Photostat copy of diaries of Benjamin Bennett Leane, 1915 - Part 6

 

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party, bringing the previous

from the barge to the 

waterboat (which was still

alongside & thus prevented our 

looking direct from the 

barge to the winches) and 

from there loading it into

the slings. It was then

slung up over the side of 

the ship by the winch 

& lowered into the hold,

where it had to be stacked.

I can tell you we 

were all very tired by

the time we finished,

and were glad enough

to turn in. I bunked 

in with the rest, and did 

my share. It was rough, 

hard work, but it is a 

jolly sight better than
89

driving a pen.

I did not get up to

breakfast, but staid xxxx in

bed until 10 am.

A small mail came

on board today, but

nothing for me. I can't 

complain, though, after 

last mail. Also we 

drew some more pay,
which was very needful
April 10^th Had an interesting day

ashore. Went to the Stationary 

Hospital at Mudros to pay some 

of our men who are there. The

steam pinnace took us over. It was

a beautiful day, and after we

had paid the men we strolled 

through the village. Quite a

swarm of little wooden shops

 

 

90

have sprung up here as they

did at Mena. It is an  

ill wind that blows nobody

good, and quite a lot of 

enterprising people have made

small fortunes out of the shops.

We found a very passable

restaurant, where, were

served with white wine (5^d

per bottle) and some excellent

omelette — also roast lamb etc.

We made a few purchases

— matches, cigarette papers 

etc. for the men, and 

some beautifully sweet

lettuce and spring onions

for our tea. We had to 

row ourselves back, but the 

pull was very enjoyable.

And this when we got

back I found four three

 

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letters or my bed — one from 

you and two from mother. Yours

was a very naughty letter, you

bad girl, and it made me

blush several times. It is a 

good job our inward mail is 

not censored, or the censor

might have considered it too 

demoralising, and consigned

it to the flames — or his breast

pocket. But it was a 

lovely old letter, darling, and

I sat down and answered 

it right away.

The Colonel was taken 

up the Dardanelles in the 

Queen Elizabeth today. They

were fired on three times, but

no hits were registered. Rumour

has it that we move on Thursday

I hope so, anyway.

 

 

92

April 11^th. Another little trip

today. Went across to

the "Maldo", with ammunition

my new job contains much

more variety than my old

one did. Got back

just in time to issue rations

at 4 o'clock. Three more 

letters waiting for me, — Two

from Ethel and from

Girlie.
April 12^th — A busy, but 

uneventful day
April 13^th — Another busy day,

mail close in half an hour

so must get busy in that

direction. Kit bags were

all sent away to the Base at 

Alexandria today, and  

poor Show, the chap who took

my place, has to go back
93

also tomorrow. I don't think he

minds much though. 

April 14^th — The boat with all

details etc. for the Base left

this evening for Alexandria. All

our sick have gone back 

with her. Shaw also 

went back in his capacity of Orderly

Room Sergeant. Fancy Kiddie, 

I only just got out of the

job in time, didn't I. Another A

week or two earlier and it

might have been me who went

back to Egypt.

April 15^th. Drawing nearer.

Today we issued each man

with two days' landing rations

— 2 lbs "Bully" and 2 lbs biscuits.

Also 2 emergency rations

have been issued to each 

man. These are known as

 

 

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the "iron ration", and are only

to be use under orders from

the Commanding Officer. One

of our Coy. Seargent Majors —

Henderson by name — told

me that his Battalion carried

their now ration for three

years during the Boer war,

and then handed it in

without having used it.

The idea is to always carry 

one ration intact, so that if 

ever we get in tight corner

for a few days, where it

is impossible to get food to 

us, we will now have to

absolutely starve. The

ration consists of a tin of

Bully Beef = 12 ozs, 1 tin containing

a small packet or tea & 

sugar, and two beef tea
95

tablets, and a few handfuls

of small, hard biscuits.

I am also carrying a few 

squares of plain chocolate as

a standby. I was 

from 2 o'clock until after
6 o'clock doing nothing but
issue rations to my company.

We are now ready to 

move at an hours' notice.

April 16^th. — I emptied and

repacked my pack and 

haversack this morning, but 

when I put it on it nearly 

broke my back. I had

packed it according to what

I thought would come in handy.

This afternoon I emptied

it all again and packed 

on the principle of what

I could do without. It 

 

 

96

still make me give at 

the knees, but it is much

better. I had to discard

several little luxuries, such 

as a couple tins of oxford

sausages, a tin of jam, etc.

The pack now weighs

about seventy to eighty

pounds. Perhaps it would

interest you to know what

I am carrying. To start

with, the, I am wearing

boots, sock, underpants, singlet

flannel shirt, abdominal belt 

buckles, puttees, and jacket.

The web equipment which we

wear, consists of waterbottle, 

haversack, cartridge carriers,

and pack, bayonet scabbard

and entrenching tool carriers. It

is all connected and supported
97

by an elaborate arrangement of 

shops. The ammunition carriers

hold 150 rounds, and we carry 

an extra 50 rounds in the haversack.

My pack contains the two iron 

rations, an extra pair of socks,

spare abdominal belt, two tins

tobacco, woollen muffler, balaclava

cap, woollen guernsey, half a dozen

handkerchiefs, writing case with 

sundries, four or five military

books, housewife, holdall, with 

toilet necessaries, and 2 days

landing rations, also some 

odds and ends, such as matches,

corkscrew, scissors, etc. Round

the outside of the pack is folded 

my great coat and ground sheet.

