He was told to await the arrival of a French trawler, but as the hours went by and no trawler arrived, he wirelessed again this urgent appeal: Refugees include three women liable give birth any moment, Please advise" And he was told: "Adequate nursing staff on trawler postpone delivery if possible." M.
Meanwhile, the Commander decided that something ought to be done for the squawling, ragged infants, who were all extremely dirty. Parade all married men at once, he ordered. Selected men were each allotted two babies and a tin bathtub and informed that bath parade was at four bells. Amid a strange Spanish chorus, the washing began.
A play-pen was built abaft the torpedo tubes amidships, and there the married men took their watches instead of at their usual stations Naval Kit The children's rags were discarded, and they were fitted out in a strange assortment of naval garments.
At dawn the first baby was born, Then came the message from the flagship: Regret trawler, gone aground. Regret no further assistance possible. If very urgent, proceed nearest port, disembark pregnant women, Otherwise proceed Marseilles with all refugees. Good Luck. A few moments later the second baby was born.
The Commander, reassured by the apparent ease end simplicity of the births, decided to steam direct for Marseilles, But it was sixteen hours before the third baby cried its entry into life and the whole ship's company wished that they had put into the first port available.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.