June 27, 1916
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Orders to change into our Australian uniform ready for disembarkation and the packing away of our summer drill khaki into the black kits for return to Egypt. A fairly big sea worked up during the morning and quite a number of chaps went down to it. Practically all felt somewhat unsafe, the boat pitching a good deal. Our escort the T.B.D. had a bad time, being completely buried at times and pitching and rolling to an alarming extent. Sighted land about 10 a.m. which turned out to be France.
We ran along the coast then and arrived at Marseilles about 2 p.m. The country proved to be very hilly rather bare and with jutting headlands into the sea. Several towns could be seen looking very picturesque with their red tiled roofs, but everything appeared to be lifeless. Arriving off Marseilles we first noticed the lighthouse standing well out to sea, the town beyond, extending along the shore. For some time the actual harbour could not be seen, it being an artificial one formed by a large breakwater running parallel to the shore. Accommodation very limited this perhaps being the reason for the transports coming singly.
Our escort left us when we entered the harbour and rapidly disappeared from our sight to take up no doubt more of the tiring work of patrolling. The chief object of interest noticed in the town from afar is a large church with a golden figure on its highest point. It is built on a high hill and looks down upon the surrounding town. The island standing in front of the town appeared to be well fortified, but is probably obsolete. An appearance of lifelessness was to be soon everywhere just sufficient being done to keep things going. Women were employed on the wharves with the men doing most of the light work. My first impression of Marseilles is that it is not so large a place or important as I imagined it was, the harbour being especially disappointing.