Diary of Oberlin Herbert Gray, April 1916 to June 1917 - Part 8

4PM & we had a delightful journey
through the S.E. counties- Glorious
woods - country lanes, streams &
orchards. Kent easily takes the
palm for the most beautiful county - It
was an everchanging panorama, meadows
& banks of wild flowers. We passed Canterbury
& I saw the spires of the cathedral
towering up above the town, Passed
Rochester, a manufacturing town, & Chatham
Saw the estuary of the Thames - M.
Long on train - had dinner on boat & tea
on train. The woods were beyond
description in all their Spring glory.
Approached London -saw the Crystal Palace
The hop fields & orchards were interesting.
different to ours. Stopped for awhile at
Clapham Jn. - noticed the electric trains.
Passed Brixton Rd & Wandsworth -
Changed to SW.R. & passed thro' suburbs
noticed many people working on their
allotments, at Worcester Park among
others - Stopped at Epsom & put off
a lot of stretcher cases -
 

a drizzling rain commenced - it
commenced to darken at 9 o'c. & shortly
after we arrived at Guildford Stn.
Here we alighted & were shown to taxi-
cabs, in which we journeyed some miles
to Clandon Park Hospital - the beautiful
Country home of Lord & Lady Onslow - It
is one of the "stately homes of England".
Lady Onslow the "commandant" & numerous
VAD nurses & orderlies met us & after a
wash; I was soon between clean sheets
a great luxury.
19/5/17 This is a beautiful place - I was
awakened by the singing of birds & the
cawing of rooks in the great trees round
the house & the shrill cry of a peacock
on the lawn - In bed till the Dr saw me
at noon - The nurses & sisters are all
very nice, & we are looked after like Kings.
I am in I Ward I. the reception hall,
it is beautifully decorated, about 30 ft
high. the next room ward is the Tapestry room
the walls are covered over. Went for a
 walk down the drive. I can limp
along alright - Lovely park land.
immense trees & woods stretching as
far as eye can see. A glorious
avenue of copper beeches in front of the
house - Huge elms & beeches & oaks
a spring flowing out of a pretty dell.
Passed the stables, now empty, with
the names of the former occupants -
Czaritza etc - Went as far as the
Park gates - Flanked by 2 stone lodges
The gate with the coat of arms supported
by 2 falcons, Want for walk to the Post
20/5/17 office, out onto the road, & along
past pretty cottages & larger houses, past the
Hotel (to the boundary for patients) The road
is roofed over in places with trees - We
stopped for a rest. near one house, & the
owner asked us into the garden to sit down
Retd via the Church, an old graveyard
round & a pretty porch at the
Entrance, through a private entrance
into the wood at the rear. The trees
are perfection - 2 peacocks walking
 

about on the greensward, an ancient
sundial 1740 over the porch. One
couldn't wish for a more peaceful
spot. A heavy thunderstorm during the
night - vivid lightning & heavy peals of
thunder folld by refreshing rain.
23/5/17. Note from Aunt E. & Arth, they are
coming down tomorrow. aft. - The Engnrs.
strike is over & things seem to be
going on more satisfactorily - The
father of the present Earl of Onslow was
Governor of N.Z. for a time - The
Kaiser was entertained here - The
stake bedroom is closed up. The ballroom
is a ward. the mirrors are covered
over & the walls of other rooms too -
An Autograph portrait of Kitchener,
& a painting of Sir Richd Onslow, "who
arrived with the Surrey Regt too late to
take part in the battle of Worcester 1657
There is a lake with swans & wild
duck on - the park is very beautiful
just now, the country extends for miles
in one direction, a fine view -
Aldershot is not far off. an aeroplane
was over yest. & came down
in the grounds.
24/5/17 Aunt Emma Aunt & Aunt Fanny came
up to see me, I went down the road to
meet them. We expected Arthur but he
did not come, walked to the hosptal &
round the grounds, & in one or two wards
Aunt E. is up in London for 6 wks. I
went down to the Onslow Hotel with
them & we had tea, before they left.
A glorious day & the country looked
fine - Empire Day.
25/5/17 Another glorious day - 8 of us
went in a car to a lady's a Mrs Maidley residence 
2 or 3 miles away. & were entertained at
croquett, bowls & min. golf & later at
an enjoyable tea - A Miss Cuxon had
been in Egypt & I found we had a
mutual friend in Mrs R. - Sister Maude
& an Indian Lady missionary were also
there - Lovely grounds & lawns & a
fine view over the Marrow
 