In the haversack I carry the 50

rounds of ammunition, some bush

biscuits, my pipe and some tobacco,

 

 

98

towel & soap etc. the company 

roll book, this diary, and 

a notebook for messages etc,

In addition I carry field 

glasses, and of course my

rifle. So you see we are 

pretty well laden, and there

is not much room to carry 

loot even if we could get it.

A message has just been

received that a Turkish destroyer

was itself destroyed this afternoon

about a mile from Lemnos.

It is rumoured that she

fired three torpedoes at a 

transport just outside the 

heads, but failed to score

any hits. I don't know

how much truth is in it.
April 17^th. The air is full of
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rumours, and we are all ready

and waiting to move. Last

night our two companies, B & C;

who are to be the first to land,

had their first rehearsal.

We have been shown the 

exact place on the Gallipoli

Península, where we are to 

land. As soon as word 

come, our two companies

will be take to the battleship

"Prince of Wales" in cutters.

We will then be taken across

to the Gallipoli Peninsula and 

up to the Gulf of Saros.  All

this will be done about

midnight. Then at about

4 am we are to be towed

ashore in the cutters by the

presence of the "Prince of Wales"

and immediately we land

 

100

we make for a certain ridge

of hills about ¾ mile inland,

take it at the pound of the 

bayonet if it is occupied

by the Turks, and then

entrench and hold on

tight. At daybreak the 

remainder of the force is to

land under cover of the

warships' guns, and then

we will join forces and 

push on. As we locate

the enemy we signal back

to the warships and they

shell their positions. Then 

we get in and finish

off. We expect to find 

the Turks very strongly

entreth nched, and the ground

pretty well mined, and

we reckon to get it pretty hot
101

for the first few day. But we

have no doubt about the

final success of our venture.

April 18^th. — Sunday. Still

waiting. I went to evening

service in the saloon tonight.

There was a big crowd, and

we had a real good old sing

song — all the good old hymns

"Eternal Father, strong to love"

"Fight the Good Fight" "All Hail 

the Power" etc, etc, — and

the chaplain administered the 

Sacrament afterwards. It was

like old times again.

April 19^th - 20^th. — yesterday

was a very busy day. We got

word to embark on the "Prince

of Wales" at 5 pm and we

thought it was our final

move. Consequently we got 

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busy squaring up. I had

one of my rotten heads, and

by xxx 5 o'clock I felt more

like going to bed than going

to war. Anyhow, I swallowed

a cup of tea and a little 

cold meat, and shouldered

my pack. It was terribly

heavy, and I thought of the

men who carry a pick and

shovel and a bundle of 

sandbags in addition to all

the other stuff. We soon

clambered down the gangway

into the cutters and were

quickly towed across to the

battleship. Then we learned

that it was only a sort of 

full dress rehearsal. 

We were permitted to 

roam all over the battleship
103

until about 11 pm when 

we assembled on the quarter

deck. The first flight were

sent off while one of the second

flight sat down and waited.

At about midnight the boats

came back for us, and

we were lowered to the island

and landed under the supervision

of the naval officers.

As soon as we landed we

formed up and slowly advanced

across the island. Meanwhile 

the first flight were taken back

to our own boat, the "Ionia".

At about 1.30 am, the boat came

back for us, and by two am

we were back on board, I 

can assure you I was very

glad to get to bed, although

my blanky head wouldn't

104

 let me get to sleep for a while. 

I was awakened by the 

bedroom steward at about

7 am. but did not get up 

for breakfast. I have felt

more or less rotten all day.

I had intended to have

gone to bed early tonight,

but this evening the Sergeant

has held a _∧mock court martial

on one of the members who

has made himself unpopular

and a little notorious by 

writing letters home, in which

he has given himself false 

rank and spoken rather

glowingly of his own prowess.

Unfortunately for him his

fond parents have sent 

his letters along to the paper

and thus they have got
105

back to us. The latest

paragraph capped all, for

it stated that the many

friends of Amorer Quartermaster

Sergeant Major ––– (his 

correct rank is Armourer Sergeant)

would be pleased to learn

that he was speedily recovering

from the results of the accident

in which he had broken his

leg at the ankle, and

hoped to be able to proceed

to the front with his comrades.

This was the climax, and

we decided to Court Martial

him. We did the thing in 

proper style, with President, 

Witnesses, Prisoners' Friend, Court

Orderly, etc. etc. He was charged

with "Conduct to the prejudice

 

106

of good order and Military 

Discipline, in that he, at 

Mena Camp and elsewhere,

while a member — unfortunately —

of the Sergeants Mess did, 

1.- Take unto himself a

rank equally unknown

in Earth, Heaven, & Hell

2.- By making false and

lying statements, pose as

a hero.

3.- Allude to the unfortunate

parentage of a member of

the Sergeants mess.

The charges were read over to 

the accused by the President

of the Court, and he pleaded

not guilty. Then someone

was asked to volunteer as

Prisoners' Friend. After a 

long while on man arose

& offered to act as prisoners'
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friend. When, however, during

the evidence, it was found

that he was the person

alluded to in the 3^rd charge

he begged to resign from the

post, and so the prisoner

was left without any friends.

Of course, this was all a 

put-up job. The proceedings 

were very funny on 

the whole, and all malice

was kept out of it. All

the same, I would not have

liked to have been the

prisoner. During the

evidence a pair of home made

crutches were produced. The

funny part was that the 

fellow has never had the

least thing wrong with him.

After a long trial he was