No Better Death

by John Crawford

  November 15th–16th 1914

  The Arawa arrived in Colombo on 15 November and the following day Malone visited the city whose cosmopolitan population interested him. He toured a local gaol and the government radio station and was impressed by how clean and orderly everything was. He visited the home of a local official and his Anglo-Indian wife. Malone thought them ‘very gentle civil people’ and commented that ‘he was committing an awful sin according to white Ceylon Ethics ... in associating with them – but I don’t feel guilty.’

  After giving money to a young beggar he was surrounded by children who touched him ‘gently and held out their hands – not a word – I soon got rid of my small coins. Quite awful I suppose but I couldn’t help it. How glad I am that I wasn’t born a native of ... any not white country.’

  [MSX 2549]

  Colombo Harbour

  15 November 1914

  My dear wife,

  This is a formal letter, which can only contain matters not concerning our business. It is to be censored. We are allowed to write what is called a closed letter, which will be delayed here, so that any information deemed prejudicial will be practically out of date. I am writing you also a closed letter and sending you sundry papers, our newspaper and you will thus understand the brevity of this.

  I am hoping that a letter from you may have got to Colombo and will be received by me. Needless to say it would be a great joy. We are all well. I am as fit as the proverbial fiddle. My waistline is 2 1/2 inches less, and it was nothing very huge before. We have had a good passage, smooth seas, beautiful sunsets, a distant electrical display behind masses of clouds with a wonderful effect, one day’s rain, which was helpful to the washing. Tell the youngsters that there are lots of flying fish. They fly 100 yards or more. We are working as hard as is possible with a temperature up to 88° Fahrenheit[31°C]. Practically no sickness, thank God, but a dreadful accident. Webb, one of our medicos at the Crossing the Line ceremony of Friday last, dived into the bath and so injured his spine that he cannot recover. He may linger on for a time. A grand young fellow, one of my right hand men in all sanitary matters. I liked him before most of the others. He said to me the other day, “When I first joined you, I thought there was rather much rousting74 but I am convinced that it is now not so, to break in raw men and above all officers is a difficult job and one must roust and roust until they are broken in.” It is very sad to see him lying paralysed from the shoulders down. But it was to be and God’s will is to be done. The next world after all to the good living man is the best after all.

  Transports assembled in Colombo Harbour.

  Morison Album, Alexander Turnbull Library

  And how are you all getting on? I think of you every day and hope that all is well with you and that all the children and not excepting Norah and Mot are all that they should be. Don’t forget to get that photo of your sweet self taken and sent to me. With all my love to you all.

  Your husband

  [MSX 2542]

  November 17th 1914

  We sailed from Colombo about 10am. Some 28 of us. We go to Aden reach there in about 7 days. We will be Home in about 4 weeks. We have 30 German stokers on board, prisoners from the Emden – 2 Warrant Officers and a Lieutenant Engineer “Hass”. We are not pleased. We had a crowded ship before and now we will have to keep a guard over these prisoners night and day. Poor devils they have had an awful experience. The Sydney smashed the Emden killing 130 and wounding seriously some 50 out of about 230. The killing too was horrible. The ship was a shambles men literally blown to pieces.... I haven’t had a talk with Hass yet. We put him on parole and he lives and messes with us. He seems a very decent fellow. The men look a clean harmless lot. They are herded up in part of our boat deck under our awning with 3 armed sentries over them. Their presence brings home the reality of the war. Several of them are slightly wounded and Home is quite busy dressing the wounds.... I took a photo with their permission of the Germans on board here and of Lt Hass. He asked me not to put him in the newspapers. I told him I had no thought of doing so.

  The Emden’s Lieutenant Hass (right) on the Arawa with Major Brunt.

  Malone Family Collection London

  November 20th 1914

  Another day fine and smooth sea. Warm, but a nice breeze from the N.E. I am all right as to inoculation result except for some tenderness in the flank. Some 20 privates of the Ruahine Coy are objecting to being inoculated. Also S/S/Ms Dallinger and Foster.75 I had the two taken up before Col Johnston. I had the men up and did my best to get them to agree. Inoculation is not compulsory and the authorities forgot to make it a condition of enrolment. Only one man in Taranaki Company objected. He is a grandson of EM Smith76 of NP and a son of Tom Smith.77 I believe – a queer sort of a man. Major Brunt anyway thinks he can get the lad to submit. Any men who persist will be made the scavengers of the Regt and will not be taken to the front. I am inclined to take their rifles from them and treat them as non-combatants. I gave them until 4pm tonight to make up their mind.

  Have just heard that this transport, the Maunganui, Star of India and Tahiti with 10 of the Australians are going ahead of the rest, to Aden, to coal. We are glad the extra speed of 2 1/2 knots per hour, seems to push us along, and we will thus see Aden – sun baked hole as it is called.... Our German prisoners now peel potatoes etc, and so save our own men.

