Geoff Esan (the four of us stuck together most of the whole trip.) Were met by some of the local residents, & were driven by Mrs Audrey Hicks on a sight seeing tour round the town & surroundings. Three other girls in party also Melita Russell, Gladys Latrobe, Peggy?. Towards evening we each went to one of the girls homes for tea, I went to Captain Russell home, (Captain of a ship). Mrs Russell two other daughters, & a brother formed the rest of the family at home. The eldest son is missing in Crete only one of his regiment not accounted for, hope he is still ondeck & still allright. After tea at the Russell’s we all met again at the Plaza Theatre & saw a show put on for our benefit. ‘Gas Bags’ & Scenic Shorts of New Zealand. Had supper (provided for us) at the Overseas Club, then back to the ship.
Monday 22/9/41
Next morning were met by Audrey Hicks & Peggy? & driven into the country side. New Zealand is certainly a beautiful & colourful place, would like to have visited Roto Rua but the trip was cancelled. Boarded SS Monterey at 12AM & sailed at 2PM for Suva (Fiji). New Zealand Airmen embarked at N.Z. & sailed with us.
Tuesday 23/9/41
Rough seas & high winds, have got my sea legs now. Life on the ship is much the same from day to day. Too many parades, P/T. Lectures morning & afternoon.
Wednesday 24/9/41
Clocks advanced 30 minutes at midnight. Cruiser Achilles came up from astern & took up a position ahead at night fall. Boat drill 3:30P.M. Have changed to shorts & shirts, dress every night for tea in blues. Warming up.
Thursday 25/9/41
Docked at Suva Fiji at 8 A.M. went ashore 10 A.M. Marched into the town, & were dismissed at 11 P.M. Walked round the town the natives were Fijians frizzy hair some (tomato blonde dyed) about a foot or 15 inches high, Sikhs, Hindus, Chinese, Japs, & many other nationalities. Many of the Indian races were represented. Later in the afternoon, Vern Barnes, Eric Ding, Geoff Esan & I hired a car, Native driver, these drivers had pestered us all day to take a trip “Taxi sir see native village sir, country fine trip, see only 5/- each per trip, per person”. We paid 5/- & saw & smelt quite a lot. The hills were very rugged & covered with very thick jungle, did not seem to be many big trees but the smaller ones, up to 10 feet were matted together with the most amazing collection of tree ferns, palms, Bread fruit, Coconut Palms, brilliant shrubs all matted together with grasses & ferns & bright flowers. The Fijians seem to be a sturdy well built lot. Saw a native village. Native greeting “Bulla” means good day or how are you. On board again 4:30 P.M. & sailed Pago Pago (Samoa), 711 miles away. One airman dropped his cap into the water as we were pulling out & a native dived in after it, a native policeman raced up the warf & tossed it on board.
Thursday 25/9/41
Second Thursday in one week. Due to crossing the international date line this is the second Thursday following. Saw the first flying fish this morning they fly two or three feet above water for 100 to 150 yards before diving into the water again; they break water when the ship disturbs them apparently think ship is a bigger fish that preys on them. Very hot weather feel very sticky.
Friday 26/9/41
Berthed at Pago Pago a U.S. Naval Station 8:30 A.M. We were not allowed ashore as Measles & Mumps had broken out 3 or 4 cases on board, whole ship placed in quarantine, no cases of infectious disease has been known on Pago Pago for some years. The natives Polynesians are a very fine type, Native warf labour on the warf worked a lot harder than our warfies & got a lot of fun out of it.
A Native Police Band played selections for about 1½ hours, (before we sailed) they were quite good. Pago Pago is a small basin in a circle of very steep & high hills. Wireless masts enormous steel structures 450 feet high. Good navigation required to get boat in & out of ???? Bay. Left Pago Pago for Hawaii at 4:30 P.M.
Saturday 27/9/41
Usual routine at sea. Stood a watch on the bridge 1400 to 1600 hours on the Port side watching for ships etc. Saw 4 birds, large, black & white birds with very pointed tails & wings. Played a game called Keno at night.
