Photostat copy of diaries of Benjamin Bennett Leane, 1915-1916 - Part 12

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morning, and this afternoon

a wind sprung up and we

were treated to a sandstorm

The night is beautifully mild 

and cool though. It is night

like this that make you

forgive Summer xx all its sins

of the day.

Sunday April 9^th. -

church Parade this morning,
sandstorm this afternoon.

Monday 10^th 10 30 pm.

Up at 5 this morning. Did

a route march (artillery

formations, lines of skirmishers

& a charge thrown in) to

our old camping ground at

Serapeum. Bivouacked there

for midday meal. Had two

swimming parades. C.O. and I
rode across to Serapeum station.

Got back to camp about 6.30pm

Have been busy even since

getting out orders and arranging

for musketry tomorrow. Will

have to be up at 5 again.

About 30 mules arrived tonight

Will have to have a look at

them tomorrow.

Tuesday 11^th 8 pm

Up at 5 a.m. and on

rifle range by 5.40. Carried

out musketry practice all

the morning. Had just got

a start this morning a little

after six, and bullets were

just beginning to ping

and, zip all over the landscape

when out came the Brigadier

at fuel gallop. Like the
 

 

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father of the Prodigal Son, we

saw him while yet he was

afar off, and, although we

didnt carry the analogy to

the point of falling on his

neck and kissing him, we

guessed from the wild look

in his eyes that something was

wrong so we ceased fire.

When he had collected

sufficient wind he informed

us that he had sent a man

out to inspect the ground a 

mile or so in front of the

ranges. Of course, we weren't

supposed to know that as we

hadn't been informed, but still

we admitted that it wasn't too

cheerful for the man in front.

However, the Brigadier and 
Staff Captain rode out to look

for the corpse and we stood

by to await the result.

After about three quarters of an

hour they came back to say

there was no sign of either

corpse or man. Anyhow, we

decided to give over until after

breakfast. A little later

the supposed corpse blew

along. It appears that he

found the blankets too comfortable

at 5 am so went to sleep

again. Consequently, the blankets

saved his life. Moral -

never be in a hurry to get up

in the morning ; the early bird

sometimes catches more than worms.

There has been a decided

change in the weather today. A

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strong wind blew up this

morning and bowled over

several tents ; this evening

it is quite cold.

Aeroplane reconnaissance today

reports several fairly large

camps some few miles out,

where the Turks are constructing digging

wells and quarrying stone

etc. The artillery at

Ismailia & Kantara put in

a few rounds, and I

believe the Light Horse are

to go out in a day or

two to hit 'em up a bit

I don't think there is much

danger of an attack in

force here.

I had a look at our

mules this morning. Some of
them are not too bad. They

are mostly on the small side,

and rather scrubby , but they

look fairly strong.  There is

one beauty; a bay. None

of them can come up to the

mules we had in the 10^th though

We also got two more hacks.

Wednesday, April 12^th 1916

Rode down to the canal this

afternoon to bring up some

ammunition. Took a limber and

six of our new mules. They were

a bit playful to begin with but

settled down to the work spendidly

after awhile. Called into the

49^th lines on the way down.

Saw Colonel Lorenzo and had a

drink with him. By the

time we had fixed up about

12

our ammunition and gathered

in some jarrah sleepers and 

a big coil of steel cable

which we found loitering on

the siding platform (we

wanted it badly for horse lines)

it was just on dusk. We

got down to the canal to find

the pontoon bridge closed,

so had to get the limber and 

animals across in the ferry.

I eventually got home about

half past eight, just in

time to dodge a sand storm.

It is still going strong.

Thursday 13^th

And a sod of a day

too. We have been experiencing

a "Khamseen" That wind

that came up yesterday was
the beginning of it. This morning

it was a little better and I

rode down to the Canal to get

the battalion pay - about £1000.

Coming back I got the full

benefit. At times the sand

was so dense in the air that

I could see only a few yards

ahead. Tracks were quickly

obliterated, the road became

covered over, and the whole

surface of the desert seemed

to be moving. The coarse

grains of sand cut like hail.

I was not sorry to get back

to camp. As the afternoon

came on the storm increased;

it became quite dark, and

it was impossible to do any

work. Presently the tents began

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to go.  We sat in the mess

and laughed at the other

fellow - until our own went

down. Mine stood it for

a long time, and I began to

think I would be able to

laugh right through, when

suddenly over she went,

and away went tables and

chair and bed and books

and every other bally thing.

