Diary for George Lush Finlay, 1915-1918 - Part 10

They seem to be quite
decent chaps personally
They perhaps think I am
just an awful Colonial

 
Feb 8^th
In Jackdaw Tunnels
with 29^th Bde. Acting as
Asst. Staff Capt to Berkeley
a man who is full of
assurance and talk.
Rather difficult to get
anything of value out of
him as he appears to be
a rather poor administrator
and consequently has
no system on which he
can work to give me
instruction. I therefore have
to content myself with
being a runabout and
by poking my nose into
things am managing to pick
up a little information
 

filthy.
Have been paid the
compliment of being
appointed to take charge
of portion of the submarine
guard on the forecastle
in the event of an
attack. and control the
fire. I suppose it is
the best part to be
if we are being chased
by a submarine for
we can at least see
which those down below
can't do.
Have borrowed a 
Webley for the rest
of the trip in the
event that anything
startling happens
We are travelling
at present with o a
dark ship all lights
being covered with

Feb 1 At present with 59^th Bⁿ
HQrs and as far as I
can see I won't be
overworked. They seem
quite a decent crowd
but one or two seem
rather supercilious, but
quite bearable if left
alone. The Englishman
is not as good as the
Australian I'm quite
convinced. All seem
to be more fed up
than we are and all
have something to say
about those in authority
above them but although
we do that there seems
to be way more cohesion
in our crowd than
amongst these people.
These officers seem talk
as though they took
patrols out every night
when in reality they
are in B^de HQ^rs Howev

 a darkened "strawberry
box" and no lights on 
deck at all. It is
not very pleasant although
very handy to some.
All officers received
a "strafing" by the
CO last night on the
subject of discipline
He spoke very much
to the point & several
officers' & ears burnt.
I was not one fortunately.
Discipline generally
aboard this ship has
been excellent in
fact I doubt if it
could be bettered
by any ship full
of troops. Decks are 
always clean the
men are shaven
and altogether
things are as they

Training Stunt

Jan 29 Reported to HQ^rs
29^th Div. Westoutre
and tomorrow I move 
onto reported to
HQ^rs 59^th B^de who are
at present in the line
but who come out
tomorrow night. I
will spend a month
with them and return
to the Division for
a further period of
two months training
Felt very sick at
leaving the Bⁿ but
this is really a better
job if I can make
a fist of it.
I'm really very lucky

should be
Have been fortunate 
on striking up an
acquaintance with
Stoker Byrne a nice
girl a few years older
than myself.
 
Sep 5^th Great excitement
yesterday. While men were lowering
the boats from the Coal
deck to the level of the 
promenade deck. a hook
on one of the davits broke
so allowing one end of the
boat to drop & throwing
ax man who was in the
boat into the water.
I was sitting in the
library with some other
officers when I heard a
scurry, the thump of the
boat hitting and a
shout of man overboard

Will be going on
leave in about
2 weeks time.
 
Jan 2^nd Was rung up by the
BM and told to report 
to Bde at Kemmel
On arriving here I was
offered the chance of
a 3 months course of
instruction with an
English Division. This
I accepted and my name
has been sent in
 
Jan 14^th Went on leave to
London and had a
great time. Met a nice
girl a friend of Macs
with whom I got on
quite well. Leave was
cut short as I was
called back for this
 

on going out on deck
I found that men were 
lining the bulwark 
with in direct opposition
to orders. After straightening
them out & falling them
in I, in company
with Ric stood by.
The boat was brought
round in order to
afford a lee for
the launching of the a
boat & the engines
reversed. I did not
see the man for
about four minutes
after the alarm
when he appeared on our
starboard bow hanging
on to a mast which 
had come away
when the boat fell.
The sea was fairly
rough and & it was

Jan 3^rd 1918 were relieved
from front line on
night of 30/31 and
moved back to the
Bde Reserve position
some 1500 y in rear.
CO has gone to take
charge of Bde in
the absence of the
Brigadier who has
gone on leave.
Major Carter is
back unfortunately.
New Years Honours
will be out tomorrow
I expect. I hope that
I get my M.C. Carter
talking in usual 
strain this morning
reckoned I should
have got a D.S.O where
of course is all
tommy rot.

