Flemington-Kensington Church News, February 1918

Corp. Jas. J. McElhinney, 17th Coy. Anzac Light Railways, sailed per the "Ballarat" on 19th February, 1917. He gives a very graphic account of that ship off the English coast——" I was below when the explosion came .... a chap came down the stairs six steps at a time and untied his life-belt off the gun rack . . . I said to him "What's up with you?" but he did not reply .... I knew we were in for it, and waited for the crash which came a few seconds later. There was no panic. Someone shouted "they have got one into us: grab your life-belts, boys."  The whole of the story should be narrated, but space forbids. The submarine tried to get in another torpedo. Cruisers and destroyers were quickly on the scene. Boats and rafts had been lowered. Special praise is paid by our soldier to the Captain of the "Ballarat."

In a recent letter he says :—"We are engaged in hauling ammunition to the big gun batteries and camped a couple of miles behind the front line trenches. We occasionally get into warm corners as Fritz shells us every opportunity. His planes come over and try to bomb us, but our anti-aircraft guns drive them back. Some of my mates have paid the full sacrifice and will never return to work on the Victorian Railways. "