The diary of Petty Officer Ernest Cobb covers the year 1921-2, and describes the commissioning of a new warship, HMS Raleigh at Devonport. The entries contain almost daily mentions of his new wife, Alice, and her letters to him. The voyage takes Cobb to Bermuda, up the St Lawrence to Montreal before returning to the West Indies and travelling to the West Coast and as far north as Vancouver. His prowess as a good shot is mentioned again as he tied with RSM Perry, late Kings Prize winner. The birth of their son is anxiously awaited, then greeted with delight. Eventually the incident which ended Raleigh’s career is described with typical understatement: At 4.30 pm in avoiding an iceberg, done our best to knock spots of Canada (on Labrador). What one would term an exciting finale.
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