Regimental Quartermaster Sgt E. Scott, 3458, 1/5th Bedfords, whose home is at Grove Road, Luton, and who has just arrived at a Cardiff hospital suffering from dysentery, came home on a hospital ship which was held up by a German submarine.

The submarine sank a steamer which was running parallel with the hospital ship, but before it had time to do anything with the latter beyond summon the officers to it with the ship's papers, a destroyer came in sight and the submarine prudently disappeared.

In a letter to a member of the Luton News/Saturday Telegraph staff, partly written on the hospital ship, RQMS Scott says: "I have had a rather interesting adventure this week. You will see I am on a hospital ship bound for England from the Dardanelles. I am coming home to recuperate for a week or two following a bad attack of dysentery etc contracted on the Peninsular.

"All went well until five days after we left Alexandria. Then about three o'clock in the afternoon we were startled to hear to shots fired. We had been running neck and neck with a 6,000-ton London steamer, and there suddenly appeared between the two vessels a German submarine. We pulled up, as we were unarmed and the submarine signalled the crew of the other vessel to leave their ship. This they did, as they were also unarmed.

"The submarine then submerged and went close to the steamer and fire six shots into her. She immediately began to settle down. Meanwhile, their boats were lowered and they began to pull towards us.

"After about ten minutes the submarine came within about 200 yards of us and signalled for a boat to be lowered. The medical officer and first mate went to the submarine with our papers. All the crew of the submarine, about 13 in all, were on deck, and the captain began to look at our papers.

"Suddenly, a tiny speck appeared on the horizon. The Germans evidently saw it and they at once gave the papers back and told them to get back to their ship as quickly as they could. All the crew went down below, the submarine submerged and off it went.

"We waited and picked up the crew of the other ship. It had sunk by that time, and I can tell you it was a sight to see her boilers burst and the ship disappear.

"About half an hour afterwards a destroyer came up - this being what we had seen on the horizon, and we signalled what had happened. What would have happened if she had not appeared I do not know, but we were all relieved when she appeared."

[The Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph: November 20th, 1915]