Photostat copy of diaries of Benjamin Bennett Leane, 1915 - Part 1

DIARY
OF
MAJOR B.B. LEANE
48^TH BN.
VOL. 1
2ND MAR 1915
TO
25TH DEC. 1915
181.1
A.W.M.
LIBRARY
 

67/2

A.W.M. 
LIBRARY
Class No 181.11
Catd.
Illusns.
Indexed
Maps
Indexed

NOTE BY AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL.
Major B. B. Leane, 48th Battalion, A.I.F.,
was killed near Bullecourt on 10th April 1917.  Other biographical 
details concerning him are: - Warehouseman, of
Prospect, South Australia; born Prospect; educated at
Prospect public school; age at time of death 27.  One
brother, Lieutenant-Colonel A.W. Leane lost his life during
the war while serving with the A.I.F.; two others -
Brigadier-General R.L. leane and Colonel E.T. Leane - survived.
 

In the event of my death please
post to
Mrs B B Leane
^c / o Mrs Fielders
"Dalton House" Washington St
Glenelg
South Australia

AUST. WAR MEMORIAL LIBRARY

67/

H.M.Y. Ionian
At Sea 2/3/15                                                               

Dear Girlie,

From now on our letters are
to be strictly censored, but in order
that you may know what happens
from day to day and from week to 
week I intend to write you one
long letter - being practically a diary -
and this I will post back to you
at the first opportunity.  It should
make interesting reading before it is
finished.  Whenever possible I will 
send you a short letter so that
you may know that I am well, but
these will contain no news regarding 
our movements or whereabouts.
My previous diary finished 
abruptly soon after our arrival
in Egypt and I have never

2
been able to catch up with it.
So the time between then and
now must remain a blank.  Still
you have had many letters during
that period and in them I have
mentioned most things of interest
that occurred during our three
months sojourn there.  For the rest
it was hard training - ^the days spent in
trudging through the heavy desert sands
and the nights in endeavouring to make
the blankets do double duty, for
although the days were sunny, and
at times quite fiercely hot, the
nights were generally very cold,
with a heavy dew.
At last, after many false
alarms, came definite news of a
move, and on February 28th we
struck camp.  We included the 
9th, 10th, 11th, & 12th Battalions, Army Medical
 (3)
Corps (3rd Field Ambulance), with Brigade
Headquarters and attached details.
The desert gave us a hearty send-off 
in the shape of a heavy
sand storm.  From early morning
until sundown we worked in
a cloud of dust, thus making
the usually arduous job of striking
and cleaning up camp doubly
unpleasant.  By nightfall we were
ready to move off, and at 9pm
the march to Cairo - 10 miles -
commenced.  It was about 1.30
a.m. when we arrived at the 
main Railway Station, footsore and
weary, for our feet - accustomed
to the desert sands - were unused
to the hard roads, and our
packs - loaded for the field - 
were very heavy.  For my part
I was also heavy with sleep,

4
for I had not been to bed for
two nights, and on the night of
the 27^th had worked the whole
night through, straightening up 
and packing my office stuff.
By about 3am the entrainment 
of the first division was
complete, and we started for
Alexandria.  I managed to get
a couple hours sleep during the
journey; and felt fit for work
again by the time we reached
the wharf.  We breakfasted
on a few sweet biscuits and raisins,
washed down with water of the
Nile - the best water I think
I have ever tasted, superior
even to the water of the Blue
Lake at Mount Gambier.
The train ran right alongside
our boat, and we detrained
5
and embarked in a drizzling
rain.  This was at about
7.30am.  Later in the afternoon
the second train load arrived and
embarked.  We had expected
to sail about 4.30pm, but
the loading of transport, provisions
etc. had not been completed
by midnight, so the hour was
postponed.  We eventually got
away this afternoon, and we are
now well out of the harbor, and
I can breathe again, having
completed all my embarkation
returns and got them well away.
I daresay you would like
to know how I am situated
-  whether I have enough bed clothes
and all that sort of thing.
Well, I am very comfortable,
considering. My office is a 

 6
portion of what was once the
smoking room, and it has
been left with most of its original
fittings - lounges, settees etc.
Also it is on deck, and 
is better situated on that account
than was the office in the 
'Ascanius'.  The cabin accommodation

is not quite so good - 
but then we are terribly crowded.
The company sergeants have
third class cabins between
decks, but Headqrs. sergeants are more
fortunate and have second class 
four berth cabins.  What is more,
for the first time since leaving
South Australia I am sleeping between
sheets, and have a white quilt 
as coverlet.  If that isn't the
last word in luxury, then
tell me.  Owing to the shortness
7
of the voyage we have not formed
a Sergeants' Mess, but senior
sergeants mess in the Second Saloon,
at an extra charge of 1/6 per day.
Considering the excellent fare, this 
price is very low.  For dinner
today, for instance, we had
soup, roast pork and vegetables,
fish, plum pudding, and
stewed fruit and custard.  Then
for tea the menu contained fried
fish, sea pie, cold meat,
and fresh crisp cakes.
(I am following in the
footsteps of Mrs E. so had better
stop telling you what I have to 

eat).
I am afraid I am going
to lose my reputation for being
a good sailor.  Whether it's
because I am tired out, or