Downs - an old sundial on a pedestal
of stone from Egypt, 3000 yrs old. Had
a fine spin back in the car - Met
2 who had come over in Euripides - A
is coming on Sunday.
26/5/17 The Dr gave us a pass to Guildford
Went down in train from Clandon, a pretty
little station - A midsummers day - very warm
A pretty journey thro' fields & woods to London
Rd - Went to Christchurch, a fine ^old church
Turned down the High St. down a hill to
the River Wey where the old ford was once.
Hired a boat & I & another went up the
river for 2 miles - beautiful scenery, some
of the best river scenery in England.
Many other boats on river, grassy
banks & trees to the rivers edge. I
rowed most of the way & we enjoyed it.
Went to a café & had tea, could get
only a roll or cake (2 oz) so
got some cakes & ate them on top
of the castle walls. The castle is
Norman & stands on a mound not
far from the river
27/5/17 Sunday Arthur & a chum came
by train in aft - I went down to
meet them - Arthur  is well, they have Mon
& Tues holiday & are going to Brighton.
I showed them round & they had tea
at Onslow Hotel, leaving about 5 -
Herbert Corder also came to see me, from
Guildford. he is down from Sunderland
28/5/17 Whit Monday. The Dr & others
arranged Sports & a cricket match in
the park - a lot of the beds patients were
taken out, & every one enjoyed it. A
perfect day. the nurses took part in
sports & tug of war. & played the men lft
hd. Tea on the lawn - Lord & Lady Onslow
presented the prizes - A concert in the
evening -
29/5/17 Spent a couple of hours on the
Surrey Downs, a lovely walk through
the wood & along a lane branched
over with trees. The day was warm
 

& the air filled with the perfume
of may blossom. A superb view
for miles - wild violets & bluebells &
carpets of buttercups, all very beautiful
several chaps left for Cobham - Expect
I will go on Thurs. day?
30/5/17 Yest. after I went up to Newlands
Corner, over the - downs & past an small
convalescent hosp, up a hill & and
at the top a glorious panorama opened
out before me, miles of wooded undulating
country - green & brown fields, small
villages with the church spires standing
up out of the surrounding trees, farms
& picturesque houses half buried in
green - It is considered one of the
finest views in Eng. & 5 counties
can be seen at once. I went up
again with Ausley this aftn.
31/5/17 Several men left for Woolwich
& Horsley to day. Went down to the village
for the walk -
1/6/17 Walked ½ mile beyond the
station, very pretty country - very quiet
After tea walked to Newlands Comm
with a 6^th Fld A. chap - the end of a perfect day
Tasted baked rooks for the first time at dinner
yest. They are very enjoyable, -
3/6/17 In the morning several of us went
to Church at Guildford in the amb. car
A Glorious summer day - Yest aftn
3 of us (one other Tas) went into Guildford
by train - The county is very beautiful
one field is full of red clover in
flower. Walked down the High St,
& round to the boat shed, Took a
nice little rowing boat, they are very
light - Went up the river, it was
very gay & quite crowded in parts
People enjoying the Sat aftn. in
the open - I pulled & we went as
far as the lock & retd, had a
great time, 1½ hours - Retd through
the castle grounds & then had a good
tea & a stroll round - Met two
of the sisters in mufti.
 

