Diary No.2 of Rupert Major Downes, 15 May - 25 September 1915 - Part 3

loafed in afternoon.  Heard of Sid
Campbell's death on previous day.
Operated on varicocoele & hydrocoele in am.
Bed late
16.7.15.  Mauretania came in: heard news
of French & Russian successes? Fry went
back.  Cable from Mrs White.
Went long walk (10-11) miles to N.E. to
beach c̄ Stacey where had good 
swim.  Read in evening.
17.7.15. To Telegraph office & then
N^o 1 Stationy H. in morning.  Read all
afternoon. Walk c̄ Jock to sea LtCol.
Beckwith in p.m.  Levy to dinner.
Slept badly.  McKie returned from Beamish
18.7.15. Sunday.  Empress of Britain came
in.  Col. Bean came to feed c̄ us.
Looked round generally in a.m. Rested all
afternoon.  Dinner c̄ Jock at No 1 L.H. 

very pleasant, Col. Thomas & Mjr Newton
N.Z. Mounted F.A. there.  To Telegraph office
in a.m. c̄ Jock & Pender & sent reply in
afternoon to Mrs White's cable.  Fry came
back.
19.7.15. Aberdeen too sick to work - in bed.  Did
his wards.  Ride c̄ Pender in aft. to N. of
island which much enjoyed & saw pretty
forts - saw in Kharos.  C. Des Hayes to dinner
(9009).  Operations in even.  Heard Bulgaria
20.7. had declared war on Turkey.
20.7.15. Greek parliament meets.  Doing wards
& enquiry in a.m.  Some work in afternoon
& rest. Read Wrote in evening.  Aberdeen v. sick
Pender went back to Anzac.  Dust & wind
21.7.15.  Very cold in early a.m. Letter 36 to
Doris & cuttings.  Dust & wind.  Did wards in
a.m.  Loafed most of afternoon & then swim
to N^o 1 S.H. in evening for few minutes &
read & bed.  Slept badly 

22.7.15. Thursday. Still strong N. wind & much dust.
Went out to Mauretania c̄ Jock & Fry: saw
Greek volunteers embarking onto French
T.B.Ds. & monitor come in & Transylvania.
Tasted butter.  Operated in p.m.
23.7.15. Very dusty & windy day but
uneventful.  Read in afternoon &
short walk c̄ Jock onto little island.
Over to 2^nd S.H. in even & had yarn c̄  
Mjr. Barber on pier
24.7.15. Aberdeen & Fry to base - wonder
when will see former again; only 3 of
us left & 200 patients & the unit.
Wrote in afternoon.  Lieut. Mailliard (French
2^nd Infantrie Zouaves round in afternoon
for yarn - very interesting.  Told about
75, 90, 105, 240 & 360 mm. guns of shortening
line & going to Asiatic side, of 7000 reinforcements
going up yesterday, of reply ready for possible 

Turk gas attacks, of value of Senegalese ŝ
officers, why French left Asiatic side
on 1^st attack, what would happen when
French get near German towns & if were
to get Crown Prince:  Views as to sudden
ending of Turkish & whole war by
October & value of munitions & rotten
kind of war this is. Spoke of attack by
Turks at present & Bulgars attacking
Greece, of Paris the day peace proclaimed.
Most interesting.  Capt. Walker R.A.M.C.
26^th B.F.A. to dinner: some work in
theatre after.
25.7.15. Sunday  Went for ride in
afternoon c̄ Cave on horses lent to
us from 13^th Division. Mine got gripes
badly so returned from beyond
French camp at N. of harbour.
White arrived & c̄ Capt Scovell.  Went 

out onto Kingstonian c̄ them in
night & brought back mail.  French
sentry bailed us up (Jock & I).  Got
Doris' 23 c̄ others.  Bed late.  206 patients.
26.7.15.  Went onto Arragon in
afternoon to see D.D.M.S.: met Riggall.
White & 6 men arrived to join unit
in am.  Col Beckwith to dinner.
Some writing in evening.  Full
moon & beautiful 2 days & nights.
27.7.15. Handed over B. section wards
to White & supervised generally.  Went
for walk ride in afternoon c̄ Jock after
some work over hills to E. & to beach
Wrote letters in a.m. (D.37?)
28.7.15. Wednesday. Buzzed about generally
& over at both S.Hs. Worked in afternoon
& evening. Letters from Alec lost. & Beamish.
Less dust in day.  Hampshires went back