  I tried staying in bunk this morning. All parades have been cancelled for 3 days on account of the innoculations. I read a French book La Piste Millicinanto78 a sort of Doctor detective story. I hope that by reading French I will soon be able to speak it again. I try and think of it during the day, from time to time.

  Amongst Malone’s papers were the following rhymes, which appear to have been circulating on the Arawa:

  Sick nursing rhymes

  For the Inoculated.

  Sing a song of soreness, a little needle prick,

  500,000,000 microbes in our flank shot quick,

  When the swelling rises, the pain begins to grow,

  WHY THE DEVIL SHOULD THE DOCTORS HURT OUR FEELINGS SO.

  For the Uninoculated.

  Sing a song of sickness, sunk cheeks and hollow eyes,

  Forty typhoid cases, Lots of busy flies,

  When the fever rises, they mutter every one –

  “WHY THE DEVIL DIDN’T I HAVE THE INJECTION DONE.”

  [MFCL]

  [MSX 2549]

  HMNZ Transport No.10

  (ARAWA)

  Arabian Sea

  About 300 miles due east of Aden

  [24 November 1914]

  My dear wife,

  ...It is 6.15am and I am sitting on deck dressed or rather undressed for physical drill at 7.15am. It is a lovely grey morning, cool (81° Fahrenheit, in shade!!)[27°C], the sea quite smooth, a lovely sunrise. Greys, oranges, yellows and sepias, all shades like a sunset in reverse. We left Colombo on Tuesday last, a week ago today. Our voyage has been uneventful, smooth, fine, breezy and not oppressively hot, down to 80° Fahrenheit some mornings. We have all been inoculated for Typhoid. An hypodermic syringe is used on the left side of the abdomen. There is tenderness and malaise for some two to three days after injection of the serum or whatever the stuff is properly called. Some of the men (rotters) objected and our stupid medical authorities in New Zealand although providing for vaccination when a man enlisted, either didn’t know of or forgot to provide for inoculation. I am not sure but that they thought that “vaccination” covered everything. One learned officer tried to argue that vaccination covered inoculation against typhoid (my spelling is getting weak!). He doesn’t understand the value of words.

  I am very much put out to think that any of my men are so exotic. There is only one man in the Taranaki Company and two in the Hawkes Bay Company, but 21 in the Ruahine Company. As to the Wellington West Coast Company on the Maunganui I cannot at present speak. We have tried them every way. As a last effort I had the objectors up before me and Home and asked them to state their objections.
Childish! I got Home to explain the matter and then made them understand that if they persisted, I should have to treat them as a class by themselves, make “shoeshines” of them, not soldiers and would try and get them sent back to New Zealand at once, as useless. I must say some of them were men who never ought to have been accepted. The bulk of them, 66%, are not New Zealanders and have not long been in New Zealand. I am afraid that our immigration agents at home do not do their duty. Government ought to insist on only picked men and women be allowed to come to New Zealand. I had of course noticed odd men, unfit on our New Zealand standard and when we gathered them together, they were a queer sorry lot, undersized, weak jawed, ill formed, yet the fathers of future New Zealanders! I wonder whether our sometimes called statesmen ever think of their duty in nation building. I know that the immigrants are supposed to be selected, but it has been obvious for years past as you and I have ere now seen that the selectors don’t do their duty. Dereliction of duty is I am afraid a common sin – lack of discipline everywhere. Statesmen, so called, afraid of “voters” and taking the line of ease and least resistance. The education of our part of the world is all wrong. I am afraid this is not interesting, but I write as I think. I cannot write about our business specially. I wonder when I shall get a letter from you. On arrival at our destination I hope.

  Poor Webb died last Tuesday. The GOC at Colombo sent us a wireless message. The officers on this ship left £16 with the military authorities at Colombo to fix up Webb’s grave and put up a cross over it....

  We are a healthy ship I am glad to say. We seem to be beating the measles too. We are starting to increase the work. My Lieutenants have two hours a day Tactical Classes now under Hart. I propose to hold an examination when we get to England. This will make them work, even supposing that their sense of responsibility is not sufficient to make them do so.

  I wonder whether you have been having warm weather. I think every day how you would revel in what we call heat. I hope that you are keeping well and are not being worried in any way. I hope also that you are making nice friends and enjoying life. You are not to worry about me. I am in the best of hard and rude health and will keep so I have no fear. No hump on my back, now straight up and down always and feeling 10 years younger if not more. You I suppose are getting fat, and so satisfying your ambition. I hope that you will write me a good long letter every week and give me all your news.

  Some day we will come this route together. Don’t forget that you are to come to England when the war is over. Remember me to everybody who asks after me. I am sending some cards to the children. Have the boys gone back to Seatoun?

  Edmond and Terry are well, the latter is acting Deck Sergeant still and is a good chap. Edmond hasn’t any particular responsibilities.... Goodbye my dearest with all my love to you and the children....

