Diary of Herbert Gilles Watson, DFC, 1914 - 1916 - Part 5

the Turks fire, we pass as close as
100 yards along the front of their outpost  

trench: a destroyer has just
played her searchlight on, us. but
instantly switched off again. fortunately
we were not observed. we work all
night & all next day (July 4) getting
things fixed up. we are behind a
knoll not 10 yards from the fire trench
& things hum at times, bullets. but
thank goodness, we have had no
shells: on the second trip, we have
been fired at by Turks but altho
some shots are close none hit us
July 5  Quiet day. worked hard all
morning on dugout, counted smell
63 dead Turks just in front of our
trench: a lot of shell flying well
over head but bursting away out:
11.2 Howitzer shelling beach what a
noise. Submarine just sunk a French
transport: few lives lost Cape Helles 

July 6 Quiet shelling going on between

enemys battery, ours & destroyers: we are

in between the lot. There O°x u ~E so far
not much fighting just here; but it is all

"stand to arms" 2 men sniped at our

well: sniper also sniped: killed 1 wd.

July 7 Heavy Artillery duel, between

destroyers & Turks. destroyer won. Went

& did days hard, fighting in trenches,

shoulder sore bullets all round etc

killed at least 2 Turks: German

officer shot just in front of me, flash

as a goldmine:

July 8 Heavy artillery duels all day: did

another day in trenches: not so much

shooting, must have scared them

all away yesterday! rumoured that

big move is to take place in 8 days time

July 9  Quiet no mail for three weeks

Monitors  & destroyers bombarded guns

& trenches ordered to stand by responded

did some fighting

July 10 Quiet. Lord Nelson & Dartmouth
did a lot of heavy shooting at Turks
position: very little shrapnel. submarine
just been blown up off our beach.? it
is not certain may be big mine.
July 11  Quiet until 7PM H.M.S Talbot is
standing 300yds off firing broadside.
at snipers Ridge. the top of the hill &
a few Turks are blown off the face of
the earth. Turks shelling now & we are
replying, not much doing

July 12 Very heavy bombarding by
Battleships, escorted by T.B.O the

British are evidently going to advance.
Achi Baba is a sheet of flame. A
small attack has just been made by
us to keep reinf. busy
July 13  Quiet, British took 2 lines
& trenches, after heavy bombardment. This
is Turks mad month:
July 14  Little shelling: New Monitor
arrived with 15" guns should stir
something up.
July 15  Quiet Aeroplane dropped bomb
on enemies trenches. a little shelling. &
warship firing, all "Stand to arms"
July 16;  All Quiet; warships bombarding
Bulair lines; attack on our post last
night easily beaten off
July 17:  2 New Monitors arrived viz.
Stonewall, Jackson & Harriet: 14" guns.
gee wiz! we shelled supposed enemy
this morning turned out to be cattle
All O.K. good beef gone to waste; very
nearly shot by sniper: missed me by
a foot: [[imahi]] me: Taube passed &
dropped 2 bombs into most convenient
shot i.e. "the pond"
July 18 Heavy artillery fire all day.
nearly hit by Anti A.C. Gun: two M.B.
being 'dug in' alongside our shell look
out for squalls now: all exciting
things seem to happen on a Sunday
July 19. Baget shot in head, while 

sitting in our "dugout" yr.8 not
serious as the bullet, fortunately, only
grazed him & buried itself in a box!
gone aboard hos- ship; heavy artillery
firing, aero spotting & dropping an
occasional bomb: have been issued
with "gas helmet".
July 20 have been warned to
expect big things: 100,000 Turkish
reinfs. to arrive: thank goodness,
its time something exciting happened
a lot of our scouting & firing going
on. a few A. A. shells fell, near us.
July 21.  All Quiet: heavy enemy reinf
arrived: we are to "stand by" all night
fully armed; in expectation of an attack.
we have had our outpost reinforced
& strengthened by barb wire entanglements.
about 300 Maoris are "inlying picquet"
heard of Morlys marriage. kicks as
per contract. its: fool. we have seen
in Home papers where our [[?]]). is
(Following pages torn out by order of the Censor)
[[HW]]
 Portugal; are now in Bay of Biscay
seen lots of whales.
Sept. 11. Arr Bay of Biscay
    "    12 Passed Ushant L.H. also.
Isle of Wight: steaming into
Southampton, tons of warships.)
destroyers knocking about arrived
Southampton, disembarked: aboard
L. SwR.  lovely country: arrived
Epsom, 9 miles from London: big
Military Hospital: heard aero up
last night scouting for Zeppelins, they
had a big raid here 2 nights ago,
over 300 casualties & a fair amt of
damage
Sept. 13. (In County of London War Hos Epsom
14                                                             
15                                                                                   
16                                                                    
17                                                              
18                                                              
19                                                              

Sept 20. In C of L. War Hos. Epsom
          21   –   –                    Went to town had

a fine time  
22                 –                 do

23                 –                Went for Motor drive
24                –                     – to Epsom

25                 –                               –

26                –                               –

27                –                              –

28               –                               –

29               –                               –

30               –                              –

Oct 1          –                    Electric treatment

        2         –                               –

        3         –                               –

        4         –                      Motor Ride

        5  –                                     –

        6  –                             met nice girls in

        7 –                                       –               Hos

        8 –                                   to Epsom 

        9 –                                       –     

        10 –                                     –      

Oct 11  In County of L War Hosp

        12  –  Went to London. Saw

St Pauls. Westm. Abbey. Tussards

Waxworks. Chambers of Horrors &

Thousands of girls & slackers. All

of whom spoke & sympathised

Oct 13       Epsom Hosp part of [[ini]]

