These fascinating descriptive passages are transcribed extracts from the diaries of Thomas F. Richards who, in 1906, was a Royal Navy Artificer (Engineer) Warrant Officer aged 30. This is the third excerpt published from his diaries. Part 1 explored his experience aboard HMS Revenge during the Battle of Jutland, 1916; Part 2 presented extracts recounting his experiences on HMS Kent on a voyage from Colombo to China in 1906. Part 3 described the arrival of HMS Kent in Hong Kong in spring 1906 and a personal ‘jaunt’ to a casino in Macau (Macao) with a shipmate and two friends. based in Hong Kong. We have also published three separate articles on the extraordinary sketches in his diaries.
These extracts are drawn from HMS Kent’s cruise in the spring of 1907 to Singapore where the Duke of Connaught (Queen Victoria’s third son) was received on board. From there they sailed via Sunda Strait past the newly formed volcanic island of Krakatoa southwards to Christmas Island, a British possession since 1888, on to the Keeling (Cocos) islands, Pulo Weh and Penang before travelling back to Hong Kong via Malacca, Singapore and Borneo.
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