Ramanujan’s letter to his mother dated September 11, 1914.

When they reached the town of Port Said, the War commenced. Unknowingly they had sailed in the enemy ship. Their intention was to travel in an Austrian ship, get down at Austria and reach here by train. But while nearing Port Said, the crew of the English ship fired in the air to stop the ship and reveal its identity. Providentially, the ship stopped as it carried no guns. If the men of the ship had also fired, the ship would have been shot and sunk. The ship was captured and all the persons in the ship were taken prisoners and transported to Alexandria and the ship was seized. The people coming from our country and the Englishmen were put in another ship and sent here. These two youngsters reached after escaping this danger.