This is a guest post from the diary of Leading Seaman Arthur Hawes.

Woke up about 4 o/c, & started off for a march of four miles to Holst. Here we got in a train & went to Terneuzen. Marched from the station through the town to the quay. Here we were fed with bread & butter & coffee. After this breakfast, we took steamer down the river to Flushing. Here we found a large railway shed ready for us, & after each of us had received a loaf & some straw to lie on, we turned in. This was about 4 o/c & at 10 o/c we were roused & told we were to go on a railway journey but where to we did not know. We boarded the train & started a fourteen hour journey which finally landed us at Groningen in the North of Holland. As we reached the large stations on our way, the train stopped & we received coffee & bread from willing officials on the platform. We were especially glad of the coffee as it warmed us up.