OFF TO THE WAR

Northern Advocate, 16 February 1926, Page 2

OFF TO THE WAR

Initial contingents.

A. AND N.Z. SOLDIERS. CONVOY INCIDENTS. An interesting account of the voyage of the first convoy of Australian and New Zealand troopships during the early stages of the late War is published in-a- recent issue of the “Blue Peter. V The author is Rear-Admiral A. Gordon Smith, C.M.G., who was in command of the flagship, the Orient liner Orvieto.

The Australian troopships assembled in King George Sound. When the Orvieto entered the harbour the, Australian cruiser Melbourne was doing watch dog duty at the entrance, and about a dozen transports rode at anchor. The business of preparing the convoy for its voyage was very trying, for it was not until the beginning of 1915 that the seas could be considered safe for the passage of transports. The British armoured cruiser Minotaur and the Japanese cruiser Ibuki arrived on October 30 with ten New Zealand transports, all painted grey and looking very warlike. Later the Australian warship Sydney joined the division.

-On November 1, 1914, the convoy set sail from Albany, the ships filing out in single line. Many of the ships were inclined to play for safety, and certainly did not imperil their next ahead by being too close on moving off. The Orvieto was well out to sea and heading westward before the Wiltshire, leading the second division, was sighted, rounding the black bluff at the entrance to the sound. The speed of the first division was reduced to allow I the column to close up, and the other two divisions to form up on either beam, all according to programme. By eight o’clock the whole convoy was formed up as a fleet in cruising order. Five miles ahead of the Orvieto was the Minotaur, the Sydney was to port, the Ibuki to starboard, and the Melbourne, out of sight astern, was the rear guard. The New Zealand transports formed a little fleet of their .own, steaming in two columns to the rear. The total length of the convoy, including the New Zealand vessels, should have been only seven' miles, but on some mornings it was double that distance, the tail being almost out of sight. At such times one of the cruisers would go along the line like a policeman, making the queue close up. ■On the second day out the convoy was joined by two transports from Fremantle, the- number of steamers being thus increased to 28. j

SYDNEY’S DEFEAT OF THE EMDEN.

The convoy steered an unusual course, keeping to the eastward of the Cocos Islands. The men saw nothing but sea and sky and the same old ships. Day followed day in peaceful tranquillity, and they began to wish for something to happen. Then late one evening 'the steamers heard strange wireless signals, fairly close; and in a German code. At that time the Emden, the Konigsberg, and ' another 'smaller cruiser, the Geier, were believed

to be somewhere, in the Indian Ocean. x At, seven o’clock the following morning the whole fleet was electrified by another message in plain English: “Strange c.rpiser at entrance.” It was from the Cocos Islands telegraph station, at that'time some thirty miles distant on the port side. H.M.s. Sydney, .being the nearest of the warships, was sent to investigate. At 9 o’clock another message in naval code was received: “Enemy in sight.” There was no reason for secrecy, and within fifteen seconds everyone on the "Orvieto was flurrying on to the deck to see the fun. From time to time laconic scraps of news were received from the Sydney as the fight progressed. Then the convoy received: “Enemy’s foremast funnel and foremast down. ’’_ Shortly after another funnel was reported shot away. Finally after a long wait the convoy was informed that the Emden had been beached and was completely beaten. The latter message was greeted with cheers from every ship of the line. It was a red letter day for the Australian Navy.

PASSAGE THEOUGH SUEZ CANAL. The convoy did not receive the full details of the fight until arrival at Ceylon, where the Sydney had already anchored. At Ceylon stores and water were taken on board. Thence the convoy proceeded to Aden.. On arrival at the latter port the men discovered that Turkey had joined up with the Germans. At Aden it was also learned that the Australians were to be disembarked in Egypt. The absence of lights in the southern part of the Red Sea caused considerable anxiety, and the convoy took a very unusual route on account of the possibility of mines. After a stay of a few hours at Suez the convoy started to file through the canal, the Orvieto leading. Although small parties of Turks were known to be in the vicinity, the canal, for the greater part of its length, was lined with British troops. When the transports passed a British regiment they got their first real welcome. One of the Tommies on the bank shouted out: “Hallo, where’vc you Come from ” And there was a general reply from the ships, “Australia.” The Tommies on shore passed the word round, and they all came running towards the bank from their camp and bursr into continuous cheering, waving their, towels and caps frantically. “Any more coming?” they asked. “Twenty thousand!” More prolonged cheers from the bank. *

AEEIVAL AT ALEXANDRIA. Then the next morning at Port Said the troops' exchanged cheers with a British battleship and a French cruiser. There was also a P. and O. liner, crowded with passengers for India, who yelled themselves hoarse when they learned who the men were.. The troops finally landed at Alexandria and proceeded by train to the camps that had been prepared for them near Cairo. The New Zealanders, having been longest on board, were lauded first. Good fortune had favoured the Anzacs from the time of their departure from their home shores.