  Your husband

  [MSX 2542]

  November 25th 1914

  Arrived at Aden at about 6am.... We heard today that 100,000 troops had already passed thro Aden. Tomorrow 40 Transports are due from Bombay with more troops. Lloyd George79 seems to have made a fine speech in asking for authority to have another [£]225 millions. The resources of the British Empire are wonderful and all men have risen to the proper sense of their responsibilities to the Empire. As Lloyd George said we must finish things now and not leave our children to the German menace. Those who cannot give their lives can give their possessions. This war is the redemption of England and will leave the Empire better and greater in every sense....

  November 27th 1914

  In the Red Sea a hot muggy morning....

  We had a lovely strong following wind last night. It was quite cool on deck. The wind has died away and we perspire. Still we all feel vigorous. At the moment they are doing their physical drill and there is plenty of vigour and snap in the vollies [sic] of commands by the NCOs and the men respond with vim. We the officers do our p. [physical] drill in 20 minutes. The men’s washing bothers me. They have not been allowed to wash clothes for 14 days and altho we were to get water for them y’day the Ship Captain said we would have to wait another week. Fancy with the limited outfit of under clothing of the men and all the hot weather and hard work they have had, not being able to wash for 3 weeks. I complained to Col Johnston and if we don’t get water at once I shall complain to the General. There is plenty of water but it costs money to replenish – they say! as tho’ cleanliness and consequent health is to be measured by money cost. I made a calculation that even at Aden price of water 7/-per ton, we could wash for £4.15.0 and allow every man 3 gallons of fresh water. Truly the European race is a dirty one, with little exception. I look at the Ibuki and week after week see well regulated lines of washed clothes drying literally covering the ship. And their own arrangements are so bad that our men, white men, some of whom call the Jap a brown monkey, cannot wash clothes for 3 weeks! The authorities cannot be expected to think about and provide for such paltry things! Reason, we are a dirty people. If we individually had to do our own work the white world would be like the white man, pigsty. I have some 24 officers on this boat and I doubt if more than 4 of them are really naturally clean. They don’t understand what it means. If it were not for the stewards and their batmen, their quarters would be disgraceful. But enough!

  A postcard of Aden sent to Norah by Malone on 26 November 1914.

  Malone Family Collection London

  November 28th 1914

  6.10am, temp. inside 86°F[30° C]. Last night on going to bunk it was 88°F[31° C].... I spent my day today, apart from routine work, in solving tactical problems. Lt Hass our German officer prisoner, had to sign a written parole, and McDonnell drew up one, making him sign not to take up arms against Gt. Britain and her allies until the end of the war. But said nothing about not escaping. Col Johnston made him alter this limiting period to end of voyage. Fresh one prepared and signed. I happened to be about after its signature. I asked to see it and then had to point out that it missed the whole object of parole – which from an honourable foe-officer, is simply that he will not try to escape or escape – as to bearing arms, etc that is nonsense. If a prisoner is not on parole he is under guard and may escape if he can. An officer on parole is free of guard, on condition of his giving his word that he will not take advantage of his freedom and try to or escape. Obviously what is wanted is his word accordingly. So McDonnell who tried to argue as usual when he is wrong, that the document meant what it didn’t say. That was the meaning of his argument. Col Johnston however made him go and rectify the error. McDonnell has a big lot of limitations. He is still a 1st Class Sgt Major, but is not and never will make a commissioned officer altho’ he holds the rank. I am very disappointed in him. But am not trembling. I have got his measure.... There are now in the Red Sea, steaming N., our 38 Transports and 40 more from Bombay: 78 big ships full of soldiers, guns and horses. We estimate 75,000 men! and 100,000 horses we are told already gone N. Germany with all her thoroughness and wisdom, never calculated on such movement. Thank God, the few troops we had were able to hold up, with the French, the German host, and is still holding them, if not more. Time is all against the Germans and there can now be no doubt as to the result of the war. They have done their best and worst, and have not really succeeded. Our weight is coming. The wonder of it all, the gathering of men in all parts of the Empire, their equipment and training and then the flood of them towards and to the Front. The command of the World’s seas! Well done those British Statesmen who have, in spite of active opposition of little Englanders, and the doubts of many of their friends, persisted in maintaining British supremacy at sea. The enormous cost is more than justified. It was but an insurance premium. If the same Statesmen could but have established universal military training in the British Isles there would have been no war. Lord Roberts was right and lived to see the proof.80

  It is one of my regrets, that I cannot now see him. I had been looking forward to doing so. I had a message from old Captain Baillie81 in Wellington to him. Captain Ba
illie’s wife is some relation or connection of Lord Roberts.

  Full marching order parade of my men today. They are busy cleaning up for it.

  After appealing to the General we have got water to wash clothes with today. I am glad. But fancy having to fight to wash! I must now go to physical drill and get rid of what little adipose82 tissue remains to me. It would be awful to be fat, in this heat. I feel really energetic and alert, mentally and physically, but one perspires sitting down in the open shade writing....