Dr Jessie Gray, sister of Mr Milner Gray of Luton, who has offered her services to the Baptist Medical Mission and is working in the Dholpur Hospital, India, writes of her experiences in a letter to the Rev C. Evelyn-Charlesworth and the friends at Wellington Street Baptist Church, Luton.

"I went to Boulogne and Marseilles by the special P&O train, which saved an immense amount of trouble. We had a convoy of two torpedo destroyers and five submarines from Folkestone to Boulogne, and the little dancing torpedo destroyers looked very pretty as the waves dashed over them.

"The reason of the convoy was we had crowds of soldiers and officers and Red Cross people on board. The train was so full that there were two 'diners' on it, and the car was nearly full of military men.

"We went on board the *Caledonia on Saturday evening, but we did not leave until the Sunday. All port holes were covered with black paper, the curtains drawn and only one electric light was allowed in the cabin. The run to Malta was quick, and we were there in two days.

"The second day after we left Malta a flag went up, and the lady sitting next to me said, 'We are saluting somebody," so we stood up to see, and in the far distance there came four warships. Suddenly one of them changed her course and came rapidly towards us, and we changed over and went to meet her.

"We knew that a Marconigram had come, and the ship that came towards us was a pretty little torpedo destroyer. The semaphore message was, 'The crew of HMS Devon wish good luck and a pleasant voyage to the captain, crew and passengers of the Caledonia'. We then hurried off, as we were warned that danger was about.

"From Malta to Port Said we took a zig-zag course, keeping out of sight of land all the time. We had on board the gunners of the SS R-----, whom we had rescued, and they with the gun and rafts were removed at Port Said to the home-going ships.

"In the [Suez] Canal many soldiers called to us. 'Who are you and where are you going?' and enquiries were shouted as to what battalions they belonged, many men evidently finding old friends among the passengers.

"We have just arrived safely in Bombay, and I am posting this letter on to you, and will write you further particulars of my work."

[The Luton News: Thursday, June 15th, 1916]

*RMS Caledonia was sunk by a German submarine on December 4th, 1916, on a voyage from Salonica to Marseilles, with the loss of one life.