y submarines which at this time had become very active
and had lately torpedoed the "Southland" conveying the Brigadier and
portion of the 6th Brigade as well as the G.O.C. and Staff of the 2nd
Australian Division. News of this occurrence had reached the Battalion
just prior to embarkation and naturally excited great interest. However,
the voyage proved uneventful, the weather good, and the colours of the
sea and evening skies a never failing attraction.

Heading towards Crete, the transport skirted its western coast and
thence wended its way through the Grecian Archipelago. Arriving off
Mudros Bay, Lemnos Island, on the evening of the 8th September, it was
found that a boom was across the entrance and the harbour closed for the
night. Nothing remained to be done but to stand on and off during the
hours of darkness. To cast anchor would have rendered the ship an easy
prey to the underwater craft. The sight of the "Southland" on a
neighbouring beach lent point to this possibility.

Shortly after sunrise the appearance of a British destroyer coming from
the direction of the Bay indicated that the entrance was now open.
Threading its way between numbers of British and French men-of-war and
other vessels the transport came to rest something less than a mile from
the shore.

Anchored in the vicinity was the R.M.S. "Aragon," now used as quarters
for the Inspector-General of the Line of Communications and his staff.
From this source orders were received to disembark the Battalion on the
following day. The arrangements necessary were few, consequently there
was little to do and most of the afternoon was spent in bathing at the
ship's side or in writing letters. Word had gone forth that the last
mail before reaching Gallipoli would close that night. So numerous were
the missives that it was found necessary to make every available officer
a censor for the time being in order that delay might be avoided. The
writings, as usual, were apropos of the occasion but it was found that
one man, anticipating events, had informed his mother that he was
writing his few words "by the light of the bursting shells."

Disembarkation was to commence at 2 p.m. on the 10th September but the
movement proved to be merely a transhipment to the Weymouth-Channel
Islands packet boat "Sarnia" which arrived, after a delay of one and
a-half hours, and tied up alongside the transport. Coincident with this
there appeared several staff officers delegated to