a thunder shower came on but
did not last long, & we walked
back - getting home by 6.30. Have
to retire at 730 - It is 430 AM now &
5/6/17 quite light & the birds making
a great noise, the cuckoo calling,
& the rooks in the elms outside
cawing - Yest.. We had a "1/2 day off"
Three of the sisters Sister Ross Foster & Murray took 6 of us out in
the aftn. & gave us a glorious time
We took the train into Guildford &
walked into the town, did some
shopping, then up the river in 2 boats
Five in ours & four in the other - It was
a perfect day, not a cloud in the
sky, quite warm, We lazily pulled
up the winding river, having a good
deal of fun out of small accidents, under
big elm trees, past meadows & gardens
A fair number of punts etc on the
river, a path follows up the bank
on one side. We passed through
the lock & pulled another mile
or so further up to where
willows overhung- There we
turned & after Miss Ross had snapped
the 2 boats, we pulled back. Miss
Ross & I in ours & Curly R & the Sgt. in
the other - After some minor adventurousness
we arrived at the ldg stage, & soon
after we were enjoying a cup of tea
etc. etc. ~ At 6.15 we started back
retg via the Manor Downs & golf
links, having had a most enjoyable
& long to be remembered day - 
Heard from O. They are out of the Line (still
Tues. Went to Mrs Ashbys to tea with
2 others, they live near the Church.
Wed Had a temp of 102 - spent the
day in bed also Thurs morning -
Thurs Convoy coming in to night.
Rowatt & I moved up to top floor
Friday A busy day, helped in the
ward for some hours, there are
a lot of ghastly wounds - one man
with both legs off. Harrison is to
have a bit more taken off his leg.
 

Sat Walked to the Silent Pool at
Albury via Newlands Corner -
it is a pretty spot, a calm clear
pool fed by springs, with speckled
trout enjoying themselves in its clear waters.
Sun 10/6/17 Went in the same direction
but further, had tea on return near
the Silent Pool. ~
14/6/17 Thurs Seven of us went up to Newlands Comn
to tea & Cake walked on to see the view.
There has been another big air raid on
London over 600 Killed & injured.
Yest. Rowett & I walked in to Guildford
in the aftn, & spent 1/2 hr there, shops
closed, Brought some strawberries back
for the sisters. On Sunday after 6
of us went for a motor trip, Harrison
S.R. & Sisters Ross & Foster. Through
Guildford & over the "Hogs Back", a
detour thro Compton & another village
The country is changing its aspect rather.
The may is finished & acacia out in
blossom - hops are well up the poles -
Scarlet poppies amongst the corn -
We retd through Guildford & back
a different way thro' Merrow & Clandon
& round the Park - Rain in the evg.
15/6/17 Fri Went a bike ride past Ripley
the crops look very fine, some good
fields of potatoes - One large area
under raspberries belong? to Crosse Blackney
passed several wayside views - The
roads are splendid for cycling, tho'
some have been freshly tarred -
16/6/17 In aftn went for a cycle ride
with S. Stokes, we rode past Ripley &
some distance further on, turned to left
& went to the - Horticultural Gardens -
We had a look round, the water lilies
are in flower in the lake & looked very fine.
Retd & had tea in Ripley, rode back
comfortably by 5 PM. just before a heavy
thunderstorm came on, the weather
has been very hot lately. a moist heat
feels as hot as our Summer.
 

