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