Sidney D. Light's WWI Diary, Postcards & Letters, 329th Battery Book Accounts

Nothing special to write about. Have a canteen on board that is run by the ship’s crew. They are highway robbers. Also have a YMCA on board. Met several ships going back to God’s country empty or without convoy. Heard one of them open fire on something last night Aug 8th.

Met our convoy of destroyers this evening. There are about 30 of them and they are on all sides of us. Some Yank & some British chasers and destroyers. A large ship was sunk not far from where we were last night. Our wireless operator received S.O.S. call. It was empty going back to U.S. Expect to be in sight of land tomorrow.

Woke up this a.m. within sight of the coast of Iceland. We are in the most dangerous part of the sea now and the convoy is busy roaming and scouting around us. Land sure looked good this a.m. and I hope we don’t lose sight of it again. Passed through a channel between Scotland & Ireland and on the Scottish side a great cliff rose out of the water and the reflections from the sun on the rocks was beautiful. For the last four nights there has been an order for one to undress and to keep lifesavers on at all times. I have spent most of the time on deck.

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For more information on the trip across the Atlantic see 'Over the Pond'  click here 

or the Barrage Book entry   click here

(for map of Liverpool to Birmingham click here)

(for map of Birmingham to Southampton click here)

Woke up this a.m. with our good ship steaming down the river toward Liverpool. Reached port at 9:00 a.m. and it is a great city. Landed at 11 a.m. and marched up one of the main streets amid cheers to the midland R R Station and had coffee and cookies served to us. Also were given King’s greeting which I sent home. Then we pulled out for no one knows where. In my compartment was Loetz., Zoltowski, Dreyfus, F.C. Williams, Rafferty & [I and] Kobal. English trains are nice to ride in. Comfortable cushions and wonderful roadbeds. Scenery too was wonderful. Pretty farms with large stone buildings. Land divided by stone fences. Crops are about the same as in U.S. except that there are no corn or beans. In the cities people are crowded into terraces as there are no single houses. They are built close to the streets and have no back yards.

We passed through Manchester Derby where we had cookie and sandwiches, Kingsbury, Birmingham, Cheltenham, Swindon, Andover and at 9:30 p.m. pulled into South Hampton. We unloaded, put on our packs and struck out through the dark streets. No lights are allowed in this part of England and searchlights are flashing through the sky all night long. They were expecting an air raid tonight.

We had an awful march to a camp way across the town and this was the most tiresome trip or hike I have had so far. Nearly had to drop out. Practically nothing to eat all day long made it worse. After about an hour we hit this camp and it sure is some place. We sleep on cement floors and eat nothing (This is the English ration). Took our mess kits and went to a mess hall at 12 o’clock midnight for a light lunch. One small piece of cheese, 1 small slice of bread and ½ cup tea, then went back to the barracks to sleep. Big day & a hard one.