17/6/17
on Monday last went to Mrs Maidleys
garden party. Her motor brougham called
for us (8) There were a number of
other chaps also & a number of her
friends, Spent an enjoyable aftn. A
thunderstorm came on soon after return
Went to Church this morning. In aftn went
to Mrs Ashbys to tea & later with Rowett
to the Onslow - a very hot day & night.
18/6/17 Spent a glorious aftn at the home
of Sister Ross. a thunderstorm passed
round the horizon soon after noon, but
only a few drops fell. 5 of the chaps
went by car while Bailey R. & I went
with Miss Ross by train to Effingham Jn
When we arrived the men were haymaking
or rather carting in to the stack.
An ideal summer's day among beautiful
surroundings, several Jersey cows were
enjoying the shade of the beech trees
in the corner of the meadow. We helped
rake the sweet scented hay together till
Miss Ross called us to tea, set out on
the lawn under the spreading chestnut.
Later we gathered strawberries & picked
flowers - roses & carnations sweet william
& Canterbury bells, saw the two
ponies, one 30 yrs old, & two pretty
Jersey calves. Sister Stokes cycled
over at 5; We had bowls on the
lawn, & later on strawberries & Cream
under a rose arbor. 7.30 came all
too quickly, & we had a splendid
spin back to Clandon in two cars,
having had a perfectly enjoyable aftn.
19/6/17 Went into Woolwich by amb.
car with a patient - Passed thro'
beautiful country - Leatherhead
Woking Epsom - & Croyden - Sutton
& outskirts of London. Left Woolwich
about 4 arriving back about 6 30 after
having a tyre blow out.
20/- Cycled into Guildford in aftn
& after tea went about 4 miles to
a village called Send. fine roads
very pretty country
 

21/6/17 Longest day, it is light
between 3 & 4 & till after 10 at
night. - Left by 10 train after saying
good bye to Clandon - Reached
Waterloo & changed trains for
Woolwich. Went to the Royal Hub
Hospital where we received on
discharge. Afternoon reported to
Haseferry Rd where we received
passes, 14 days leave, pay etc - &
now free to enjoy ourselves -
Rowett went to Regent Palace Hotel & I
took train to East Dulwich where
Aunt F & E. were expecting me -
22/6/17 Went into town & out to
Whitechapel thro' the Jewish quarter
to the London Hospital to see Mable
for the first time - Spent an hour
there, then train to Woolwich where
I wet. Arthur, he is well. Tried
to enter arsenal, but had to obtain
a pass. Retd. to town by bus
passing the Boys Naval Training
School - Went out to Brondesbury
Parke to see Doris & when she came
off duty at 6, came into Hyde
Park, & spent a pleasant hour on
the Serpentine - Retd home by 10.30
23/6/17 Met Rowett & his chum at
the Regent Palace, & after dinner
went to the zoo, met Doris at
Victoria Stn & at 8 met the others at
the Comedy & went to See Bubbly -
24/6/17 Arthur came up for dinner
& retd after, he is on night duty.
25/6/17 Took tram & bus tube to Paddington
a fine day & a splendid journey down
through Berkshire & Somerset & Devon to
Torquay - Saw Windsor Castle in
the distance - a fine sight - Passed
"Suttons Seeds" huge nurseries near
Reading - noticed Huntley & Palmers
factory - & other well known manufact.
Beautiful country - hay making
 

in many parts - Travelled fast
the line runs thro' an ancient
river bed a good deal of way -
Rivers run near the line a
good part of way - with lock & weirs
Kesmeet Valley fisheries - Passed
Newbury Racecourse, where a huge
munition factory now is, with mounts
of boxes & shells etc. Further West
thatched cottages, & woods, honeysuckle
& wild roses in hedges & Scarlet poppies
group of cattle standing in rich
meadow grass - Westbury first
stop, iron works near by. So
much of the country is lying idle
Broad acres of grass, & no cattle
or crops - very little sign of life
in many parts - Fields golden
with buttercups & glimpses of stately
mansions hidden among the trees.
Stopped at Taunton 1 PM for 5 min.
The monument of the Battle of
Taunton stands up, from a low
range of hills in the near distance
Ran thro' several short tunnels
Pretty villages in Devon, the
fields divided by hedges, the red
newly turned earth contrasting with
greens & browns of crops - Passed
thro' Exeter, & along the banks
of the Exe which is broad & shallow
near Exmouth - Saw a boat near
shore that had been torpedoed
Arrived at Torquay & found my way to
Aunt Alice's - they gave me a warm
welcome - Uncle Arthur is a very
jolly - After some refreshment Aunt A.
took me to see Aunt Annie Clarke &
we went for a long walk along the
Coast - Lincombe & Meadfoot, thro'
some gardens to the shore - Beautiful
Coastal Scenery - Brixham in the