A Trip We Thought That Would Never Finish

7AM June 23rd. The northwest coast of Africa was sighted.  Passed thru straights 1 PM anchored in harbor of Gibraltar 3 hours.  Docked to take a supply of coal at 5 PM.  Was there to the following day.  

June 24th  After a good look at the rock of Gibraltar we set sail again.  About 4 PM amid cheers and shouts of Bon Voyage, Give Them Hell, Best of Luck and the like from our (jackirs ?) we were on our way once more to Italy, a trip we thought that would never finish.

June 26th We saw nothing out of the ordinary up to today, but about 2 PM one of our convoys, the English Destroyer, sighted something about 2 miles on our left.  She quickly left us in charge of our other convoy the little sturdy American.  She was gone for about 1/2 hour and then back in her place again.  In Genoa British jackirs claimed to have sunk a German sub.  But we were ignorant of it all as it all happened too far from sight.

June 27th about 5 AM we reached the coast of Italy.  6 AM we were in the port of Genoa.  7 AM we were in our dock.  The port looked very queer to us compared to what we had left just 2 weeks ago. We were not allowed off until sundown, with the exception of the boys that took charge of the officers baggage.  Our section was placed on guard around the dock.  Here we had all our cars and supplies strewed all over the docks, these being taken off the U.S.S. Plymouth. About 5:30 PM the boys started to come off our ship with full field equipment.  Our boys lined up in parade formation, left the dock of Genoa for a parade through the city.  This is undoubtedly the end of the story of our safe trip across the pond on the good ship U.S.S. Giuseppe Verdi as far as the rest of the boys were concerned.  But it was still in our midst for we were to guard our own supplies.  We had the privilege of using the showeres and baths while we were there.

566 Done the guarding until 5 PM Sunday June 30 when we were relieved by soe other section.  Monday 566 had the distinction of being made the Provo Guards in Genow.  I was put on the afternoon shift from 1:30 - 5--along with Dan Couston.  Our post was along the main thoroughfare of the City.

Via XX September.  It was a very nice post being cool and shady, it also was a good opportunity to see the sights of Genoa.  This job lasted 3 weeks.  Our Sect 566 left Genoa for the front as we thought on the 19th of July at 8 AM.  I was assigned as an assistant to Dan Couston on an ambulance at noon of the same day.

There will be another similar installment from your grandfather's World War I journal.  The anniversary of his early death is coming up Feb 20 and it's hard to think of him falling ill at such a young age when you see pictures like this:

It's a great gift to feel as though we can get to know him a little better through his journal, pictures and trinkets.  How lucky you all are to have had someone document so well!

And one more treat from this album in light of Valentine's Day: