ON BOARD ss. YASUKUNIMARU (NYK)[1] CROSSING BAY OF BISCAY, 28.3.39

Yasukuni is 11, 950 tons. Do not yet know, but from the vibrations[2] judge that she is a motor-ship. Apart from the bridge, only 3 decks above water-level. Cabins and other appointments pretty good, but certain difficulties in that entire[3] crew and personnel are Japanese and apart[4] from the officers the majority do not speak much English. Second-class fare Casablanca-London £6.10. As the boat normally goes straight to London from Gibraltar & on this occasion went out of her way to deliver a load of tea, fare from Gilbraltar would probably be the same. P. & O. tourist class is £6.10 London-Gibraltar. Food on this ship slightly better than on the P. & O. & service distinctly better, but the stewards here have the advantage that the ship is almost empty. Facilities for drinking not so good, or for deck games, owing to comparatively restricted space.
Do not know what the accomodation° for passengers would be, but presumably at least 500. At present there are only 15 in the second class, about 12 in the third, & evidently not many in the 1st, though I don’t know how many. One or two of the 2nd & 3rd classes are Danes or other Scandinavians, one or two Dutch, the rest English, including some private soldiers who got on at Gibraltar. It appears that for its whole voyage the ship has been as empty as this. Since the Chino-Japanese war English people from the far east will not travel on the Japanese boats. All the P. & O. boast said to be crowded out in consequence.
Run of the ship during the last 24 hours 378 miles. This was in pretty good weather conditions. Left Casablanca 4pm on 26.3.39, & allowing for waiting for tides etc. in London river should apparently dock on evening of 30th or morning of 31st. (morning of 30th) (in dock about 9am = 87 hours Casa-dock.)[5]
Ship gives out cyclostyled sheet of news every day. Movies occasionally (have not seen them yet.)
In Casablanca went to the pictures, & saw films making it virtually certain that the French Gov.t expects war. The first a film on the life of a soldier, following up all the different branches & with some very good shots of the inner arrangement of the Maginot line. This film had evidently been hurriedly constructed & went into much greater detail than is normal in films of this kind. The other was the Pathé news gazette, in which the announcer gave what was practically a political speech denouncing Germany. Then more shots of British & French troops etc. The significant point was the attitude of the audience – utterly unenthusiastic, hardly a clap, & a few hostile comments.
This time all French people are convinced it is war. A number began talking to us spontaneously about it, all deploring the prospect (eg. in one or two cases, “It does no good to us, it’s only the rich who profit out of it”, etc., etc.), though sometimes describing Hitler as a “salaud.”
A.R.P. (ie F.A.P.A.C.) notices, calling for volunteer helpers, posted in Marrakech for the first time about 20th March. According to Madame M., whose son is at St Cyr, even the cadets there do not want war, though ready for it, of course.

[1]NYK] N.Y.K.
[2] vibrations] vibration
[3] entire] the entire
[4] Orwell typed his handwritten diary as far as the word ‘apart.’ The rest of the diary exists only in handwritten form. The point at which typing should resume is marked in the manuscript with the figure 20 – the number of the next page to be typed.
[5] (morning of the 30th…Casa-dock.)] a later addition.