Aug 3rd Monday

Last night we went aboard the 'Grenville' a brand-new destroyer, by tender. Everyone very nice to us. Lt Comm. [Lieutenant Commander] Evans asked me to sign Claudius which he had with him. Made an exception. He invited me to bridge. Saw anti-aircraft guns & various gadgets. Old fashioned chart and sliding rule for course. Women[RG] Officers[RG] cleared out of cabins for women. Men slept on collision mats with 1 blanket apiece on deck. Refugees from Mahon had been on board since yesterday. Bully beef, ships biscuits, lime juice. Today to Ibiza, to pick up more. Captain & interpreter went ashore to round them up. Here all day. Bathed over the side twice borrowing shorts from Lieut[RG] Evans. Got to know Eric Tattersall who had Malta fever, & Sjaenke Waltison, Czech. Monsieur George, the French fossil collector & his numerous family. Lady Shepherd & Mrs Starkie queening it. Slept tonight under 4.7 inch gun. 150 refugees or so.

Hands Referenced

    • Annotation: ink correction
    • Character: regular
    • Ink: black

Places Mentioned

  • Mahon

    Minorca, Balearic Islands, Spain
    Capital city of Minorca KG

  • Ibiza

    Balearic Islands, Sp
    One of the three larger islands in the Balearic Archipelago (with Majorca and Menorca). Popular tourist destination. eds

People Mentioned

  • Evans

    Evans, Lieutenant Commander
    of the British destroyer, HMS Grenville; admired RG's work eds.

  • Tattersall

    Tattersall, Eric
    RG met on board the HMS Grenville eds. see Diary August 3 & 5, 1936
  • Waltison, Sjaenke
    Czech expatriate who R.G. met while evacuating Majorca.

  • Monsieur George

    Monsieur George (French fossil collector)
    French fossil collector RG

  • Lady Shepherd

    Shepherd, Lady
    ? Seems to have lived in Formalutx...There is a reference to her in "The Greater Aphrodisiad" by Charles J.L. Elwell, London 1995. WG

  • Starkie

    Starkie, Mrs
    wife of Walter Starkie the author KG

Organizations Mentioned

  • HMS Grenville

    HMS Grenville
    British destroyer upon which LR, RG, KG, and AH escaped Majorca eds. see Diary August 3, 1936

Bibliography

    • Title: I, Claudius [novel]
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: London
    • Publisher: Arthur Barker
    • Idno: A42
    • Date: 1934