Photostat copy of diaries of Benjamin Bennett Leane, 1915 - Part 2

8.

whether it is simply common 

or garden mal de mer I don't

know, but I am beginning

to feel decidedly dizzy, and 

the motion of the boat is anything

but conducive to happiness.

Even the recounting of

the menu gave me a

troubled feeling in my inner

regions and it took quite 

a decided effort of will to

mention roast pork.

We now know pretty

definitely what our destination

is to be. We are bound

for the Dardanelles, which are

now being bombarded by 

the Allies warships. We are

 to see actual fighting at

last and are very elated

on that account. I will

 

explain to the best of my

ability just how matters stand

at present.

If you look at the map

of Turkey you will see that

the only outlet from the 

Black Sea to the Mediterranean,

and thus to the rest of the

world, is through a narrow

channel just near a black

dot called Constantinople.

From there a ship passes down

through the Sea of Marmara,

and then through another

narrow waterway known as

the Dardanelles Straits. At

both the Constantinople end, and

at the Dardanelles, are many 

forts, all command both under Turkish rule,

and these forts also absolutely

command both entrances.

 

10.

how, as Russia's territory borders

the Black Sea you will

at once understand that the

only outlet for all her

shipping — and this includes

pretty well the world's wheat

supply — is via this channel,

 So now that Turkey is opposed

to Russia the whole of this

shipping is bottled up.

You will see then, how

important it is that then, how

forts should be taken, and

Turkey overcome.

With this end in view, the 

forts are being subjected to a

heavy bombardment by our

warships. Once they are 

silenced, and the passage

of the Dardanelles is effected,

our forces will be landed

(You will see later that our forces had to

be landed before the heavy could get through

the Dardanelles.)

 

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and we will march on

Constantinople and endeavour

to take the forts at that

end. This accomplished,

we hold the key to the

Meditteranean, and Russia's 

shipping — and it is enormous

— will be unloosed.

And this wonderfully important

job they have given to 

Australia to do, and we

are hardly able to contain

our joy. Let us but do 

this, and we will have

justified our existence and

will have earned the thousands

of pounds that have been

spent on us.

Our present destination is 

Lemnos, an island about

thirty miles from the Dardanelles

 

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and there we are to wait

until the time comes for us

to land in Turkey. We

think it is only a matter

of days, and are like

greyhounds straining in the

leash, so great is our eagerness

to do the work we were

equipped and trained and

sent from our homes to do.

I have obtained the

Adjutants definite promise

that as soon as the fighting

commences I will be

relieved from my work

in the Orderly Room, and

allowed to go forward with

the Battalion, so I am

quite content. I could 

not do otherwise, darling

wife. Much as I long to

 

13

see you and to be with

you, and much as I hope 

to come back to you and

Gwen and our other little 

one. I could not stay

behind in safety while the 

troops were in the firing line.

Every fibre of my being is if I was against the thought of inaction,

and I'll guarantee I would

suffer from a nervous breakdown

if I was left at the Base.

So dearie, whatever happens,

now must not think I was

careless of your well being.

If I come through alright, well

and good.  If not —

then you must dry your 

tears and think "my husband

was a soldier, and he loved

his country and his honor as he

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loved me."

But please God I will 

come back to your, and our 

lives will be all xx happiness

again.

Kiddie, I think the sea 

is going to have its own war.

I must go below and hide

my shame.

Later. — The sea won. I must

swallow my pride — about

the only thing I can swallow

at present — and get

somebody else in to do my

job. Unfortunately while,

my offsider, is ill too, so

I'll have to get Jacobs

back again. It hurts to do

it, and I know he will

wear a supercilious smile

when he comes in answered

 

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to the summons, 

inform all and sundry that

we couldn't do without him

after all, but I can't

help it. For the present

I'm down and out.

—

March 4^th. 1915.

Once more I am my own

man, and can sit up and

take a little nourishment,

so to speak. As soon

as Jacobs came in the

other night (I was quite

right, his mouth did

wear a grin of contentment)

I handed over orders to 

him and went to bed.

I slept without once

wakening until half past

nine next morning. When

 

 

16

I woke I dressed and

went up to the office for

awhile, but it was 

no use, and I had

to get down to it again.

I didn't attempt to do

anything the remainder

of the day, and my

seat at table was unoccupied.

But this

morning I am alright

again, and have taken

over my work once more.

