A LONG TRIP.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 17 October 1918, Page 3

A LONG TRIP.

Private George Ketterer, writing to bis brother from Brocton Camp, England iaßgifajcribes their interesting trip by boffi-l^ • arough Italy and France :—

W c left Wellington on the 23rd April, steaming out of the Heads for unknown route oyerseas. Finally after 12 days' sailing we arrived at Albany, Western Australia, calling tor coal and water, and to our disappointment we never got leave to go ashore, onl3* on a route march through the town, but no freedom as the Australian Government put a stop to troops getting leave at this port for some reason or other. Mind you, the people of Albany had made preparations for us coming ashore, but were disappointed. Well, after our route march we came aboard and the troopship 102 steamed out again for another course,

arriving at Columbo on 16th May, and here we coaled and took water. We got leave for a few hours, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It is a nice place, indeed something lovely to look at steaming into the harbour, the tints in the sky and the quaint buildings, «tc, giving it a great effect. Well, after w.e had been coaled by the coolies we lifted anchor and steamed out again for Suez, arriving there after 12 days' sailing, and we were glad to get ashore. But we soon got to hate the place, as we were there five weeks under canvas lying on the sand under a hot scorching sun, about 108 in the shade and 118 in the sun—anyone can tell what it might be. Well, I can tell you it was not very healthy, and everyone of us had dysentry, etc., in fact two or three died and we left some behind in Suez Hospital. We witnessed thousands of Indian troops arriving at Suez from France to go to Palestine, as all the white troops are being shifted from here and sent to France. Well news came and we boarded the train at midnight, as it was safer and there was no moon showing, This was done so that no news could be spread or aircraft see us. After 24 hours' travelling we arrived at Alexandria, a port on the Mediterranean. There we were marched straight off the train to board our troopship, the Ormond, where we settled down in a style which was very rough, as there were about 3000 troops aboard and it was fairly crowded. There four other troopships loaded with Australians and Tommies waiting for us, so as to make a convoy across. We steamed out of Alexandria, five loaded troopships with an escort of seven Japanese destroyers and two hydroplanes which left us after a few hours out, as our escort was good. The destroyers are numbered by letters, P. O. M. X., etc., and X has made a famous distinction for herself, having been decorated by the King on one

occasion—she accounts for sinking eight submarines; these Japs are smart in moving their boats about us. After two and a-half days' sail across the Mediterranean we.arrived at Taranto, a port in the south of Italy. Here we disembarked

and marched about two miles to a rest

camp. There were Tommies and Americans camped here, the latter took my eye, as they ara the black negro. Jack Johson type, great big men, very smart and clever, and real nice to speak to. We stayed here for an hour or two, had a drink of tea with our biscuits and bully beef which was our boat issue. After this we left about midnight and inarched about a mile, and entrained for our journey through Italy which was good. From there we called at Brindisi ■where fig trees and grapes grow in abundance, also olives. There we went on calling at other small places and stopping at the bigger stations where our Tommies had a drink of hot tea for us. As far as we travelled through Italy we saw stone fences and stone houses, and grapes and olives everywhere, lovely it looked, but there is one thing we noticed very much —no men of military age anywhere, only boys and old men

working, and women

You c«uld buy

anything for cigarettes, but they would not take money, as cigarettes are forbidden here in war time; they are classed as luxury, and the people here will give you 4s or 5s in Italia money for a packet of cigarettes. They are not allowed to import cigarettes in this country just

now. Well, we were travelling for hours

sometimes, and I witnessed one night on our train journey a sight which I shall forget; we pulled up at a station in the north of Italy, after rattling through a ten mile tunnel, and the sight was nothing but one mass of flare and hammering—it was the Italian's gunfoundery. I had a look through the door of our waggon, and I could not believe it —I though the war was on then alright. After that we travelled a good way, arriving over the French border, and passed through Marseilles at 2 a.m the lApgnmp. and "on to a town ten miles ":JHBB| Paris, arriving at night. We heard^&e guns of this big offensive start, V and we were fifty miles away from the firing line. Here we left again for another and another, and our last came in sight, which was Cherbourg, a French town on the West Coast, another rest camp. This was the place for Americans. r real white ones this time. "Gaud blimy the Gaud daum thing," they would say— real skiting Yankees all right, But we got one on to them. Tliey'wanted to know how far we had come, and one of our fellows told them that we had travelled 16,000 miles, "By train?" said the Yankee, "Yes," said our boys, and the Yankees couldn't make it out; as . they thought they were the furthest travelled troops that had come to the war, but we let them believe it wasn't so anyhow. There are about one and a* half million of these Yankees in Franca now, 100,000 a week coming over. After

a day and a night's rest we embarked on a 24-knotter and some Tommies from Palestine in another, with two destroyers. We had only standing room crossing over to Southampton, arriving there we boarded the train and after a lovely trip arrived at Stafford in the afternoon, marched to Brockton Camp, and settled down to thingß.