Diary of Oberlin Herbert Gray, April 1916 to June 1917 - Part 3

copses, like a huge garden.
thatched cottages, country houses &
manors - ancient churches & ruins
It sent a thrill thru one, & made one
feel proud to be a Britisher. There is a
different atmosphere every where, more
serious, than in Aust. one feels the
nearness of the effects of War. It was a
dull & rainy day, but we were delighted
at not having come thru in night.
At Exeter, we were provided with
a plate of ham & bread & cheese & coffee
we were grateful to the Yhr man for this.
Not many stops - at Yeovil Jn. Our
carriage was attached to another train
& we proceeded S.E. Waited an hour
at one station, then hooked on to another
train & alighted at Wareham -
Shifted stores & kits onto lorry.  - &
at 8. marched out to Camp. pouring
with rain. Eventually found a
hut & blankets & in morning begged
tea & bread & tinned meat -
No rations issued so begged dinner
Sat 28 of meat & pot 80's from a
cookhouse. Most went into town
for tea - 10 of us detailed for duty
In C Lines & 4 of us orderlies to Doctors
I am looking after Capt. Smellie & McG.
Went into town with Oll. & P. Bell at
7. Not far. 2m. a fine night- We
went into few shops - We are first Aust
to come here - Tommies have been here
2 yrs. A large number of convalescents
ret^d from France have come here, & a lot
Sunday Wareham to London 9.40 gets in
12.45 - 9.52 10.46 & 3.21 . 4.38. 6.19
of the Euripides crowd are going to some
Downs hear Salisbury on Monday -
The camp is a fairly large one, &
is near Poole Harbor. There are nos of
huts, near the town.. Today has been
splendid - this morning was wet, I
looked after the officers & left the room
ready for night- We had no rations
issued, but procured some loaves &
put in 1/- ea. & got sausages etc. 

I met Staff Sgt Toplis from Tassie
he was there when I left. had come
over some weeks ago, gave me news
of old friends - Have heard a good
deal of news of the French firing
line - Most of the Austns are anxious
to get away. they reckon Gallipoli was
a picnic to France & the latter is HELL
After dinner at 1. Fenton Oll & I started
out for Corfe Castle to Sth of Wareham
Percy Bell couldn't come but later started
& met us there - We walked into the
town, their quaint streets & over the
River Frome, thro' Stowbridge, a little
village past fir woods & green fields, past
St. Edwards Cottage where Edward was
dragged to on his horse after being
stabbed at Corfe Castle by the mother
of Ethelred, he was buried at St Marys
Church - 978' - In 1762 nearly the whole
town was destroyed by fire - St Marys
was destroyed by the Danes & rebuilt
about time of Conquest. - St Martins
was built by St Adhelin

hand drawn diagram - see original document 

about 700 & is one of the oldest
places of worship in Gr Britain -
Previous to Jubilee Day 1887 no service had
been held there for 200 yrs. - population
is 2000, is pt of East Dorset Pty Div.
We tramped along the wet roads &
reached Corfe Castle about 5 m. It
is a lovely sight - standing on a
high green mound, & connected with
an ancient village by a harrow
road - We went round to the entrance
& thro the outer gate, saw where the
portcullis had fitted in - a large
green tilting yard with grassy terraces
overlooking & ruined walls, partly
fallen down hill. Further up the
hill we passed within the inner
gateway, the outer half broken
away & slipped several feet down
hill - holes for the portcullis. We
explored the ruins, awfully interesting
thick walls 7 ft thro, the main hall
with holes where oak beams has
once fitted. in the ruined chapel
the keep, with parts of winding stairs
arrow slits in the walls- & embrasures
turrets & narrow passages - We looked
far over the surrounding Country
& thought of the times when the
barons had held sway over the poor
people living round - The dungeon
fill in about 1880 - We went round
the village, very quaint, an old
Church with stones ^set in the pathway
& grass round, recording long dead
inhabitants - Had a homely tea
in a charming old cottage, low
ceiling & lamplight, served by an
dear old lady. About 6 caught
the train & came back to Wareham
Went into YMCA & there met some
old friends - & round to St Mary's
Church. A large number of Austrn
were there - rather a nice service 

