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

4

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, working-

men'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 country side 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 5.30pm

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 heart-

whole). 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 ___ 8pm 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 am. Beds made by 6 am.

Breakfast of bread and fish,

or bacon, and tea, at 7.30am

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 pm.  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 mate, 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. Well, 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  up

a bit.

We had a joke here today with 

one of the orderlies. We were

straffing 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 the know it's only fun.

Thursday May 20^th

Much the same as usual.

Capt.. Collin's from the High Commissoners

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

22

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 experience 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 fast of the impending

arrival, and that he had

sent word through his bankers for

you to draw double the usual

23

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.