Diary of Ebenezer 'Edward' Barron, 1901 - Part 2

Lads remember you are

Britons

Sworn to serve your country

King - 

Do your duty, do it nobly -

On your name no black stain 

bring

We are weary, yet our hearts beats

At peace from all lifes care & strife

err manhood had begun

Left here but with ^in his comrades hearts

he still shall live

fond memories

In youth cut off before the

flower had blown

To serve the mother country then

Lives on [[?they are tomorrow]]

He left his own home & all he loved

so dear

Alas! to die

A patriot; ne'er & never a sign of fear

And ∧To died with no one there ^near to shed

a tear

In youth cut off before the flower had blown

To serve the Mother country & his [[crown]]

28-12-01 [[?Dordroclets]]

 

Violets sweet, Elis heads

now drooping

Never more to rise of him

whisper to me but her

message

Whisper to me but her name

3

Thou went once adorned 

with beauty

Laughing sweetly to the sky

Gliding with thy sweetest

fragrance

Hearts of old that passed thee by

When she plucked the dead

[[here to china]]

Did her lips a name repeat

Did her heart one pulse beat

flutter

With a thought of love

for mine

 1        1        3

Now those bad must but glad

the one heart

and that heart be none

My heart for a little while

but mine

Make me feel her ever

near me

With her gentle child like ∧innocent caring smile

Dead thou art to other gazes

Life in thee I'll always see

For is not to think of [[Jasmine?]]

Life & every thing to me

2

Did his lips but murmur

[["?"]]

Did her eyes with pleasure

shine

Did her heart one pulse beat

flutter

With a thought of love

for mine

 

Notes taken when treking in

South Africa, on active service

with the 2^nd Tasmanian Inf

Contingt Bushman.

Jan 7^th(Mon) went into Camp

at New Town Hobart was there

for 3 wks before knowing whether

I was selected, given a beautiful

chestnut horse (^not a horse chestnut) 3 years first time

I got on him with spurs he bolted

& wanted to go one way, he another

we went; he then stopped dead

I also stopped, not of my own mind

but by the ground -

Nothing of importance, happiest

during our long stay in camp, 

we were very comfortable, had plenty

to eat, good but roughly cooked

which I considered was good food

spoiled - Met some very nice

 

people in Hobart, & altogether

enjoyed myself while there

after being passably proficient

in drill, I was put in charge

of Hospital P.H.D having

another orderly to do the work

I had really very little to do

but walk about -

Had to help Dr in selection 

of raw recruits.

About 2^nd week in Feb had

accident to left thumb; while

tying my horse up, he took fright

and ran back the length of [[?]]

rope, & my thumb being in the knot

the top of first joint was wrenched

completely off, bone snapped clean

while [[?]] (June 2 3) it is not

altogether healed. 
We shall at last to make

some attempt to do something 

for the enemy we were 

getting so made a start by 

going on board S S Chicago -

Wed March 27^th

After the long stay of 10 wks

camp we at last embarked

going on board the troopship

which was to take us to far

Africa, there to do or die as

was our fate -

Before ten oclock people

began to arrive from all [[lines]]

was & by the  lines the piers from

all points of view bunting

was flying everywhere & the

town & people were gay as

could be.

As the troops marched

down on the pier alongside. The

vessell (2,50) (the horses having

previously gone aboard)

it was a splendid sight (also

sad one) to see so many

men, the flower of Thusananoon

manhood leave theem.

 

land of their birth, the

land of their love, their

dear ones, and their home

to fight for their dear old land

England, [[?]], which, nearly

every one of those brave men

had first to thank for their

existence. At 12 oclock all

visitors had to say the last

farewells & leave the ship

and by one pm on a perfect 

day the huge mass left the 

pier amid the ringing

cheers from thousands of 

throats which mingled with

the hurrahs of our own men

and the sound reaching from

the bold rugged front of Mt

Wellington in the background

There were a few men

who were very quiet for some

time, many could be seen with

moist eyes, and a few with

falling tears which came

from a heart, probably

thinking of dear ones left

behind, perhaps never to be

seen more.

Every thing went well

until we reached the heads

when the swell soon thinned

the decks of the men as one

by one the took their turn

at the ships side and after

[[?]] [[?]] any cargo glided 

 

softly down the narrow

& steep steps to the deck where

the horses were housed, the

odour of which made many 

discharge cargo which they 

thought they had not rid of

above

For a few days after

it was a pityable sight to

see the men in all their good

clothing lying about in sad [[?]]

where the water was washing

backwards & forwards with

the heaving of the ocean.