the C of E Minister had been in Canada
for some years. After service looked
round the church, the old font
of Norman times, carvings mutilated
in Cromwellian days - 2 stone
Crusaders of the 3rd Crusade, an ancient
chapel adjoining, of Saxon times &
other interesting things. Walked
back to Camp in dark. It is now
out of bounds except evgs - some of
the men have been overdoing things.
One or 2 of our men went to Bournemouth
& were put in "clink" but escaped after
knocking the guard down. Another
got change for £1 for 10/- note. Two others
went into a big hotel, ran up a
bill, & came out back way with pay.
these are "minor" things / Capt Smellie
was taken ill in night, & was at once
operated on for appendicitis - he is
getting on alright. The Major has
gone up to London to get instructions
about us-
30/10/16 Worked all morning, had a
nice dinner, soup meat pie & potatos,
aftn off so Hall. Sid Oll & I started
off West for a walk. It came on
to rain & we left 2 as they had no coats
Hall & I had a ride to Pool. very windy
but glorious country - woods & fields
hawthorn hedges with holly & ivy growing
wild - trees with ivy climbing their
gnarled trunks - lodges at entrances
of parks & estates - pretty lanes
overshadowed by trees - a heath & a
river winding through grassy fields -
We had tea at YMCA, then walked
back, stopped at an old Church & a
small boy asked us into tea - so we
had some & tea sandwiches. - A very
nice woman. she had lost her husband
3 nice children - 2 little girls sat
on my Knee. - Heard all the family
history. & gave some news in return.
Walked back to camp, & had some
yarns round the fire. 

31/10/16.  Some of the chaps went to Corfe
Castle, the fallen in part of the
gate was where the Cromwellians had
undermined the entrance, it was only
entered by treachery & the Cs ruined it
1670 ? - Some of the fellows went for
a ride & brought back some cabbages.
There are a good many tales about
of the wild Austns - the country
people are very frightened of them -
O & I walked out Wool Rd, had a
lift 3 miles, then Sth to Combe Keynes
& branched off to East Lulworth, passed
some pretty country - agricultural - 
Before reaching E.L. We entered some
lodge gates & through woods, paths thick
with leaves, a large plantation of
young firs - came into open & the
castle lay in front with green lawns
in front twilight gloomd & broader grows the bowers
Drew the great night into themselves 
& Heaven
Star after star, arose & fell.
Tennyson.
We walked up to the castle steps
but a housekeeper came out &
told us it was private property, we
came past a field with nearly 100
deer grazing, & through a wood,
thro' the village of East Lulworth, &
along past a heath, lonely & desolate,
Turned off at a crossroad & thro'
Holme Lane & so on to Stowborough
It was dark by this, & we retd home
after some tea.
2/11/16 O & I went to Bindon Abbey
an old Cistercian Abbey built 1172
It was destroyed by Henry VIII.
Turned off across tailway & thro'
flooded fields, turned in at an old mill
& the miller showed us over, the old process
of Stone grinding, the busy water wheel
& the calm mill stream. it was very
interesting. Further along the lane
past holly hedges & elms & fields of
turnips etc. an old farmhouse & then
the abbey hidden away in a 

wood of oaks, chestnut ash & elms.
An ancient entrance, & within
lay the ruins, what was left of
them, only parts of the walls &
foundations still existing, ivy covered
& green turf for a carpet. Behind
flowed a moat or trout stream,
flowing in a square around a
wood & grassy mound which covered
the entrance to a subterrannean
chamber leading to the Manor House
over a mile away - The ladies who
own Lulworth Castle & rent it to their
Cousin, live in a chapel adjoining.
The estate runs round Wareham
right to the Sea & encloses 1000s of
acres.- We went into Wool & had
tea & walked back - Hall & I went
along here yest & lost our way, but
found the Abbey in the dark.
Had a yarn to Toplis, he met
C. Bushby who has already gone
to France with other Tassies whom
I left behind. - 

Plan of Cistercian Abbey of
Bindon - Dorsetshire
Diagram - see original document
Sit here by me where the most beaten track
Runs thro the forest, hundreds of huge oaks
Gnarled - older than the thrones of Europe - look
What breadth, height, strength -torrents
of eddying bark
Pillaring a leaf sky on there monstrous boles
Sound at the core as we are
Tennyson. 

