Letter - 18 June 1915 - HMT Southland to Mudros Harbour and Gallipoli

Athol has recovered from his injuries and is sent back to the Dardanelles. In Alexandria, he embarked on one ship only to find its coal bunker caught fire and, as a result, the troops were disembarked. After some delay they are re-embarked on SS Vaderland (later renamed Southland).

The Service Record below records him embarking for Gallipoli on 14 June and re-joining his battalion on 20 June. This only tells some of the story.

The troops were embarked on one (unknown) ship (14 June) then shortly after disembarked before leaving Alexandria. Later (date unknown) they were embarked on another ship, HMT Southland. The ship steamed across the Mediterranean to Mudros Harbour on the island of Lemnos. Athol writes that they will be put ashore at Gallipoli on the evening he is writing the letter (18 June).

The SS Vaderland was a relatively modern ship. Launched in 1900. She was a passenger ship of the Red Star Line and sailed under a British flag taking about 800 passengers from the United Kingdom to the United States. She was renamed Southland (Service Record above shows this ship as Southland) in 1915 as apparently Vaderland sounded too German. Later in that year she was taken over as a troop ship and used in the Dardanelles campaign. She could carry about 1,400 troops during these short voyages. Although not in the open sea for long, these trips were not without danger. In September 1915 Southland was torpedoed by UB-14 and limped back to Mudros Harbour with 1,400 troops aboard. She was eventually sunk in 1917 by UB-70 during an Atlantic crossing, with only four lives lost.

http://canadianexpeditionaryforce1914-1919.blogspot.com.au/2014_08_01_archive.html

There are a couple of things to note in Athol's letter. There is no stamp on the envelope as it is marked 'On Active Service No Stamps Available'. The post mark in Melbourne is 4 August 1915 which suggests about a 7 week transit. The letterhead is 'SS Vaderland'.

The transcript is below.

The text of Athol's letter:

18 June 1915

Dear Mater 

I didn't leave Alexandria on Sunday as I thought I would. We got on the boat but her coal-bunkers caught fire so we all had to get off. We came aboard this boat on Monday which, by the way, is a palace compared to the one we were on on Sunday, but we lay out in the harbour until Tuesday evening. We got here at daybreak this morning, as ships are not allowed to enter or leave this harbour (Mudros Harbour) during the night. I believe we are going across to the mainland tonight but I don't know for certain. 

I hope I get some letters there but I suppose they will all have been sent back to Alexandria by now. 

We have had a piquet of 100 men, 50 forward and 50 aft, on duty the whole way over in case of attack by submarine, though of course nothing happened. I believe about six more of old 'F' company have got commissions making about 10 altogether so far. I can't think of any news. 

Love to Aunts May, Puff and attached uncles and all enquiring friends.  

Yours lovingly
Athol

NOTE: The 4 Adams boys were very close to their aunts May and Puff (mentioned in the letter above) who helped raised them with their widowed mother, Adah - see images at http://notmentionedindispatches.blogspot.com.au/p/family-photos.html). Although both May and Puff married, neither had children of their own.