Typed transcript of diary of John Kingsley Gammage, 1915 - 1916 - Part 2

11.
never played the man by wolfing all the breakfast and dinner
themselves and not give a thought for their fellow man, so an
attendant from another tent gave them something and promised they
would see a real live doctor in the morning.

15th
New rules also an attendant for this tent. Had breakfast dry
bread and bacon 1 slice but plenty of bread. 11 a.m. saw a
doctor still looking for a piece of iron in my leg, this was
great fun I don't think.

16th
Saw a doctor again. I understand now why the treatment was so bad the
first day or two there was too many of our cowardly officers who
were suffering from nervous break down and completely run down and
other complaints I never knew a private to suffer from since I joined
the army. but officers are different poor creatures, they never
discovered they were a bit off until the most critical time ever
witnessed on the peninsular arrived even my friend the S.M.
discovered he was a bit off and I never bombarded him when I saw
him trying to get away. not half. Very Stale here.

September 9th
Battallion came to Lemnos for a rest I am still in Hospital. I went
on to Acquatania Sept 24th Join my company again, plenty of drill
and night parades.

25th
Went onto the Savage Harpie Rattle-snake Terrible Olympic and
other ships.

26th
Left for Peninsular

30th
Arrived.

31st
On duty lost only 3 men getting to the firing line Jacko has not
forgotten how to send over the shells and bombs this place is
not nearly so bad as lone pine.

Nov. 1st
Lost a few men more Airoplanes and battleships. Bombarded at 8 p.m.
since we arrived back, rations are only half issue very hungry and
thirsty.

2nd
Usual Airops and shelling 6 p.m. shelling fairly heavy at our
paraphet.

3rd
Heavy shelling all day Bombs at night, this position is no soft
snap 4 hours on and 2 off lost a gunner.

4th
Very heavy shelling lost 2 gunners duced uncomfortable place
Jacko attacks on right flank Bombs something lovely all night
so as we cant go and help the right flank.

12.
5th
Pretty active with bombs and artillary all day and at night Very
heavy bombing attack expected. Tucker very scarce and very little water.

6th
Artillary pasting Jacko and at noon Jacko pastes us properly every
day there are heavy Art duels since we came back our Art. is 3 times
stronger than the Turks now some fair shooting after our
Airoplanes 60 or 70 shells after them Very heavy bombing all night.

7th
Art. duels and bombs.

8th
Heavy calibre shells coming over from Asia. Very heavy bombing
all night Turks try and keep us from opening up a new
firing line we are losing a good many men.

9th
Turks quiet our battleships and Art. give Jacko a awful day of it.
and he gives us bombs in return all night.

10th
Art and ships pretty active all day pretty close shave today with the
nose of a shell.

11th
Our Art firing hard. Ships putting in broadsides a piece of shell over a
∧pound nearly in my dugout, bombs all night.

12th
Navy and Art very active. Turks tearing away our trenches with
French 75s.

13th
In charge of a machine gun, about the same as yesterday.

14th
Turks Airoplane over again our guns after him Turks sneak up and
throw bombs in our trench few casualties.

15th
After my gun with French 75s this is the worst class of gun they
have. Bombs all night.

16th
Great Art.duel and Jacko wins. 75 again after our gun.

17th
Broadsides from Navy all day and Art very active. Jacko returns 75s
all the evening and Bombs all night.

18th
One of our guns (Machine) knocked but only a graze. can be repaired
still after my gun its a lovely sensation to be covered with dust
from shell fire and not stop one. Bombs to further orders.

19th
Art and Navy and general mix up of big guns all going at once we get
a win during day but Jacko wins with bombs at night.

13.
21st
Our Art. firing pretty Heavy Turks attack on Quinns post but were
driven back. They kept us where we were with bombs if Jacko
attacks one end of the line he gives the appearance of attacking on
the other end so as to stop us shifting men to reinforce.

22nd
Quiet day.

