Thursday 15th February 1940

I was asleep before lights out last night. When I went on deck this morning at 6:15a.m. (it being Sidney’s turn to dash up top for two mugs of tea today) the ship was far out of sight of any land and quite alone except for it’s sister troop ship and a watchful destroyer. Things weren’t so bad today. It was distinctly less cold. I enjoyed PT exercises and Stan Ling felt much better.

7:30p.m. I’ll turn in now after I’ve cleaned up. (Yes, that bloody business is to start again!) Maybe I’ll be in my hammock by 8:15p.m. then I’ll have a Jaffa orange and read a bit, unless I get too sleepy. Perfect bedlam on the mess decks, as usual. There are two housey-housey schools in progress and the raucous voices of the gamesters echo monotonously, “Kelly’s Eye!” – “Number One!” “Thirty seven!” – “Thirty seven!”

Ends Midnight 1939/40