Diary for Roy Rowe, 1915-1916 - Part 7

Zeitoun
APRIL 1915

18 SUNDAY
I am Orderly Sergt today.
We received orders to preppare
to embark for Alexandria
immediately.
 

Zeitoun
1915 APRIL

19 MONDAY
I am O. Sgt. again today. Very
little doing this morning & this
afternoon the Col. granted 50% leave
to Cairo & 25% out of lines. I had
an hour at tennis with Pte Clifford
& enjoyed it very much. At 5 P.M.
I was in charge of our lines. The
O.C. came in about 5.30. The other
M.Officers were playing tennis. At 6 PM
orders came to embark for Alexandria   
I soon has several tents struck &
packed & 7.x p.m. Capt. Clarke came back
& took about 12 men to Cairo leaving
me about 10 to do all the work. He
give me charge of all the shifting
of everything over to the road for
loading at 5 am in the morning
By 10 p.m. most of the stores were
shifted & with the men who came
back from leave then everything except
Officers tents were ready, for loading
by about 11.20. We ^went to bed about 12 P.M.
 

Cairo-Alexandria
APRIL 1915
20 TUESDAY
I am O. Sgt again today
Reveille at 3 am. breakfast at 4 a.m.
& we loaded service waggons at
5 o'clock. At 6.15 we had left
camp for the train at next
station to Zeitoun. We reached
Alexandria at 11.15. We shifted our
stores straight on to the boat.
The S.S. Hindoo & when we had
finished & the loading of ammunition
(9 million rounds) was finished we
left for Lemnos Island at 6.30 p.m.
I sent a P.C. to Mother & Ethel by
one of the Territorials on the
wharf. We have 2 hospital units
on board. No 16 & No 2' S.H.
R.A.M.C.   A.A.M.C.

S.S. Hindoo 3000 tons (net)

Mediterranean Sea

APRIL 1915

21 WEDNESDAY

We have an inspection at

10 a.m. by the O. C of troops

for which we have to parade
in full dress.  We have iron

rations issued on board.

Aegean Sea

APRIL 1915

22 THURSDAY
We passed the Rhodes Islands
today & also several other
smaller ones.
Hand drawn map - see original

Aegean Sea

SS. Hindoo H.M.T.

1915 APRIL
23 FRIDAY
At 5.30 a.m. a Cruiser
came along side us. I think
with some orders. We have
been passing small & large
islands all day. We anchored
at the entrance to the harbour
at Lemnos^ Island about 9 P.M. after
a small destroyer had came
alongside. We had a concert
At on board tonight (All hands)

Lemnos Island

April 1915

24 SATURDAY
We moved into the harbour
this morning, passing several
very large battleships on the
way in. The harbour is very
large & quite natural. It is
full of ships of all sizes.
There must be fully one
hundred altogether. Our unit
was divided today into 4
parties, one to each party to
go on a transport. Capt Hayne,
myself & 15 men were in one party
One party & another one left the
SS. Hindoo for our respective
transports at 6.30. Our party
returned after a ride all round
the harbour. Our boat had
not waited for us but had
gone on to the Dardanelles,
with a lot more ships
 
Lemnos Island

APRIL 1915
25 SUNDAY
We are very disappointed at
not getting away with the ships
to the Dardanelles. Practically
all the boats have gone there
from here. A big move is
taking place, about 40,000 men
are to be landed & through
some mistake we have missed
it all.
P.S. We were all delighted at
6 P.M. when a pinnace came
alongside our boat with orders
to leave at once for the "Dardanelles".
Geo Stead, Allan Lally & 4 others made
a boat party to take Major Barber
Capts. Clarke, Deakin, Sawers Haynes & Stacy
ashore to see No 1 S.H.. & the
village (greek). They returned quickly
when the "blue peter" was hoisted
& we were outside the mined boom
before sunset which was one of
the many beautiful sunset we have
seen

Dardanelles

APRIL 1915
26 MONDAY
Even now that we are close to the
bombardment the boat is not quite
close enough to satisfy us. I got up
at 12:30 a.m. to hear the reports of the guns
& to see the flashes as they poured out the
shells from the battleships in the distance
Practically all day the reports of guns
have ^ been ringing in our ears & even late into
the night. This afternoon the firing at
what appeared to us to be a village but
is probably a fort^ on our right ceased after making
the place one mass of ruins but
continued to until the fort on our
left (port side) at the entrance to the
straits looked as through it had
received more bursting shells
than was good for it. It seems
to us that nearly all an the english troops
were landed yesterday. The first
4,000 being landed quickly by beaching
the transports & letting the men out
the sides on to pontoons. Our
artillery have been in action with

turks today.
 