Sunday 28th
Our escort turned up again this morning about 7 A.M. & disappeared again about 1:30 P.M. Shortly afterwards we passed the SS Marifosa on its way to Australia. About 1300 we passed the equator & I am now one of the Trusty Shellbacks.
Monday 29/9/41
Usual life at sea. Race game played at night.
Tuesday 30/9/41
Clocks advanced 30 minutes at midnight.
Wednesday 1st/10/41
Up at 5 A.M. a Flying Boat signalled to the ship. Ten minutes later a Flying Fortress flew over the boat. Later saw four Warships on the Port side. 0615 Saw dimly through the rain the Mountains of Hawaii. 0715 Small steam boat bringing quarantine officers out to ship on Port side. 0730 Quarantine inspection. Docked at 0845 & passed down the Gangway at 0945. Were met by Red Cross representatives, who arranged to have enough cars to take all of us for a trip round the island. Mrs Jamie was our hostess drove us round the island in a new Ford V8. Will describe Hawaii some other time; it takes about 8 pages to attempt it.
Thursday 2/10/41
Usual life at sea.
Friday 3/10/41
Sea rougher
Saturday 4/10/41
Weather rougher & colder. Changed into blues. Ship pitching a good deal.
Sunday 5th
Passed a ship in the morning 10 A.M. on the Port side, another 4 P.M. Starboard side both going other way. Boat drill 3:30 P.M. Weather getting colder. Ship rolling a lot sea very rough. Boat drill 3:30 P.M.
Monday 6th 7:30 A.M.
Arrived outside Los Angeles & Naval Officers came on board, cruised round for 4½ hours to test the Degauss apparatus. Docked at 1:30 P.M. no leave. Left harbour at 6:50 P.M. for San Francisco.
Tuesday 7th
Passed nine or ten tankers, & several other vessels, more ships than we have passed all the voyage. Saw the Golden Gate Bridge at about 11A.M., as we grew nearer it seemed to grow larger & larger. Pylons 750 feet high, the single span is over a mile long, (longer than the Sydney Bridge). Under another long bridge, double decker. Passed two islands Alcatraz (Prison Island) & Treasure Island, Treasure Island was linked by two enormous bridges. Berthed at San Francisco 1:30 P.M. were not allowed leave. Parade on wharf 4P.M. marched to ferry crossed to railway & caught train which left at 6:40P.M.
Wednesday 8th
Up at 6 A.M. for breakfast at 7:40 Negro waiters; “You look after me ‘sah’ & I’ll look after you”. placing a small round dish on the table, he nearly kissed one of the boys who put a dollar bill in the plate. Country very dry. Pines & Spruce for 400 hundred miles, the largest pines I’ve ever seen. At Cresent Lake 4779 feet up we saw & handled the first snow. A snow plow in the station yard. Many peaks covered with snow. Some of the slopes, the pines covered with snow. Miles & miles of tunnels & snow sheds. Passed A’dell lake highest point on this rail 4,844 feet above sea level. In the next 45 miles we dropped 4,000 feet. Down on to the plains, saw quite a number of pheasants, & a few wild ducks. Very few other birds. Wooden houses in towns, & farms, queer
…………… - MISSING PAGE – ………
& one of the rare Rocky Mountain Sheep. Stopped at Jasper a small town ringed with high snow & ice covered peaks, one hours march & half an hours leave. Towards evening passed into lower country, getting onto the wheat belt prairie country.
Saturday 11th
Into the prairie country, miles & miles of very small rises & dips in the distance the ground appears to be level but is not. The hollows are covered with small Poplar trees, all the slopes & rises grow wheat. Is now after harvest & is a dry & desolate looking country. No big trees & the farms seem to have no gardens. Stopped at Melville. Marched into the town up the main street. 10 minutes leave. Wrote this in the train its rocking about a fair bit. Getting a bit tired of travelling
Love, Ray
