It seemed to me that if my son was too young to be exposed to such danger, the principle must apply equally to the son of my cook, or my butcher, or my gardener, whose boys were no less precious to them than mine was to me.
In the great band of Brothers who are fighting for their country and for the triumph of Right and Justice there can be no class distinction of values. Those who belong to the so-called “privileged classes” can lay claim only to the privilege of being leaders—first in the field and foremost at the post of danger. It is the only possible justification of their existence; and at the post of danger they have found their claim to priority hotly and gloriously contested by the splendid heroes of the rank and file.
Presumably the Navy took our boys because they were needed, and no one to-day will feel inclined to deny that those Dartmouth Cadets have abundantly proved their worth.
For the rest, if there be any merit in this record, the credit lies with the boy who provided the material from which it has been written: for any feebleness, inadequacy, or indiscretion the blame must fall on that imperfect chronicler—
His Mother
CONTENTS
| CHAP. | PAGE | |
| I | Dartmouth College | [1] |
| II | Manœuvres | [12] |
| III | The Beginning of the “Real Thing” | [24] |
| IV | We Join our Ship | [34] |
| V | Alarums and Excursions | [49] |
| VI | We Leave Home Waters | [65] |
| VII | From Egypt to Mombasa | [88] |
| VIII | The Bombardment of Dar-es-Salaam | [118] |
| IX | Ordered to the Dardanelles | [130] |
| X | In Action | [140] |
| XI | The Sinking of the Ship | [152] |
| XII | Home | [165] |