Photostat copy of diaries of Benjamin Bennett Leane, 1915 - Part 12

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country; then on through
miles and miles of rolling
country side, always the
same, yet ever varying.
If the seeming contradiction
may be allowed. Green
fields sprinkled with the
yellow of buttercups and primroses,
the reds and purples of gorse
and heather, the white and
blue of many other wild
flowers; and lined and
spaced and divided with
well trimmed hedges; thick
clusters of trees, in which
the light, exquisite green
of elm and chestnut
mingles and blends with
the darker hues of pine and
fir, while, hedge-lined
roads that wind and turn
 

5
and lose themselves in the
maze of green, re-appearing
again and darting over
hills and across valleys;
wandering past dainty farm houses
and through little villages,
finding themselves at last in 
some neat, spruce little town.
So on we raced, through station
after station, Oxford, Stafford,
until at length the green
country side gradually faded
and gave place first to small
holdings, then to smaller, workingmen's
plots, then neat suburbs,
and at last the grim, smoke -
blackened town of Birmingham.
Here the train was besieged by
workers of the St. John's Ambulance
Society, and kindly spoken
ladies served us with sandwiches,
 

6
cake and tea; also oranges,
chocolates, and cigarettes.
Then on through more factories
and suburbs, through neat,
populous towns with quaint
canals, and still more quaint
barges drawn by horses on
the canal banks; through
more countryside until
we came to Wolverhampton.
Here more nice ladies gave
us more nice things - including
clay pipes, plug tobacco,
and cigarettes. I dodged the
clays and black-jack, but
it was impossible to say no
to the numerous fair donors
of cigarettes. I think the
Anti-Cigarette Campaignists
must have been utterly routed
long ago, for soldiers are
 

7
almost overwhelmed with "fags".
In Hospital at Alexandria, on
the "Goorkha" and I expect
in this hospital too, every man
is served out with his packet
of cigarettes every day. And 
on the trip from Southampton
to Manchester I must have
had at least two dozen cigarettes
given me, and could have
had twice that number had
I not refused them. In my 
locker at present I have quite
six dozen cigarettes. When I
will smoke them I do not
know, for I do not care greatly
for cigarettes, unless they are
good Egyptian. I enjoy my
pipe much better.
At length at about 5.30 p.m.
we came to Manchester, and
 

8
entered the station on an
elevated line through a
perfect sea of chimney
pots, and every one of them
smoking. Have you ever 
noticed how, wherever you
go, some particular object
fastens itself in your memory,
so that ever afterwards, when
you think of the place
the particular scene immediately
flashes to your mind. Birmingham
will call up the Small Arms 
Factory, with a  policemen
stationed round the walls at
intervals of twenty yards or so.
Wolverhampton will recall
a girl with an English
complexion, who wore glasses,
and shook hands with me
when the train was leaving.
 

9.
(Don't be jealous, I am still heartwhole).
And likewise,
Manchester will conjure up
a vision of smoking chimney
pots. Arrived at the 
station we disentrained, and
after some tea and bread & butter,
were whirled away in the
private motor cars which had
been placed at the disposal
of the British Red Cross Society.
Our journey from Southampton
had been one long series 
or welcomes. People walking through
the fields would stop to wave
to the hospital train; in passing
through the villages and towns
groups at windows and in their
gardens and crowds in the streets
would wave and cheer, while
the girls threw kisses with both
 

10
hands to the wounded soldiers.
But the ovation we received
at Manchester surpassed
everything. At the station 
exit the crowd had to be
held back by the police,
and as each car came
through the people cheered
wildly. Being Sunday
afternoon the streets were
all filled, and all the
way to the hospital we
passed through lines of 
smiling faces and waving 
handkerchiefs. And then
at the hospital gates there
was another crowd.
Our Hospital is situated
in one of the better class
suburbs of Manchester, and
was originally a school.
 

11
I am in an upstairs ward,
with seven others. As is only
to be expected, everything is
conducted with orderliness and
system, much better than at 
O the Victoria Hospital at Alexandria,
where they were in the throes of
preparation when were were
thrown in upon them.
I have sent your Uncle a 
postcard to say where I am,
so expect I will hear from
him soon.
Monday, May 17^th
We have been fitted up with
more blue and white suits, and
our own clothes have been taken 
away. This afternoon we
were allowed out in the grounds,
and the hospital instantly became
the centre of attraction for all
 

12
the children in the district.
They crowded round the picket
fence and peered through the
railings as though we were
some new and wonderful
animals in a zoo. And
though they could hardly speak for 
excitement when we went near
enough for them to speak to
and to touch. "Are you
wounded?" "Does your hurt
pain you much?" "Have you
been to the 'Jarganels?'" and
numerous other questions all
asked breathlessly and with
the peculiar intonation of the
English. I made friends
with one little Scotch lassie of
about 10 years. She and a 
little girl friend entertained
Baker and myself for a long
 

13
time. Later in the afternoon
the older people followed the
children's example, and by 
bedtime — 8 p.m. bless you 
and broad daylight — the
fence was thickly lined, on
one side with blue clad soldiers,
and on the other with children
and grown-ups. The ladies
have been particularly kind,
and many were the parcels
of fruit, lollies, cigarettes etc.
passed through the iron railings,
as well as bundles of magazines,
illustrated papers, and even
a few deck chairs.
Tuesday, May 18^th
This going to bed at eight
o'clock is over the odds. It is
broad daylight, and even
the children are still playing
 

