Southern Indian Ocean

These Australians are good fellows – they’re only fault being that they don’t hold their liquor very well. Most of the troops aboard have been in Africa and the Levant since the beginning of the war. They are all damn glad to get back. I hope they were given a little leave before being sent up to Northern Australia. (They weren’t.)

When we entered Perth, I failed to mention the badly battered hospital ship anchored at the harbor entrance. It was bombed at Darwin – one bomb landing beside it and bashing a lot of side plates, well another bomb lit amidships just aft of the bridge. It went down two decks before exploding. The bridge itself is a complete wreck, being badly burned and the whole back of it being blown in.