S.S. Hindoo
"Dardanelles" 

APRIL 1915
27 TUESDAY
The Battleships  xx continued
to shell the village or fort
on the side of the hill on
our left & it began to lessen
tonight. About 6 P.M. heavy
firing began on the big hill
about 10 miles around the
coast & continued for several
hours. I have since learned
the it was there that the
australians had landed
It is known as Saros Gulf.
where our transports anchored
to land our troops. There are
half a doz. french transports
here at the entrance to the
straits & the frenchmen have
began to disembark. Only
french & english troops are
being landed at this point
of the Gillipi peninsular.
 

Dardanelles  

APRIL 1915
28 WEDNESDAY
Heavy firing continued all day.
the village that was set on
fire yesterday, suffering very
severely & also any turks that
happened to be entrenched on
the hill that strecthed out
in front of us
continued next page
 

S.S. Hindoo
Dardanelles 

APRIL 1915
28/4/13
Heavy firing continued
today about 6 P.M.
Our Captain received orders
to report at one to the
H M.S. Queen 10 miles
along the coast (where
the Australians landed)
We did nothing until tonight
all day but watch any
movements of our boys
that we could see with
glasses.

Gallopolli Peninsula
S.S. Hindoo -S.S. Devanha
APRIL 1915
30 FRIDAY.
Australian Landing Place
We watched all the morning
any action that was visible
on the hill on which the
boys & the turks were entrenched
& at 4 P.m. received orders
to divide into 2 Parties & to
each go on a ship to attend
to the wounded. All hands
began work at 4.20 Pm to
load half our equipment on to
the "Davarna" ?  for Major Barber's
Party. Shortly after wounded men
arrived & were attended to at
once. Loading ceased for a while
Capt Clarke issued rum tonight
& W.0. & about 4 N.C.O's & some
Ptes were drunk at 4 am. I went
& had 3 hours sleep.
 

Australian's Landing Place
Dardanelles
S.S. Hindoo - S.S.. Devanha

MAY 1915
I SATURDAY
Everybody has worked hard
today attending the wounded
men from shore. We had
about 300 at 5 p.m. I was
distributing the men to different
doctors as they came ashore on
board. Loading completed the
"Devarna" pulled away from
the Hindoo at 6 P.m. We
were all surprised at the very
selfish way Capt Clarke acted.
After squaring up things we
decided to have a sleep but
it did not come off until
4 next morning. About 10 pm
we had orders to pull along side
the "Minawaska" ( The largest boat
here) & transfer our party & the
other half of our stores. We
worked on until about 3.30 a.m
 

Australian Landing Place
Dardanelles  

MAY 1915
2 SUNDAY

"S.S. Minnawaska"
We had breakfast at 7.30 a.m.
& during the day had to
shift everything necessary for
immiditate ^ use in the hospital
down aft where the Major Zwar
expected it would be. This
evening The General commanding
our boys made a big move
which was not so successful
as it was expected to be, only
a few trenches being captured
 

S.S. Minnewaska
Dardanelles 

MAY 1915
3 MONDAY
This evening all except the
2 motor men, 3 Ptes & myself
left the boat with necessary
stores for hospital use to go
aboard the Gloster Castle where
wounded were being taken onboard
We had to stay behind
to guard remainder of equipment
About noon today several shells
supposed to be from the [[?]]
which often slips down to the
"Narrows" for a short time to try
a do some damage, landed
in the water very close to
some of our transports & a
Battleship. One shell hit a
collier on the aft deck killing
one man & wounding 7 more.
 

S.S.  Minnewaska
14800 Tons
S.S. Gloster Castle 

MAY 1915
4 TUESDAY
This morning the chief
officer on board said that
all our stores were to be
stored in the hole. We
began after dinner & finished
at 7 P.m.  Then we left the boat
& went on board the Gloster
Castle where we found our
men working hard.
 

"S.S. Gloucester Castle"
MAY  1915
5 WEDNESDAY
After a good nights rest I began
work this morning with Gar
in the Pack Store. They continued
to load wounded from shore
all day. There are several
of our boys from W.A. on the
ship among the wounded
Every ship officer & all the crew
do everything in their power to
help us in our work which
takes up long hours.
 

S.S." Gloucester Castle"
MAY 1915
6 THURSDAY
More wounded men were
brought from shore to our
boat today. It seems
hardly necessary for me
to mention the awful state
many of them were in, Some
of the 16th Batt. tell us that after
a charge x an attack the
previous night only about
240 answered roll call on
Monday morning. It is hard
to believe that so many are
lost but evidently true. I am
told that poor Jack McClary
was wounded in the arm
badly & has been sent to
Alexandria by on the hospital ^ ship
"Gascoyne" which left last
night. About 12 men have
died on board so for.
 

"S. S. Gloucester Castle"
MAY 1915
7 FRIDAY
Still more The number of wounded since
on board this morning  now makes
a total of 735 with 40 men
to do all the work.  This evening morning
we left for Alexandria. Gar &
myself have a lot of work
getting the kits straightened up
as they have been the thrown
aboard anyhow.