14
in the streets. This is our 
routine - Wakened about
5 a.m. Beds made by 6 am.
Breakfast of bread and fish,
or bacon, and tea, at 7.30 am
Confined to wards until after
medical inspection about 10 am
Dinner - Roast beef, potatoes
and greens, followed by some
sort of pudding, at 12.30 pm.
Tea of bread and jam, with
a cup of tea, at 5 pm. In 
bed by 8 p.m.  Lights out at
9 pm. The sisters are
not bad sports on the whole,
but they are very precise
in enforcing the rules. We
showed one of them a
menu card from our table
on the "Goorkha" but she
would not believe that we
 

had lived so luxuriously. Our
days of good living are over,
I am afraid. The dinner is
very good here, but
two slices of bread and 
jam for tea don't quite
fill the cavity in a
healthy Australian's interior.
Still, we don't grumble - much.
The sister lectured me today
because the top of my locker
was a bit untidy. She said
I was a very untidy man.
I said "That's what my wife 
always tells me." She said
"I am afraid your wife hasn't
brought you up properly. She
must spoil you." And I 
had to agree.
One lady handed us in
some apples, and talked to us
 

16
while we ate them. She has
a husband at the Dardanelles,
& was naturally interested in us.
She told me all about her husband,
& of course I had to tell her
all about my wife. "Have you
any children?" she asked.
"Yes," says I, proudly "two."
"Boys, girls or both" she asked.
She had me there, and for
the minute I was so confused
that I forgot. Bennett Sydney had 
to be a boy, and answered
"Girls." I wonder was I right.
I saw my little Scotch
lassie again today. She has
claimed me as "her soldier", and
won't be denied. She is a dear
little mite, and talks so prettily and
sensibly for a child. This evening
after tea she brought along a
 

17
"pantomime" for me to see. It was
"Babes in the Wood", and while she
read the story her little girl friend
moved the paper figures on and off
the stage. It was great fun. Baker
and I pretended not to understand
the story, and she would explain 
everything so carefully and
patiently that we had to laugh.
The poor kiddie had only got
about half way through when we
were called into bed, so she
promised to bring it again tomorrow.
She made me laugh with her careful
pronunciation. One word, "educated"
worried her a lot. "The children
had been well eddi - eddic -
ed-u-cated." Another little tot
made me laugh, too. She had been
talking to two soldiers, and they
had evidently been chaffing her
 

18
for after they had gone she beckoned
mysteriously to me and when
I went over she said "Ssh - let
me whisper to you" So I bent 
down and she whispered very
seriously, indicating one of the
retreating soldiers with a chubby
finger "Tell him I love him 
just as much as the other man
- only don't let the other 
man hear," she added anxiously -
Decided symptoms of the universal
feminine quality already, I thought.
Wednesday, May 19^th
I received a letter from your 
uncle this morning. He is coming
to see me on Friday. He has
also asked me to stay with them
when I am discharged from
hospital. I expect I will get
a week's furlough before I am
 

19
sent back to the front, so I will
be glad to visit them.
I see that our boys are still
fighting hard back in the Dardanelles.
It makes me ashamed to be loafing
here in comfort. Still, I am 
afraid I would not be much
use at present, The wound
is almost healed, but my arm
gives me beans as soon as the
splints are removed and the
weight falls on the bones. To 
make matters worse I slipped,
and fell down the  stairs last
night, and of course landed on 
the bad arm. It shook me &
a bit.
We had a joke here today with 
one of the orderlies. We were
chaffing him about the broad
Lancashire dialect, and as an
 

20
example we drew his attention
to one of the kitchen orderlies
who put his head round the 
door and asked had we
got any "moogs" (mugs).
"Oh, aye, " he laughed, I
suppose you would say
"Have you got any coops."
And then he wondered why
we laughed still more. Of
course it was very rude of us,
but they know it's only fun.
Thursday May 20^th
Much the same as usual.
Capt. Collin's from the High Commissioners
Office, paid us a visit this morning.
I made a joyful discovery today.
I find I can still use my left
hand a bit at the piano. We
had a piano presented to us, 
and I've been longing to try it
 

21
so this morning I took off my sling
and dared to play a valse.
I could only do a one-finger
bass, but that is more than I
expected. My friend
Baker had the misfortune to 
lose a photo of his wife while 
at the Dardanelles, and this
morning on looking through the
"Daily Mirror" he found a 
reproduction of it, with a statement
that it had been picked 
up by a soldier on the Gallipoli
Peninsula, and asking the owner
to send along his name & address,
I must watch the "Mirror" closely
and perhaps I may yet get
yours again. I should like to
get it very much.
Friday May 21^st
Your uncle came this afternoon
 

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about half past three and stayed
until nearly five. I had wondered
what manner of man he would
be, but I found him very
easy to talk to, and absolutely
free from hauteur or formality.
I talked about my experiences and
he of his business and other interests,
and we got on very well together.
He wanted to know all about
you and Gwen, and you can guess
I was not loth to talk on a subject
that is so dear to me. He told
me that he had formed a strong
attachment for you, although he 
has never seen you. He said
that your mother has acquainted
him with the fact of the impending
arrival, and that he had
sent word through his bankers for
you to draw double the usual
 

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AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL LIBRARY
allowance this quarter. I thanked 
him for his generosity. He repeated
his invitation to me to stay
with them at Bradford during
my furlough.
Saturday, May 22^nd
I received a parcel this
morning, and on opening it found
it to be a tin of the celebrated
"Chairman" tobacco. It was from
your Uncle. I have been
smoking it  today, and find 
it very good.
Sunday, May 23^rd
We  have had big crowds
to talk to us today. I think I 
have talked incessantly this
afternoon, just one and then 
another, stopping for ten or
twenty minutes, then moving on
and others taking their places.