Sat. Nov. 4 Went into town into evg.
Had tea at YMCA.
Today some of the chaps hired
bikes & went out to Lulworth Cove
Oll & I walked out past the heath
xHolme heath & thro E. Lulworth.
round the deer park & to W. Lulworth
We had tea at the Cove Hotel with
B & D. they retd on their bikes. We
went to the shore & saw the lifeboat
& Coastguard stn. The Cove is
nearly circular & has a narrow entrance
it used to be a great smuggling
place. We climbed the hill &
saw vessels sheltering near Portland
Bay. It rained a good deal & we
were rather wet on arrival back. Had
tea at an old lady's in E. Lulworth.
Last night O. & I walked along the
ramparts, they are very high in parts,
they lie on Nth-West & East sides, the
Frome is on Sth - the Nth wall is
650 yds. - 30 to 55 ft high - The West
wall is 600 yds long. The East
side is 530 yds & not so high the
sea has receded a lot. The Danes
& Saxons were continually
ravaging the town. - (At Bere Regis
is Woodbury Hill the site of a
Roman encampment, 7m. from W)
Nov 5. Poured with rain. Went into
town & got wet thru. all the fields
near Causeway to Station & Frome
Bridge under water -
Nov. 9. The Sea transport went today.
embarking on Wiltshire - I am looking
after 2 officers with mumps, they are
nearly right how. The others are
working on the classification of the
convalescents in camp, - most of whom
have seen service in France. It
has rained every day since we landed
I went into Wareham this aftn, did
some business & then walked round
the walls. In the Sth East Corner is a
large square, (the old cockpit) Spoke to
a gardener turning over rich looking
soil - He said it was 7 or ft deep. 

Went into St. Mary's Churchyard -
ancient tombstones - & a few old
stone coffins &c. The Church is a
fine looking building. Heard from Bex.
14/11/16 On Sunday I met Fatty Josephs
whom I saw last on the Penina - he has
been in Eng. over a year, had a
good yarn. Went into St Martins
Church, it was built in 701 &
later added to, it is not much to
look at inside - stone floor a chance
tower & lofty building - arches were
cut in the nth wall & a piece added
During the great fire, people took
refuge there,- Had a fine day
on Monday - several letters from
Bexhill – Wed into town with
Ted Dawkins, he is going on Thurs.
with rest of Euripides lot -
Sat. Capt Smellie went to Scotland the
other day for his convalescence - he
wants to get back to Tas. We
have had more rain & bitter cold
 winds. This morning there was
ice on water & it has been snowing
lightly. – Capt Gutteridge is going
to London to day for wk. end. – Heard
from Arthur.
Thus 23. Frost on Tues. have been
working till nearly 10 last 3
nights. Shifted into another hut.
27/11/16  A hard frost last night
& plenty of ice about this morning
Had a good walk yest. afternoon
to Corfe Castle, most enjoyable
It was a fine day & Ralph D.
& I walked along the railway
track & over the ruins - then
had tea at a cottage & walked
back along the road between
dark woods & heath - Oll
went down to Bournemouth &
had a good time at the Cousins
(Simmons) A bunch of letters
from Tas & a parcel from Bexhill
5/12/16. On Sat. I got leave & went to
Bournemouth. Started 1. PM. 

An enjoyable journey, passed
Henworth Stn. where a huge
munition factory is erected, a
tall iron fence all round. Stopped
at Poole & other stns. & at
Bournemouth I found Cousin M.
waiting on the platform. We went
to their home & they had a nice dinner
waiting - Then Cousins took me a
long walk down to the Cliffs,
along path at top to Boscombe Pier. I saw
the damage done by the storm a
few weeks ago. Walked along
the esplanade to Bournemouth
Pier & then up thro' a chine &
the town back home. - Had a
nice tea & sat talking till late
Mrs Strange their Aunt was there
she had letters of the Mays early
days in 'Australia' 1839. -
Sunday morning. After breakfast
Went with Cous. Minnie, through
Talbot Woods part of the new
Forest. lovely pines - Through
Westbourne, across the suspension
bridge over Alum Chine. &
over Durley Chine - a fog hung
over the sea - Through Meyrick
Park & by a finally reached
the Mtg House - About 40 present.
I spoke to several of the Friends
Richard Beck, a cousin of the
May's who looks very like Lewis M.
Mrs Clayton, & Mrs Pumphrey, whose
husband is in prison for Conscience
sake. A very nice meeting.
After dinner I walked out to
Christchurch by myself & visited
the Priory Church, crossed.
the Avon & passed thro' some
pretty country. The Church is
a magnificent sight, built in
Saxon & Norman days - The
ruins of a Saxon Castle stands
on a steep mound near & near

the banks of the river stand
the ruins of an old monastery
of pre Norman times, ivy covers
everything- I walked along the
banks of the Avon & then
retd & caught tram for the
square. Had tea on return &
later Cousins walked with me
to the train. Back to camp by
midnight. We are going to
London on Tuesday, & to Bexhill
10/12/16 just returned from London
Had a grand time. On Tues.
had our passes given us 3 PM &
caught the Bournemouth Express
Had 4 days leave - Had a good
journey, saw something of the
country before dark - passed
Southampton & reached Waterloo
about 7.- Arthur was there to meet
us & we were soon on way to
East Dulwich on tram & bus.