23rd
We give big Bombardment and get plenty back. Jacko knocks another
one of our guns (18 pounder) and very nearly my machine gun. I
got ordered to take it down for the time. We get orders for no guns
or rifles to be fired where we are to make Turks think we have
evaculated this part.

24th
Turks cant make us out but send shells over and sneak right up to
see if we have left and then throw bombs we have a few casualties
no shots returned.

25th
Light horse patrol captured or shot and our own shot. Turks very
curious and shell and bomb our trenches and get quite game and
expose themselves. We lost several men but still never fired.

26th
Shelled all day attacked at night we allowed them to get 5 yds
off our trench and they sent a shower of bombs in but we sent a
shower of bullets at the same time we lost a few but they lost
good many. The Light Horse machine guns went bung we were
depending on them to protect our front. My gun is going very
well but it covers Lone Pine ½ a mile off machine guns fire is
not much good at close range so all guns cover a front about
½ a mile away which makes a most effective cross fire. The
horrors of war appealed to me properly now there are wounded
men lying between trenches the weather is bitterly cold and
nothing left for them but freeze to death if this is 19th
century civilization God help the 20th century lot.

27th
Very cold our Art. going and a few for us in return Turks get
big reinforcements attack expected 12 p.m. started to snow and
kept up fairly heavy all night. Tucker is very short and water we
have had none for 6 days about ^1/3 of a pint of tea twice a day
almost mad with thirst my gun mate killed. Bricky Davis.

28th
Turks pitching for machine guns with French 75s. The biggest
Bombardment ever we got was today. 200 odd killed and wounded
in the tunnells at Lone Pine. I am on the machine gun that covers
the Pine. My crew all standing to arms ready to send some poor
unfortunate Turks into the next world. Jacko never followed his
bombardment up. Bombs get a few at night.

29th
Fairly quiet but for 75s after our gun dashed uncomfortable feeling
I believe Jacko is trying to hurt us.

30th
Still no water thirst something terrible men are offering £l for
a water bottle full of water. Thank god our officers can have

14.
plenty even to wash with. But all men are equal on a battlefield.
I don't think. Great Art.duel got our range to a nicety for 2 of
our machine guns several slugs come in our gun pit. Jacko
should be more careful and not annoy us.

1st November [-December)
Art duels 75 getting a few of our men we have some of the best
material the world can produce for an army, but very badly
managed by incompetent officers our sentry shoots his own men.
this sort of thing goes on very often through mis-management,
our 2nd gunner out of action.

2nd. Big bombardment over our lines Turks Airoplanes quite game.

3rd
Art duels all day. Saw the S.M. he is quite nice to me if ever
an opportunity presented itself to blackmail a man it is now I
will keep him under my thumb for further use.

4th
French 75 sends slugs in my gunpit every shot. I made my crew
take cover one fool standing to his post is quite enough when
shells are about No. 2. gun hit blown to blazes no body hit
75 is playing over our sleeping quarters. We got ½ a pint of
water extra. poor old Murphy Knocked out.

5th
Very Heavy bombs at stand to. one of our sneaking contemptable
officers gets money from all hands promising to have some goods
brought from Lemnos for us. Headquarters has allowed one man to
go to Lemnos and buy for each Comp'any the goods arrived and
the . . . . . . . officers seized them for themselves. This is a
very manly way of getting a lend of £20 or £30 from the men
I am quite surprised to see that they had that much brains but of
course all their brain power is taken up thinking of their own
greedy carcases so that accounts for it. Heaviest Bombardment ever
Achi Baba had.

6th
Shelling our quarters also gun positions. Bombs early in the morning
Another Bombardment on Achi Baba.

7th
Bombs at stand to 75's and shelling all the morning Navy sending
broadsides after Olive Grove guns Bombs at night.

8th
Fairly quiet a few shells after our guns bombs all the evening and
night.

9th
Fairly quiet, few shells coming over Turks get a lot of our
men lately through portholes Achi Baba getting pasted also Olive
grove battery (Beachy Bill) one of our gunners knocked out. Bombs
at night.

