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about the same as when we arrived, but owing to the presence of numerous
ecks and the incessant bombing of ships in & around it, I did not
think it would be possible or sensible to embark more troops from there.
When embarkation was actually in progress the quay was a tight mass of
troops & they were an easy target to machine guns & bombs. The most re-
markable thing was that though there were 2 machines 'attending' to us
when the troops were comfing aboard, I did not see a single man hurt,
though bullets were flying all round, not to mention chunks of shrapnel.
Our own fire was I am sure pretty telling as we were armed with 4 Lewis
guns and a special A.A. gun firing 480 shells a minute. It certainly
made the attackers keep their distance. A Lt-Colonel who was the senior
officer aboard Lord Grey, said we had 450 men aboard. They came down the
quay in batches of 50 & we took on 9 batchest, so he said. All were
dead tired & had no idea where they were being taken. Many of them never
imagined they were behing home, they were quite ready fo us ton take
them along the French coastwhence they would continue the fight.
There was a mist on the sea and the homeward voyage was uneventful save
for 4 or 5 colossal splashes as of heavy shells which fell round us soon
after we has left. We sighted one floating mine which we reported to a
sweeper that seemed to be interested in such things.
It was late afternoon when we got back to Dover and the congestion was
terrific but quite understandable. As we disembarked our troops I came
to the conclusion, half asleep as I was, that there were about 4,500!
Loaded as we were the voyage took 6 hours & we were passed by destroyers
returning full of troops who discharged at Dover & passed us again out-
ward bound for more.
9.21
s/o/
$/10
also,