wheeled vehicles. The result was that there were layers of saddles at
the very bottom of the hold, and further layers at intervals up to the
top sandwiched between ammunition and heavy cases of all kinds.
Fortunately we were never asked to unpack the saddlery.

On Wednesday, 8th September, about 5 A.M., we left the harbour
escorted by two destroyers who took us to abreast Cape Ushant and
there left us.

The first day or two on board was regular pandemonium and most
uncomfortable for the men. Four officers and 140 other ranks from the
second line had joined us at Devonport and we were very overcrowded.
Each man had a stuffy and inaccessible bunk and a place at a table in
the steerage saloon for meals, which had to be served in three relays
owing to the numbers on board. This meant either very perfect time
keeping or very perfect chaos, and, needless to say, for the first few
days it was the latter. The captain also had a habit of always having
his alarm boat drills while some relay was feeding, which did not add
to the harmony. After a few days, however, things went very much more
smoothly, but at no time could it be called a comfortable voyage. For
the officers it was very different. They were not too overcrowded and
were fed like fighting cocks. The deck accommodation was, of course,
ridiculously inadequate, and muster parades, boat drill, and physical
drill in relays was all that could be managed. We also had lectures on
flies, sanitation, and how to behave when we got to Constantinople.

We steered a very roundabout course to avoid submarines and came into
the Straits of Gibraltar from the south-west keeping well south of
the Rock. We hugged the north coast of Africa, and passed a Greek
tramp who signalled to us to stop as a large enemy submarine was ten