After arranging for Major Stewart’s accommodation at the hospital, we transferred from the ——­ to the ——.  The voyage was resumed on the 15th.  When a few days out, one of the ships flagged that there were two cases of appendicitis on board.  The convoy was stopped; the ship drew near ours, and lowered a boat with the two cases, which was soon alongside.  Meanwhile a large box which had been made by our carpenter was lowered over the side by a winch on the boat deck; the cases were placed in it and hoisted aboard, where the stretcher-bearers conveyed them to the hospital.  Examination showed that operation was necessary in both cases, and the necessary preparations were made.

The day was a glorious one—­not a cloud in the sky, and the sea almost oily in its smoothness.  As the hospital was full of cases of measles, it was decided to operate on deck a little aft of the hospital.  A guard was placed to keep inquisitive onlookers at a distance, and the two operations were carried out successfully.  It was a novel experience to operate under these conditions.  When one looked up from the work, instead of the usual tiled walls of a hospital theatre, one saw nothing but the sea and the transports.  After all, they were ideal conditions; for the air was absolutely pure and free from any kind of germ.

While the convoy was stopped, the opportunity was taken to transfer Lieutenant-Colonel Bean from the ——­ to the ——.  There had been a number of fatal cases on board the latter vessel, and it was deemed advisable to place a senior officer on board.

On arrival at Aden I had personal experience of the worth of the Red Cross Society.  A number of cases had died aboard one of the transports, and I had to go over to investigate.  The sea was fairly rough, the boat rising and falling ten or twelve feet.  For a landsman to gain a ladder on a ship’s side under these conditions is not a thing of undiluted joy.  Anyhow I missed the ladder and went into the water.  The first fear one had was that the boat would drop on one’s head; however, I was hauled on board by two hefty sailors.  The inspection finished, we were rowed back to our own ship, wet and cold.  By the time “home” was reached I felt pretty chilly; a hot bath soon put me right, and a dressing gown was dug out of the Red Cross goods supplied to the ship, in which I remained while my clothes were drying.  Sewn inside was a card on which was printed:  “Will the recipient kindly write his personal experiences to George W. Parker, Daylesford, Victoria, Australia.”  I wrote to Mr. Parker from Suez.  I would recommend everyone sending articles of this kind to put a similar notice inside.  To be able to acknowledge kindness is as gratifying to the recipient as the knowledge of its usefulness is to the giver.

The voyage to Suez (which was reached on the 28th January) was uneventful.  We arrived there about 4 in the morning and found most of our convoy around us when we got on deck at daylight.  Here we got news of the Turks’ attack on the Canal.  We heard that there had been a brush with the Turks, in which Australians had participated, and all the ships were to be sandbagged round the bridge.  Bags of flour were used on the ——.