The eighth and final installment of Annie’s diary…

We left Lisbon on the 11^th of March 1901, the weather being clear and fine we had a nice view passing down the river of the King’s Palace and the royal yacht. We saluted the men of war as we passed and they returned the compliment.

We passed several ships and steamers which had put into Lisbon for stress of weather – one I saw had all her boats smashed up. The first day we had head winds and were afraid we were in for a rough trip round but after the wind died off the sea was quite smooth and pleasant. Crossing the Bay of Biscay we passed four of H B M battle ships going south. We saluted them and they returned the salute.

On the 14^th March I thought we were going to have a fatal ending to our trip – one of the men fell down the hatch a distance of about 30 feet. His face is cut rather badly but as far as we can ascertain there is no other injury. Fortunately we are within a day’s journey of our destination so if he should be injured more that we can see he will soon be able to get medical advice. We are thankful he was not killed as he might have been falling that distance on to the bare deck of the hold.

I think I had better close this up now as Jack has just shown me the light on Wolf Rock off the Lands End, so if all goes well we hope to be in Swansea tomorrow mid-day and I shall be too busy packing up to write in the morning. It seems a long time since I left home – eight months all but a week – and I am longing to see my baby again; the trip has been a very very pleasant one. We have seen a great many strange sights and covered many thousands of miles and have found it a wonderful world. It has impressed upon me the greatness and goodness of God who created all these things – the lofty mountains, the beautiful trees and plants, the sea and all its wonderful life, and yet who looks after and guards every individual child of His. Ought we not to love him and serve him better than we have in the past?

A.F.W.
March 14^th 1901

(To the Editor of the Western Daily Press)
SS Menantic, of Bristol, Port of Lisbon, Portugal, Monday Dec 18^th

Sir, Enclosed please find cheque for £11.3s subscribed by the master, officers, engineers, and crew of above Bristol ship, on behalf of the Bristol Lord Mayor’s fund in aid of the wives and children of our Reservists who may be in need.

Yours truly
Hy. J WOODS, Master
P.S. I shall be obliged if you will kindly acknowledge same in the columns of your paper.

“We mentioned yesterday that our Shilling Fund had received a contribution of a hundred shillings from New York. The list today contains another gratifying contribution, of 223 shillings from Lisbon.  This sum has been sent to us by Captain H J Woods, on behalf of himself and the Officers, Engineers, and Crew of the s.s. Menantic. The events of the war show that the Lord Mayor’s Fund will need greatly strengthening if we are to meet on an adequate scale the requirements of the wives and families of the men who have been withdrawn from this locality.”