   "     14                    –                  –

   "      15                   –                  –
  "       16                  –                   –

  "       17                  –                   –

  "       18                  –                   –

  "       19                 –                    –

  "       20                –                    –

  "       21                 –                   –

         23                –                   –

          24               –                   –

          25               –                   –

          26              –                    –

          27              –                    –

          28              –                   – 

Oct 29.  Epsom Hosp opn in few days
         30        – 

         31         –

 Nov   1.        –    Prepg for operation

            2       –     Operated on foot

               feet sore again

            3   Epsom Hos: in bed again

            4      In bed P of Paris 

            5           –                    –

            6          –                     –

            7          –                     –

            8          –                     –

             9         –                     –

            10        –                     –

             11        –                     –
             12       –                     –
            13        –                     –
            14       –                      –
            15        –                     –
            16       –        Heavy Snow
            17  Heard from Daisy Goldney

she sent me Uncle Johns Address
 Nov 18 Epsom Hos: P of Paris
    –   19       –              Uncle John called
    –   20       –
   –    21       –
   –    22     –               Mrs Goldney called

   –    23      –              Heard from Aunt

   Amy; Uncle George, & Mr Chegnell               
Nov  24  Epsom Hos heard fr Aunt Maud

          25.        –         –   Corp. Kings birthday.

          26        –         –      in plaster

           27       –         –     Uncle George called

          28       –          –

          29       –          –

          30       –          –

Dec    1         –          –    Aunt Amy Daisy G–

            2       –           –

           3        –           –

           4       –            –

           5       –            –

           6      –             –

           7      –             –

           8      –             –    Leg turned septic

                                                in bed 

Dec 9: Leg bad: plugs through wound

fomentations every 4 hours, day & nt

Dec 10                          "

          11                          "

          12                         "

          13                         "

          14                        "

          15                        "

          16                        "

          17                        "

          18                       "

          19                       "

          20                      "

          21                       "

          22                       "

          23                       "

          24                     – "

          25    Xmas day in bed

          26    In hos

          27       –     

          28       –

          29       –

Dec  30    Up in chair for two hours

          31                       –

Jany   1                        –

            2                       –
            3                       –

            4                       –  

            5                       –

            6                       –

            7                       –

            8                       –

            9                      –

            10    up for day in chair

            11                      –

            12                     –

            13                     –

            14   Another operation: back in bed

            15   Back in bed. sore            

            16                     –

             17                    –

             18                    – 

             19                    –

             20                  – 

Jany   21.   Up for 2 hours

            22                    –

            23                    –

            24                    –

            25                    –

            26                        all day

            27                    –           –

            28

            29

            30                    –         –

Feb to April 7^th  same

old thing. Saw few friends

Ok: Theatres  etc etc

Apr 8.  Transferred to

Harefield Hsp for further

treatment.

Apr 19  Left Harefield for 

furlough

May 4  Boarded B class

volunteered for France is

M. Transport

May 5  Abbeywood Camp

May 6  Broke leave to see

relations, or rather, balance of

same: will stop out 3 weeks

or more : will be confined

to Barracks fined !!!!

May 19.  going to Bognor

for 3 days: finish this 

diary of Turkish war, 

will open another on

France

H G Watson

Uncle George  Col

85 Oakwood Court

Kensington

Addison Road

 

Uncle Harry   Rev

The Rectory

Bradford

Peverel

Doscest

 

Uncle Charlie    Col

19 St Michael Rd

Bedford

 

Uncle Willie.   

St Margaret Rectory    rev

Canterbury     

 

Aunt Helen, Mrs H Graham

Creg Mallin View

Peel

Isle of Man

           

 

Church              X

with

spire                   O

or

Towers                     for signalling

Post Office       P

Telegraph         T

Metal  Roads                      good Bdgs

Roads       Bridge                     R'way

Tunnel       specify                         embk over

Houses

Marshy Land

Furce or Goise

Always  give idea as to state of

grounds for Troops. guns. Cavalry etc

Embankments

Cuttings

Prismatic Compass 1° in every 4 min

15° in every hour     360° in 24 hours

or 18o at noon:  thus 20 past 1 is 200

1 p.m. 195°  2p.m. 210° 3p.m. 225°   4p.m.

240°  5p.m. 255°   6p.m.  290°  7p.m. 28

8 p.m. 300°  9p.m.   315°   10p.m.  300°  11p.m.

345° MIDNIGHT 360°

Oct 19th 1914

Reasons for my enlistment.

1. To do my bit for King & Country

2. Firm, Nestle & Anglo Swiss Cond, Milk

Co, are keeping all their employees

who enlist, on full pay, irrespective

of Military pay, also jobs kept open

such a Patriotic offer could not be

disregarded.

3. The actual assistance of back pay 

which is being paid to my Mother,

will enable her to enjoy a few more

luxuries in life:

4. One able bodied man of every

family should enlist: this is going

to be a long cruel war.

5. I have no cause to worry over

home matters, except my worry of 

their worry, which I trust will

not be great: April 26th 1915

Should I be killed. God help

my dear ones at home to bear it

H G Watson 

Mr Jas MacLeod.  PRO1028

"Malonga"

Kooyong Rd

Caulfield

Melbourne

Vic

Aunt Amy.

Notes on Signaller

etc
 January 6th 1915

Sapper Watson 523

2nd N.S.W Sg Troop

2nd L.H. Brigade. A.I.F      

Maadi Egypt

Cairo

Lemnos Turkey

Dardanelles  

Constantinople         

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