Diary No.6 of Rupert Major Downes, 13 June - 24 August 1917 - Part 3

division rest camp.  Back for
dinner.
2.7.17. Worked in am. & over
to Desert Column in aft to see
Genl Chauvel &had satisfactory
time.
3.7. 17. Worked &wrote all day
except for walk over to Receiving
Station in evening.
4.7.17. Wednesday. Wrote letters
most of day. For the Port Sydney
have written to Doris 0 to 4, Father,
Helen, Robin, Eileen H. & Rosemary.
Also to Bank of A'sia & Public Trustee
& Chamberlins & Allen I think.
Cable from D. that going to
Singapore yesterday - so glad she is getting
that route.
Law & Kirkwood came. In all
aft. except for walk over to 

Clearing station. Law & Kirkwood
to dinner & walked back c̄ them
after to Receiving station.
Reconnaissance by Austn Bde
c̄ 1^st & N.Z Bdes - few casualties
Total eclipse of moon.
5.7.17.  Worked in a.m. Rode into
Khan Yunus c̄ Hercus & took photos
& then to see Sutton at Sanitary
section & for tea c̄ Stansfield
at A.S.C. Rode over to beach
& had dinner c̄ White at  2^nd L.H.F.A.
Came home by moe Rest Camp
in moonlight. Wrote M^rs Robb
6.7.17. Moved camp over to
Faya going to 22^nd M.F. Amb
& Camel amb. on way. Had
yarn c̄ Cave & worked in aft
& evening
7.7.17.  Worked & wrote wrote to D. 

N^o 5 & Aberdeen. Rode c̄ Farr
to see Receivg station at Shellal
junction. Worked in aft.
Ted White & Hudson to see me.
Worked in p.m.
8.7.17.  Sunday.  Up at 0500 & moved
out at 0600 for a reconnaissance
towards Wadi Imlich to by the
C in C. our division covering
him.  Had a dressing station
at Karim & D.H.Q. at Kh. Khassif.
Got there at 0830 & C. in C. did
not arrive till 1515. Good deal
of shelling by Turks but we
had 2 60pdrs. out which claimed
to have settled a Turk battery in
the morning. A longish & rather
warm day. We had only 4 slight
casualties. Drove over in
motor ambulance to meet 2^nd 

L.H.F.A. returning sand carts & then
in by Shellal crossing of the
Wadi Ghuzzee to N.Z Receiving
station. Went back in car
later to 2^nd L.H.F.A. & then tried
to drive back to D.H.Q. but car
got struck so got out & walked
home;  took the wrong line &
c̄ cloudy moon could not see
any landmarks so got well
lost & could only find Tommies
who never know where anything
is & did not know if I was in or
outside the wire. Finally after
ringing up Hercus to get position
on map got home at 0115
wet through c̄ perspiration.
9.7.17.  Worked all a.m. & in
aft. went for a ride to 7^th
Regt. & then down to Wadi c̄ 

Law & Kirkwood. Got letters
from Father, Mrs Robb & Allen.
Wrote to Kent Hughes
10.7.17. Worked a big morning.
Rode out c̄ Ryrie in aft. down
S. to Shauth & then to Gainli
Worked in p.m.
11.7.17.  Wednesday.  Worked all a.m.
Rode over to D.A.D.O.S. Sanitary
section & then to N.Z. Receiving
station c̄ Hercus & Sutton &
then along Wadi to see water
arrangements & up Fara.
Worked in p.m.
Wrote to Bertie. Got cable
from D. sent & arrived on 8^th
from Singapore; very glad to
see she was going on by a
Dutch boat.
Good news of Russians & German political
row & damage by bombing at Essen 

12.7.17.  D. on Mongolia should have
arrived at Melbourne instead of
which she is probably at Java.
Worked in office in morn. &
wrote to Nicholas.
Rode over to 3^rd L.H. Bde. & had yarn
c̄ Dangar whom I was glad to
see again then to 3^rd L.H.F.A. where
met Cave & talked to Fraser & C^o.
Went & had dinner c̄ Cave at
his merry & vulgar mess &
talked to Dixon. Then over
to part of 1^st Amb. for some
time yarning before bed.
13.7.17. Talked to Rosewarne
for a bit (our bacteriologist) then
rode to see D.D.M.S & had usual
interminable yarn c̄ him.
Lunch c̄ Dixon at Austn Mtd
Divn H.Q. & talked to Billy Hughes 

who is acting as G.S.O. II there.
Went over & saw Bob Fowler
at his amb. in aft. who
still wants to go to Cairo for
a job: also Arnold who is
now c̄ Fowler in the field &
doubtful how he likes it.
Went back to camp after &
worked in evening lightly.
14.7.17. Worked all a.m. Talked
to Evans in aft. about A.I.F. - he
is going to Cairo to take Dawson's
job.  Went for short walk
before dinner.  Bed early
Sunday 
15.7.17.  Started N^o 6 to D.  Worked
all a.m. & rode to 1^st L.H.F.A. &
to X.Y. & Z. works at Ghabi held
by Auckland M.R.  Tired in
evening & bed early after
some work. 

16.7.17. Sunday Worked hard all a.m.
Hercus went to beach in aft
yesterday. McLaren & Hudson in
in aft. for much discussion
Rode down to see N.Z.M.F.H.
Worked hard in p.m.
17.7.17. Worked hard all a.m.
After lunch down to have teeth
fixed by Lambert at 2^nd L.H.F.A. &
talked to Single till 1800 after.
Worked in evening & had a read.
18.7.17. Wednesday. Worked hard all
a.m. & bit in aft. & had a read.
Then rode over to see Sutton &
Trotter & then up to Hescia & felt
quite joyful coming home &
thought I was healthy in spirit
once more & going to enjoy life here
as before; however when I got back
I was met by a wire from Chauvel 

to say at old Maher's request he had
agreed to Dawson staying on at
Cairo & that knocked the wind
out of my sails & worried me a
lot for the rest of the night & made
me worr think all sorts of foolish
things. Its bust up all my
arrangements for A.A.M.C. men &
I dont see how I'm going to fix
things unless C. will listen to me.
Wrote a cursing letter to Dawson.
19.7.17. An exciting & busy day
as the Turks were close in c̄ some
guns on a busy foggy a.m. &
shelling.  5 bombs dropped on
Shellal in a.m. c̄ no damage
I believe & much hostile  plane
flying over us after breakfast.
Whole division & D.H.Q turned
out later - I stayed in; Austn divs 

too.  Got motor ambulances out
& was very busy all day. Hercus
came back. Heath (Fetherston's offsider
in Melb) who arrived here
yesterday by mistake here all
day but sent him to 1^st L.H.F.A. in
evening. Letter from Vance that
Miss McPhillamy had sent him
a letter from Mrs Robertson telling
of the Mongolia sinking - I wonder
whenever Ds. letters are going
to turn up. Letter from Dawson
bewailing his fate & saying that
Chauvel had told him definitely
that I was to be D.D.M.S. Desert Column.
Called out late as whole division
to move out at 0230 tomorrow
again. Called Hercus & told him
to go
20.7.17.  Up at 0600 & ready for all