Some were all right in a 

few days others were sick

all the way to our destination

On the whole we had a 

splendid voyage, and a splendid

ship which rode gaily over

the heavy swells which we 

met occasionally

Wed 3^rd April - lost sight

of land West Australia

Most of the boys all

right again, & enjoying

themselves in different

ways, deck qu^oits smoking

reading yarning etc.

Services were held on the

ship every Sunday morning

when all who were not

on duty had to attend

 

the officiating gentleman being

sent Bisdee V C - who

performed the ceremony in

an able manner -

We had also a few

concerts in the evening

which took very well

the talent on board

pleasing all with songs

recitations etc and

helping to pass the time

away which was now

beginning to drag heavily

most of the boys being

anxious to get ashore

either to have a good 

round feed or to give 

the Boers a few battles

I really do not know

which - 

July 23^rd Luristnut Stn

" 24^th Treked 8am passed

thro Mallina 10.20 - camped

12am treked 3pm - camped 

for night Rondavel - 4.30.

Treked 7.30 passed Marshmoore

& Leu fontein. halted about 10am

for few numbers halted again for

4 hours at 11am Bocrofte

firm & Treked again at 3pm halted

4.30 - Sent out after horses

Cambell at Leeuwfontein 

 

26

[[?lip after 6 ??]] treked 7.30

halted 9.15 out sprinted for water

off again 15 minutes - camped continued

Dordrecht ^(about 10 miles) 10.45 treked 3pm (2 gasc

camped about 6 oclock Treked 7am Boers

passed then have an hour before

we arrived - expecting to locate

them tonight may have to get

saddled & [[?]] 12 or 1 oclock

very cold snowing & hail

with cold wind all afternoon

camped about 6pm at Novigl dutch

snow all night 2 or 3 inches

in most ∧some places 6 to 8 inches

28n ^awakened ∧at ∧6.50 am done

some mountain climbing snowy

all the time walked most of

way halted at 11am

had dinner treked 2pm

camped

3pm 

next [[?]]

KlipefonteinW Stormberg

Stranger pass not by without

one thought

of those whose bones beneath

this mound now be

they left their houses yes all they

loved & [[?]]

as brave men fight, and died

as heros [[?]]

Their graves are not with lovely

laurels strewn

Nor flowers put there by hands

of those once dear

a simple cross by trusted comrades

hewn

Marks their last bed beneath the

rocks so drear

They rest in place their work of

valour done

In prime of youth & manhoods

happy state

Beneath the starry sky of southern

sun

They passed away alas! twas

but their fate

 

29^th Treked One camped

about 12 oclock Boers refs

near - firing heard near by

with Dr & Lasmamans - [[?]]

steep mountain sides down other

very steep & dangerous - horse

had to jump down over ledges

sometimes 3 pt almost perpedicular 

- all got down safely

looking for Boers saw none

Cantered about 5 miles [[back?]]

went to farmhouse for butter

send of [[?]]& pilled by goose

in to bargain - lost column

in dark, had to track after

by moonlight - cantered after

then for about 3½ miles and

at last met some officers

camped - for night no blankets

not a bit of biscuit - coffee

etc by killer sleep ate half

among 4 of us ofers & made layer

fires - put sheep skin over

feet & slept beside fire

for about 5 hours & very

seedy next morning got 3 [[?]]

3am Treked 9 am and reached

main column about 12am

had good feed ½ duck whilst

I had walked in carnbulanceX

Boers were fired on by own

men at another place whilst

we were out we lost 1 man

killed & 3 wounded 1 [[?]]

3 bullets chest 1 leg. Boers

2 killed & 1 wounded for whom

they commandeered a cape cart

to take him to hospital, be

however died on the way where

they buried him & left cart

Dr camp over horses head [[to bag?]]

30^thTreked 99 [[?]] reaching

main column about 12 am

had good dinner ½ [[?]]

 

which was in combined

cooked, Boers not far from 

here, Got word to go to

the place they were making

for come over rise, when

& beautiful sight met the eye

a large fire raging over them

plain & up mountain sides

beautiful, lighting up this surrounding

had the moon not been

at full & a beautiful night

it would have been even

better & camped about 7.30

had goose & 4 fowls, plucked

were to bed roasted potatoes

in ashes (good) - went to bed

11.30 up I 4 in Australia

31^st Treked 7.30 head to go

cross dufo drift - Ambering

out [[?]] - Scotch cart [[?]]

champagne - whisky, toddy

Bovril cornflour etc

all over road our [[?]]

resting peacefuly on top of

hill - writing free from all

worry & care still after Boers

Set Wise 3oz 30

Aug 7^th