easy to see what a 
job it would be to
launch a boat in
a bad sea. We
picked the man up
after abou he had been
nine minutes in the 
water and he was
aboard again about
10 minutes after the
the signal blew.
It transpired that
he has been in
no fewer than five
accidents once or twice being
torpedoed & also being
on the Titanic when
she foundered.
He is a man of over
53' and does apparently
is fated to die on 
land and not on the
sea. He is none
the worse for his

Dec 19^th Took over from
59^th Bⁿ on the night
of 14/15. Relief complete
without casualty
I had a very quiet
time so far although
a very windy message
had just been received
which says that a
wounded prisoner has
told them a [[?]]
that Storm troops have
been brought up and
will attack on our
B^de Front. No date is 
given. It may be tonight
 
immersion although
he naturally looked
a bit pale & shaky
after lan getting
aboard again.
The discipline of
the men was xxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxx
of the
xxxxx on his grounds
xx complaints was
that officers were taking
photos instead of attending
to their jobs. I took one
for Rickitson off which I
was going to get a 
print, but that has been
knocked on the head
by the C.O. ordering that
all prints of ph  negatives
of the man climbing into 
the boat are to be
destroyed without being

printed.
In addition to this
bit of excitement we
had some more fun
this morning when
Capt Kirby sent
the message along the
various telephone
lines to the various
submarine guards
that submarine
was sighted on the 
starboard bow
This was unfortunately
intercepted by the
bridge the officer on
the bridge immediately
giving the signal
on the whistle - six
short blasts & putting
the helm "hard
aport thinking
that the alarm was
the "dinkum oil"

where we entrain and
move on to Kemmel
we relieve the 5^th Div on
the night of the 14/15^th for a
16 days tour in the
front line and 16 days
in Div. Reserve or so it
stands at present. Then
we come out for the
rest of the winter
 
Orig
 
Up till the time when
I saw the boat
turning off her course
I didn't think it was 
real but when I saw
the ship doing manoeuvers
I began to think
things and regret the
fact that I had
neither life belt,
glasses nor revolver
with me.
The Skipper was not 
in the know and was
consequently very
much annoyed and
a little bit scared
about it with the
result that Capt, Kerby
was hauled over the
coals
The next time the
alarm goes we will
know that it is the

We are out for about
6 weeks according to
rumours we go back
again to a quiet
part of the line. I hope
so.

Dec 9 Have completed
Bde Sports the Bⁿ
winning the cup for
the recreational training
events. I expect to move
forward on Wednesday
or Friday to a 
quiet sector.
 
11. Marched from Deseres
to Ledingham and find
a very great constrast
in the billets. Its as
cold as the devil
Volum and Twaits have
rejoined Move to Thiernbronne
tomorrow, from there
to Wizernes the next day
 
real thing and act
accordingly & correctly
or rather attempt to
act correctly. I hope to
God I can.
We expect to arrive
in England about
this day week.
Yesterday just after
the man went overboard
the news spread in 
the rapid manner that
such news usually
spreads & was of course magnified
First it was said that
three men had gone
overboard and then
after the man had been
got aboard the yarn
got aboard that a
shark was nibbling
at his toes as he was
pulled into the boat!

place I called on
Jessie who was looking
very businesslike
and nice. She's one of
the best. Chased the
battalion to Hazebrouck
to find that they had
moved well back
towards Boulogne.
Went back to St Oiuer
and after staying a
night there came on
to Nielles from which
pIace  I pushed on 
to Bleguin to find
the Bⁿ just marching
in. Its good to be
back although
I did enjoy myself
while at Rouen.
Birdwood's been made
a General and so
I expect we will
be losing him.
 

This submarine menace
is no small thing & one
begins to realize it only
when the ship is
darkened. I am at
present writing in 
my cabin with a
strawberry box painted
black over my light
my venetian blind
up & curtains drawn
across the window.
Consequently the
ship is rather a
dismal place at
present and do
not think that
there will be many
who can honestly say
at the end of the trip
that they are sorry
the trip is over
We are running at
present with no escort