Port Melbourne
Friday October 2 1914 - S.S. Rangatiara
I am on Pier Guard tonight. I have three men stationed at the entrance to
the Pier. Our duty is to stop all
persons coming on without a pass and to let nobody off without one. There is also an Infintry Guard here
also. They are stationed about 20 yards
from us and last night one of them shot at one of our men from the boat. It was his own fault. The sentery challenged him and he didn't stop
so the sentery shot at him and he went like a rabbit. I will be on guard till 8.30 am. Tomorrow morning we get our meals sent down
to us from the ship. The Prisoners and
Men on Guard are the first to get meals or should be, so the book says. There is no leave granted yet but I will try
and get into town first chance I get to get some things I kneed. Plenty of rumours going around the boat, you
can't believe anything when you hear it.
Only three weeks later, a similar incident at the Port Melbourne
Pier took a more serious turn, resulting in a sailor being shot
multiple times by a Sentry.
[Courtesy of the National Library of Australia]
Friday 2nd October
Two picket lines fixed for Horses and horses
properly arranged on same. Large fatigue party on following duties: - Cleaning
Horse stalls, hosing cocoanut matting & sweeping pier. Four detachments at
Gun drill. Parties fitting up Harness and teaming horses. Col Hobbs and Major
& Mrs Anderson visited boat. Conferred with Col Hobbs re Capt McGee’s
conduct concerning harness. Decided to send Major Hughes and Adjutant to
Broadmeadows to adjust same. Received letter from Alvord. Capt Louden suggested
his company might provide a piano for the ship, and promised to use his best
endeavours to get one.
Captain William Terence McGee of the 1st Division Ammunition
Column (aboard the A22 Rangatira) - responsible for surreptitiously
"borrowing" harnesses from the 7th Battery's holdings.
[Courtesy of Australian War Memorial - A03101]
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