29.7.15.  Tummy a bit off.  General look
round in morning c̄ some writing &
reading.  Ditto in afternoon as felt
slack.  To N^o 1 & 2 S.H. in evening for
few minutes each.  Leary & C^o. arrived.
Read & talked to Abbott & Trotter
30.7.15. Met Leary & Brennan bathing.
Worked more or less all day: Col. Merrington
(padre) came in aft. Did appendix in evening
Col. Thomas & Abbot here.  Started an ear & nose clinic.
N^o 3 Genl Hosp. arrived in harbor: Jock called
31.7.15. Worked generally in am. & over to
N^o 1 & 2 S.H. & saw Sawers. Out to Aragon c̄
Ted in aft. & had tea c̄ Dorgan: met Sherwin,
Stawell on pier going home who had been to
see us. Did empyema of gall bladder in p.m
1.8.15. Sunday  Dusty.  Went out in morning to Simla
to see N^o 3 Genl Hospital & spent all day
c̄  them & back in night.  Greatly enjoyed 

myself yarning to Sherwin, Maclure
Upjohn & Stawell & getting all the news but
they were rather pessimistic about the
war immediate prospects.
2.8.15.  Rode over to see Col Forde (24^th C.C.S.) who
was out & Col Thomas NZMFA.  White & Cave
rode to Thermos: slacked & read papers
in aft.  Went out to Arragon in p.m &
found important orders had not reached
me & that my bearers were to leave for
Anzac at II a.m. tomorrow taking 1^st & 2^nd
bearers c̄ them & to get rid of our patients
Wrote Doris N^o 38 (unnumbered) & sent by Moffat
on Devanha wh. went to Malta.
3.8.15. Getting rid of patients & bearers
away.  Capts White & Cave with 39.O.R. &
almost all equipment left on PrinceAbbas El Kahira
at about 5pm. for Anzac.
Fowler arrived & up to see us in afternoon 

& for dinner. Went to 1 & 2 S.H. for few
minutes in evening.  Heard of E.G.
Anderson's death for certain some
days ago & felt bad over it as a result.
XIII^th division left for Anzac, 2 new
troop ships arrived, several hospital ships
& heavy firing heard.  Slept poorly
4.8.15 Firing heard in am.  Number of
new ships in & small ones taking troops
last p.m. returned.  Pte Roberts back &
reported our men landed at Anzac at
1.30 am.  Got stores arranged & ∧most of tents
down in morn. & aft.  Had 2 teeth
stopped at 1 S.H. & messed round generally.
Went out to Minnetonka c̄ Jock & bail
in aft. in Greek boat & then on to Turks
Head to take dog Anzac to Sherwin who
we found c̄ all his crowd bivouaced
on hill & very lost s̄ equipment & 

worthy of much smiling.  Bull came
back c̄ us for dinner & to sleep.  Lowry,
Col. Thomas, Abbott, Trotter & Bean round
at night.  Long yarn c̄ Bull. Lot more troops left for somewhere.
5.8.15. Thursday  Very dusty.  Bull went
off early in am. Fixing up things
genly in a.m. & writing letters (Doris 39)
Aspinell & Poate to see us.  Heard rumours
of X111^th division landing unopposed to N.
of Anzac, of armistice to discuss peace
& of Asiatic landing.
Saw Sawers & Gutteridge in a.m.  Read & slept
in aft. & Fowler arrived c̄ all his men
on & came into our camp to live till
we move off.  Yarned in evening c̄
Lowry & Abbott round & walk c̄ Fowler
before tea when met Fred Bird.
6.8.15. Jock & Fowler out in boat for
morning.  Sent Brookes, Stanley Boyd off on 

Sherwin & his Q.M. turned up so gave them
tents & shewed them where others were
lying by pier.  Tate turned up.  Walk c̄ Tate
in aft. to Indian F.A. (Mjr Wells).  Ride c̄ 
all 4 of us to NE. after.  Bean left for
Anzac in our absence. Abbott & Trotter
also Walker round in evening.  Much
rumours of Asiatic landings, attacks
at Anzac & silly ones of fleet running
through Narrows too.  Wrote to Robin & Father.
7.8.15. General messing about in morning
packing & fixing up things.  Saw Amoeba
of dysentery c̄ Archibald.  Aspinall up.
Slept & ride c̄ Tate & Bob in aft. to
Greek guns (24.7)American) where had
tea c̄ Capt. Horne &    R.M. Lt. Heard that
we just squatted in this island tho'
Greeks objected as transfer of it to Greece
from Turkey not then finally arranged.