The following are extracts from a diary written by Albert Germaine during or about November 1918 aboard the SS Sardinia, which was en route to Australia with wounded soldiers.

'And turn out a nice sunny afternoon traybon, boat drill with lifebelts on at 3, o'clock, the meals are very good far better than the "Ballarat" you can feel the weather is getting warmer every day after we left England, the wind not so cold, "Sardinia" much nicer and cleaner, up to date, especially the wash house, every convenience new shelves, racks, kit room, all newly done up with new timber, far better boat than the "Ballarat" this boat... [had] been torpedoed and [was] all newly done up with new engines etc it is a good sea boat (Sardinia) about 120 cases of influenza and 1 death with pneumonia a Tommie, an engineer. Very rough sea and strong wind blowing. There was a Aussie who cut his throat with a razor. he done it a minute before I started to shave myself and one chap went straight up to the Doctor, 3 chaps drag him a few yards from ... the wash place. A Doctor Army Medical Corps bandaged him up and took him to the hosp[ital] he didn't cut the wind pipe. After 2 days he came out of hosp[ital], he was going to throw himself over board and half a dozen chaps got hold of him and threw him down.'

'[A] Chap and I had to keep on the watch all the time, [his] temperature was 106 deg[rees] had to put wet sheets all over him, had a terrible struggle with him, he was going to hit the Sister so we told her to get back a bit further. I got a hit in the face and the other chap was holding him too and using awful bad language in front of Sister and others. He was delirious. It is caused from all this terrible gas and brings on pneumonia, that's what they are all dying from, the gas, it is something terrible to see the poor chaps groaning in agony...
Hot day, sea calm, the boat going traybon, held the first concert last night, 3.11.18 it was traybon, got a gramophones on board, draughts, ludo and other games and playing cards...'

Albert Germaine, Diary, undated entry (possibly sometime in November 1918), SS Sardinia, en route to Australia with wounded soldiers

'... service on promenade deck before I went to work. [Quiet] night and patients all comfortable nice day, sea calm, Sardinia going along traybon and going at a good pace 13 knots per hour. There has been a lot of rows on this boat for the last three weeks over feeding us on bully beef every day, have it twice a day and rice for tea, and the Heads don't think to give you a change of fresh meat. They get all the best meals on board, don't think about the privates... I think you people in Aust will have a hard job to deal with the return soldiers when they all get back and will have their say and their own way in everything and I don't blame them we have been treated like dogs, worse than dogs, you won't get a man to enlist if there is another was, I know I won't its just like is you were in jail, worse than being in jail, we are a lot of lunatics to take this game on... . Went to sports yesterday afternoon, boxing with gloves, musical chairs with the sisters...'