We are at present

wending our way between

beautiful little islands.

The waters are thick with 

them, and the scene

tonight just after sunset

was most ravishing.

The sky was one

 

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wonderful glow — you

know the beautiful lights

that fill the sky just

after sunset — those wonderful

soft shades that

make you almost weep —

and the islands look 

to themselves a softened

some, those more distant

looking more like a 

painted picture than actual

earth and stone. If

only this were a pleasure

trip, girlie, and you

were with me!

We expect to reach

Lemnos some time tonight,

but there is now some

doubt as to whether we

can land there. If 

Greece has declared war

 

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with Turkey it will be

alright, for Lemnos is

a possession of Greece.

But if not, then complications

will arise.

We passed two 

big cruisers just before

sunset — great powerful

vessels, with their guns

showing like a bull dogs

teeth.

 

March 5^th — we arrived at Lemnos

last night, and marched some

little distance out until dawn.

This morning we moved into 

the harbour and anchored

there. It is about the 

most snug little harbour

you could possibly imagine,

South Australia would be

 

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greatly enriched if she could

boast such a harbor within

easy distance of Adelaide.

After passing through the

heads you find yourself

in an immense lake of 

perfectly calm water. The

whole basin is surrounded

by high hills, so that you 

could hide a whole fleet

away and the outside

would be now the wiser.

At present there are in here

nine transports, two battle

cruisers, three destroyers, 

and a submarine, not to

mention a number of fishing

craft belonging to the inhabitants.

The island has

two or three separate

villages, and there are 

 

 

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some fair sized houses in

parts, as well as a very 

fine church. I do not

know, even roughly, the

number of the inhabitants.

The land appears to be

fairly fertile, and is well

grassed.  The feature that

first strikes a stranger

is the large number of 

windmills scattered about

the island. They are

not the windmill we

see in Australia, with

a high steel frame and

6 ft wheel, but the

big Dutch mills that you

have seen in pictures —

an enormous wheel mounted

on a stone tower of

very substantial appearance.

 

21

The countryside looks very

beautiful and peaceful

as it circles the big pool

of sleeping blue water.

I should very much 

like to go ashore and take

a long walk through its 

beautiful hills and along 

its quiet shores, but as

yet we have had no

word about landing. The

exercise would be good for 

the troops too, for at present

we are very congested, there

being well over two thousand

men on board.

 

March 6^th — Today the 9^th.

Battalion went ashore, taking

with them supplies for three

days, as well as tents etc.

 

22

We will now have the 

ship to ourselves, and things

will be much less congested.

We do not know who to thing 

the most fortunate, ourselves

or the 9th. They have the

change, but then we have 

the comforts and warmth

of the boat. The wind blows

very cold and keen here,

so I think we are the better

off.

We sent a mail away

today kiddie. I wrote 

two letters, one to you and 

one to mother and handed

them over to Capt. Lorenzo to 

censor. He passed the mater's alright, but in yours I had mentioned that we were at sea, and vague

 

23

reference to our movements, so

he laughed and passed it

back. As there was not time 

to write another letter I cut 

out the passages that contained

the censored matter and sent 

on the rest with a brief not

explaining the mutilation. In

future I will send the official

Field Service Card.

 

March 7^th. — Sunday

I have just been taking a 

quiet after dinner walk and 

smoke on the boat deck.

The sun set in a glory

of orange, and the after

glows were wonderful. I

drank in the beautiful scene

— the transports and battle

ships standing out black

 

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and grim against the

unrippled surface of the

water, and their ports

showing tiny circles of 

light at irregular intervals;

and behind, the coast 

line with the soft 

blue hills rising in the 

rear; and the whole

beautiful and made

unreal by the soft

sunset glow, which gradually

changed and faded

and gave place to the

blue greys of twilight

— I drank in the beauty

of the scene until darkness

at length felt and covered

all except the steady

points of light from port

holes, and the winking, 

 

25

flashing eyes of the signal

lamps. And as I 

gazed I dreamed, and

the dream was all of you

and of our love. And

I dreamed a great longing

for you filled my heart, and

I became unutterably sad

Kiddie, please God I may

come home to you again,

and then —.

Each day a transport

arrives with more troops.

The Turkish defence is 

reported to be stronger 

than was at first thought

and our forces are to be

supplemented with marines

and other British troops,

until our total strength

will be about 100,000 men