The First Burial

I find this diary entry a little odd. Clearly they are barely out of Australian waters and a death has occurred. And Charles does not give any detail. I can't help wonder why?

Speculating here,..... perhaps there is a clue in his entry prior when he comments recovering from his bout of influenza....remembering the Spanish Flu epidemic at the end of WW1 kills more people than the war itself, though that's still three years a way....If Uncle Charlie has the flu there is a good chance it's rife through out the ship.....

Maybe, but if that was the case, surely the weight of that situation warranted a more detailed entry...just a bit odd

He may have written more....but it may have been censored. I would imagine a potentially deadly outbreak of illness would not be something the war office would want out as public knowledge...

Here ya go..

https://www.awm.gov.au/sites/default/files/troopships-ww1.pdf


The very last paragraph pertains to documents regarding deaths on troopships..See if you have better luck than me finding the relevant document, I've just found myself going round in internet circles for the last half hour