Photostat copy of diaries of Benjamin Bennett Leane, 1915 - Part 25

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Open to contributions
Accession number:
RCDIG0001006
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 10

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luck for Show if he has to go back to a company. It's an unknown predicament altogether. It seems [[magnifically?]] unfair to those who have stuck right through to have no give way to officers who have been away for months : but then on the other hand it was no the fault of those officers that they were wounded, and therefore it is  not fair that they should lose seniority of promotion on that account.

Saturday Oct 23rd - Feeling very fit today Inglis and I went for a brisk walk for about an hour and a half this morning, across the hills and down to the beach. It was a stiff pace getting back but I feel  much better for it.  This cold weather puts life into one, without a doubt. It gives you plenty of vim and snap.

Sunday Oct 24th 1915 - Another very cold day. Word came through tonight that our holiday is once again put off.  The 11th were to have embarked tomorrow, followed by the 9th, and we were to have left on oct 29th. And now it is all cancelled and our date of departure indefinitely postponed. From what I can gather there is to be a big move on the left shortly , and no troops can be spared for the present. [[Oh?]] well ! as one of the men always says about six times per page in in all his letters. Oh Well!

As long as they feed us well and send our mail along regularly I don't mind. I don't mind hanging on if there is a chance of putting the business through. 

 

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Monday Oct 25th - A beautiful sunny day. Inglis and I went for our normal ramble this morning. It is a real picnic day. Last night a batch of returnees landed, included Capt  [[Humagull?]] our QM and Lt Lovtit of 'A' Coy.  Also Lieut Smith, of the 8th Reinforcements came on over.  He says the 8th 9th 10th Reinforcements are i Egypt ready to come on. I wish thet'd send them, and give some of our chaps a bit of a spell from the firing line: Each day one platoon used to be detailed as 'next platoon', but now the next platoon has to do its share of fatigues the same as the duty platoon, and lots of men are doing three nights in succession in the firing line.

[[Ethel's?]] boy, Arnold came over to see me this afternoon. He looks pretty well. He doesn't know where his father or [[Roy?]] are : he has not heard from them since they left for hospital. I gave the boy some chocolate and a tin of condensed milk: it was all I had.  His battalion is about six miles from here.

Tuesday Oct 26th 1915

Very quiet day, inclined to be drizzly. Armitage has been transferred back to 'C' Coy so we now have four officers. I am going to shift my quarters. Inglis and I have long talked about making his dugout into a roomy, double one and our sharing it, so we are now going to do i, and Armitage can take over mine, which was his originally.

Wednesday Oct 27th 1915  A beastly day today - a strong dry wind

 

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swirling dust everywhere - just like or horrible harsh winds in Adelaide. I moved into my new quarters this afternoon and am very well pleased  with them. The dugout is much more roomy, and I can stand up straight without knocking a shower of sand  from off the roof down my neck. Yours and Gwen's, and Ethel's photos are prominently displayed in the little recess where I keep my mirror and other toilet articles - my 'dressing-table' in fact. I like to look at them and wonder when we will be together again.

Thursday  Oct 28th 1915.

Slept very soundly in my new bed. Also its - nice to have company for a change, and Inglis is a very decent sort; clean minded. 

The weather today is hot and dry and [[everwaling ?]]. We went for a short walk this morning but soon fogged. There is talk of a few odd bags of mail - about thirty - for our brigade.  I wish it would come along. I have heard also that there are about three weeks mails at Alexandria waiting for a boat to bring them on, so perhaps that is where your letters and the English parcels are.

We are down low again toady no fresh meat, no bread; so we have to tackle biscuits and bully - [[ugh?]] To make matters worse, the water fatigue has been down twice for water this morning, and can't get any, so there's no tea either!

Also our porridge supply ran out yesterday,  so we had none for breakfast

 

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Later. - I wrote the previous entry shortly after lunch, and then stretched out for a quiet read.

 

 

 

 

 

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