March 4/15
Arrived at Lemnos Island, what a splendid view when you are coming into the harbour. You would never dream there was such a harbour behind the entrance. It is just sunset now, and I can’t see very much of it, but with the sun sinking behind the hills it is a fine picture. We had a splendid trip, the sea was like glass all the way. Coming into the harbour, you are very forcibly reminded there is a war on, for first you have to go through a row of mines laid to trap any ships of the enemy, then you see war ships all around you. It makes you think a little about Britain’s might on the sea.
March 5/15
Now I have a chance to see the harbour. It is much larger than I thought last night. There are all kinds of ships here, from the largest Man of War to the smallest mine sweeper. Transports, supply ships, and even our friend the ‘packet of woodbines’, which we named a Russian War ship because she had five funnels close together.
I have just learned the largest battle ship here is the HMS Queen Elizabeth, a dreadnought with 15 ” guns on her. Something doing when she gets to work I bet.
March 6/15
At last we are settling down to some kind of work. No. 1 Section under Lieut. Mather is going ashore to fix up a camp. It looks like we are going to stay here for a while. I was wishing our section would go ashore for I was looking through a pair of glasses, and saw a nice little village, but no luck we have to stay on board ship.
March 7th 8th 1915
More troopships arrived, British and French. I don’t know how many troops there are here, but there must be nearly a division (20,000). We are quite busy fixing up stores for the boys ashore, our section is the slavery one, for we get nearly all the hard work to do. We play at leapfrog to pass away the time at night, it would get very tiresome if we just moped about.
March 9th 10th 1915
I am putting my diary into a two-day one, for there is not very much to tell in one day on this old tub. We had the misfortune to lose two horses, that is the effects of the sand they eat while in Egypt, it play havoc with them. Yesterday and today we have been on fatigues duty getting timber up out of the holds, for the boys to build a jetty on the shore. One of our Men of War came in a little damaged, I think she must have been doing some fighting somewhere near us.