10th
The heaviest bombarding ever Jacko got on our direct from which is
undescribable very good sniping from my gun. Japanese bombs at night.

11th
Fairly quiet morning - during evening 75s and bombs for us and bombs
all night.

15.
12th
We got bombarded heavily and lose a few. Lone Pine getting an
awful bad time have not heard how many casualties yet. Jacko
getting uncomfortably close to my gun.

13th
Fairly quiet 75 is getting very close nearly smothered with
dirt all morning, dugout is a fine place to those off duty.

14th
Shell all the morning Shell from Asia all the evening. The sight
of my gun knocked off close shave. What a grand place home is all
letters and mail stopped. We get news of evacuating this position
which will be an awful job this job might be worse than making a
big charge as there will be only a skeleton line of men against
the Turks full forces wounded will have to be left behind
75 playing very close all my crew in a good cover one fool is enough
to be Knocked at a time.

15th
Our Art all gone aboard Turks take advantage of it and give us more
than a fair share Achi Baba gets a pasting daily from navy. Bombs
at night.

16th
Plenty of shells. 75 playing in dead earnest after my gun. 1st
shot nearly bury's us 2nd gets our Paraphet and blowes the sand bags
away. I sent my two mates to take cover close handy. 3rd shot
in tunnell of our pit 4th ditto 5th burys the gun and almost
smothered me, it is time to pack up until the fun is all over
standing to your post on a machine gun is a lovely game I can
recommend it.

17th
destroying every thing so as Jacko will not have the use of them
when we go, fierce shelling, bombs at night.

18th
Jacko take advantage of us having no Art. and blow us about. We we
have bag covers for our bayonets and mufflers made of bag for our
boots so as to sneak without being heard. It is a hopeless case
for the rear guard if Jacko finds out we are going they are only
few left to cover the retreat and no place where a stand can be made.

19th
Very heavy bombardment by both sides (only our navy) 75s very severe
9.30 some of our crew start to embark final evacuation 1.30 monday
morning.

20th
This concludes a real experience that money could not buy with an
enemy that fought fairly and clean. //A few things I cannot fathom are
why our transport ships used to come in under the cover of our
hospital ships until Jacko sent warning he would have to fire on our
red cross if it continued, and very rightly so, also why provisions and
amunition were stored in very large quantitys alongside of our field
hospital, on one occasion Jacko blew our hospital tents into pieces
as big as a pocket handkerchief, in my opinion he done quite right
considering that he respected our red cross but could see our men
packing shell and amunition and provisions taking advantage of his
respect also why our people tried to make a landing of 2000 men
right under the Turks guns during an armistice.

16.
Lemnos for a few days and ship for Alexandria. Christmas day on
a dirty filthy ship. I might mention we had half rations of
biscuits and bully today which made quite a merry Xmas.

27 th
Start for Tel-El-Kebir a lovely place I would sooner the
peninsular than here
drill to further orders.

————
January 28
Went to Cairo and marched to Abbassia to join Camel Corps

February 1st
First ride on Camel, got one fall.

February 26th
Started for the Libian desert.

It is impossible for any one to know what other Units are doing.
They could be all dead and the men fifty yards off would know
nothing about it so anything in this diary is only what is going
on in my own Company in fact section of (when full strength) 16 men.

Browns dep
Chatham post
Leons Post
Casualty Corner
Schrapnell Gully
Vally of Despair
Vally of Death
Shell Green
Poppy Gully
Pine Ridge
Gun Ridge
Olive Grove

Apl 10^th 1915

Left Sydney no one
allowed on wharf moved
off quietly.

14^th 15^th 16^th very rough
very nearly all hands
sick. Shipping tons of
water no one allowed
on decks

18^th Arrived at Fremantle
at 9 A.M. Big crowds
visit wharves. no leave
given. very big fire
near wharf all night
over twenty men broke
leave by sliding down