transcribed from the original notebook
by Lawrence M Barker BA(Hons), MCIWEM
Part 3
All such thoughts went through my mind until suddenly we were alongside the huge bulk of the dreadnought'DVILI.' She towered over us in majestic might with hundreds of her complement standing at points of vantage everywhere to view the scene, even in the crow's nest I could see three of them, and with slight trepidation I noticed a party of them assembled on the roof of the for'ard upper turret, fully armed. Yes, I thought, where is that battle fleet?
A gangway was lowered from the 'DVILI' and our Commander sprang aboard and returned the Italian senior officer's salute before moving up onto the quarter deck. We followed in our separate parties, carrying our equipment in between lines of Italian matelôts formed up on the quarter deck. We formed up on the starb'rd side opposite them, surreptitiously glancing about us, noting the different methods of doing routine jobs. We studiously avoided ever looking directly at the Italian sailors, for we had been instructed not to fraternise, but to do this, that and the other! Just how wrong that dictum proved to be, in my case, was proven aboard another ship. In the meantime we were 'under way'- it wasn't until a few minutes had passed that I realised the ludicrousness of the situation, and irony too, looking at it from their point of view!. Here we were, about 20 strong, being taken for a ride in the pride of the Italian Navy, and what's more, enjoying it. We proceeded at about 15 knots for a few miles up the coast until we reached our anchorage outside St Thomas's Bay.
When the motor-launch did arrive to take us to the next ship, I observed that flags at least fly bravely, as was in the case of this huge unit of the Italian Navy. The tricolour and fascist emblem were displayed to their full by the stiff evening breeze, which by this time had come upon us - the whole scene was laid out in panoramic radiance, clothed in the crimson glory of the setting sun that appeared reluctant to settle for the night behind those legion peaks.
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