orned-beef; a hunk of cheese; a box of hard bread and a can of jam,
at 9:30 o'clock, Saturday morning, August 3rd, the sun was shining
and the day was waxing warm. Under full pack the command started for
the seaport of Southampton.

Romsey is seven miles Northwest of Southampton by the London and
Southwest railway, but the 311th did not take the L. & S. W. The
hob-nail limited was the official troop train and the route covered
nine miles by winding road.

It was on this hike that "Corona" became lost. David B. Koenig, the
battery clerk, was the chaperon of "Corona." But he could not carry
her all the way, so the boys took turns at carrying the precious
thing. During one of the rest-halts, however, some one left poor
little "Corona" lay by the roadside. When her disappearance was
discovered it was necessary for Lieut. Clarke to hike back several
miles and find the lost. "Corona" was the battery typewriter.

Southampton was reached at 12:30 o'clock. Stop was made at the British
rest camp at the Commons where refreshments, in addition to the cheese
and jam rations, were secured at the British Y. M. C. A. canteen. At 2
p. m. that day it started to rain and at 2:15 the regiment resumed its
march and reached the docks at 3:15 o'clock.

It was a regiment of tired soldiers who sat on their packs in the big
warehouse pier at Southampton waiting for word to go up the gang-plank
of the vessel that was to take them across the English Channel.

"The King Edward" was the name of the channel-going vessel that drew
alongside the pier late in the afternoon. It was a cute-looking boat,
just big enough to transport Battery D across the channel in comfort.
At 6:30 p. m., Battery D and 1200 other members of the 311th were
loaded on the King Edward. Everybody had a pleasant time. No space
went to waste, whatever. Some tried to sleep during the long night
that ensued while standing against a post and others tried to strap
themselves to the ceiling with their cartridge belts. In general the
scene was like unto a large meat-cooler in a butcher shop, with the
exception that the ship furnished life-preservers instead of
meat-hooks and the temperature was the extreme of zero.

Convoyed by several destroyers with piercing search lights, which
scanned the same waters that held the dead of the Hospitalship
Walrilda, which was torpedoed in the English Channel while conveying
wounded back to England, the King Edward started on its dash across
th