“Details of the sinking of the ambulance transport Warilda of 7713 tons, one of the Adelaide S.S. Co's fleet show that it ranks amongst the worst of the German outrages. A large proportion of the 600 persons aboard were cot cases. She was attacked in mid-channel early on Saturday morning in black darkness. By the greatest good luck the Warilda kept afloat long enough to allow the great majority to be transferred into lifeboats and later to destroyers, which were promptly on the scene. The torpedo wiped out one ward. Latest reports state that between 90 and 100 were drowned in the eye ward owing to the inrush of water. The ship was listing seriously, but the rescue work was smartly carried out. A member of the crew states that nearly all were asleep below. The force of the explosion stupefied for a moment the crew on deck; nevertheless all were quickly at their stations. The worst feature at the outset was that none, knew whether the ship would sink immediately. Everyone did what he could for the helpless soldiers. The vessel floated for about two hours. The survivors are not sure whether the Warilda was twice torpedoed. Three of the engine-room staff (including Third Engineer Milne) and four stewards are missing. The Admiralty reports: The homeward-bound ambulance transport Warilda was torpedoed and sunk on Saturday. One hundred and twenty-three persons are missing, including seven of the crew. The Warilda rescue work was extremely difficult and hazardous, owing to the explosion carrying away the companion-way. The eye ward was smashed to bits, and it was almost impossible to succour the blind and semi-blind men, who groped about in darkness and in swirling water until carried off their feet and drowned. … Advice has been received that the four new Zealanders included in the casualty list as missing, believed to be drowned, were victims of the German attacks on the hospital ship Warilda. The names of the men are : Private ARNOLD H. TEMPERLEY (Mrs E. A. Temperley, Palmerston North, wife). Private J. J. KNOX (Mrs R, Knox, Hospital road, Wellington, wife). Private J. J. McGRATH (Mrs J. McGrath, Windsor place, Wellington, mother). Private J. EVERETT' (Mrs W. J. Bryce, Invercargill, sister).” [Otago Witness, Issue 3361, 14 August 1918, Page 21]

On 3 August 1918, she was transporting wounded soldiers from Le Havre, France to Southampton when she was torpedoed by the German submarine UC-49^. This was despite being marked clearly with the Red Cross; as with a number of other hospital ships torpedoed during the war, Germany claimed the ships were also carrying arms.

The ship sank in about two hours, and of the 801 persons on board, 123 died when the Warilda sank.  Her wreck lies in the English Channel. [Wikipedia]