The other fellows were most

unsympathetic. I managed

to capture most of my

fleeing belongings and 

put some heavy timber

on them to keep them from

blowing about, and then

went back to the mess to

laugh at the misfortune of others,
and to wait for the usual

calm, which takes place

between about 8 pm & 10 pm.

it is now 9.30 pm and a

beautiful moonlight night. You

would never think a storm

had been raging all day

 - except for the battered tents

and ragged mess huts

I expect it will begin again

about 10 pm so I'll get

well into bed , and if my

tent goes again, well it

goes.

Friday April 14^th 1916

Good news. We received 

word today that the party

of Light Horse which went

out to capture the Turkish

works of Jifjaja, about

16

60 miles out, have made

a successful raid, taking

as prisoners one Austrian officer

and 33 Turks. Eight Turks

were killed and 4 wounded

We lost one man (Corporal

Monachen) killed. The plant

for the construction of the

wells was destroyed

The "Khamseen" commenced

again last night, and has

been blowing with more 

or less vehemence all day.

It is now perfectly calm

(9.30pm) whether the storm

is even on the calm merely

the usual deceptive lull

I don't know. We have

been unable to do any outside

work all day. This
afternoon the C.O., Major O'Sullivan

& myself rode into Serapeum

to attend a meeting of all

Brigade and Battalion headquarters

staffs to discuss the subject

of Courts Martial with the

D.J.A.G. When we

got in we found that the 

big lecture tent had been

blown down, and as Division
couldn't find another

suitable place the xxxxx meeting

was postponed and we all

went home again.

I am presenting in a 

case again tomorrow.

Saturday April 15^th 1916.

Thank goodness, the storm is

over and we can straighten

ourselves out again. In cleaning

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up my tent this morning Perry

found a whopping big scorpion.

I asked the Doc if a scorpion

bite would be good enough for

a trip to Australia ; he said

it would possibly be good enough

for a trip to Heaven - or the

other place. "So I don't want a 

bite from a scor-pi-on",

The Court Martial commenced

at ten this morning, but just

as I was about to call my last

witness the accused asked for

an adjournment on the plea

of illness. I had had him

examined just before the trial

commenced and he was alright

then: however, we got the M.O.

and other examining xxx the accused

he stated that he thought the
adjournment had better be granted.

So it will have to be continued

on Monday. The case is

rather a bad one, and the

penalty for one of the charges is

a firing party at dawn, but

I hope the court does not

impose the maximum penalty.

This afternoon we got word

that a further consignment of

riding horses had come for the

Brigade, and they asked me.

to send a party down to get

them. You bet I jumped

at the chance, for it meant

that we would have first

pick. The party brought back

nineteen horses at about nine

o'clock. They were none of 

them very brilliant, but we

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gave them all a trial in the

moonlight, picked out seven

of the best, and sent the

rest on to the other battalions.

That completes us with riding

horses. The other battalions

only got three each. I expect

they'll snort tomorrow, but

I couldn't let such a chance

go by. You can't afford to

be too unselfish ___or too

honest ___ in the army. You

find yourself well left if you

are.

Sunday April 16^th 1916

Last night just before turning

in I looked to see if Ray

was back ___ he had been

to dinner at Brigade. I saw

a light in his tent, so went 
across and found himself,

Major Peck, the Doc, the Padre,

and three or four others with

him. Of course I had to join

the party, and it was after

one before I got to bed. Consequently

I dont feel too brilliant today.

This afternoon we went

for a ride out to the outpost

positions. We are to go out

there on the 26^th so wanted

to see what things were like

out there. The 47^th are there

at present. We got back

to camp just in time for

dinner. The orderly told me

when I got back that somebody

had been to see me; and on

enquiry I find that it was

Stan Short - Doss & Rene's brother.

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He is with the 51st Battalion;

I must run down there to

see him next week.

It appears that the

other battalions have been

snorting about the horses,

so much so that to pacify

them the Brigadier has ordered

all. The horses to be brought

along for his inspection tomorrow.

Rough luck, I

s'pose they'll want to take

some of ours now. Anyhow,

we gave 'em a good trial

today and there are two

or three we can pass over

and not be much worse off.

One beggar has ringbone

and another is terribly hard

 [[?]] the mouth.
Monday April 17^th 1916  10.45 pm.

Concluded the C.M. This morning.

At noon the horses were inspected

 & allotted by Brigade. We got

three of those we originally

selected, but we also got a

big bay with string halt which

we had been particularly careful

to pass over. However, its the

fortunes of war. We'll have

to prevail on the vet. now to

pass him out as unfit.

We were to have marched to the

canal tomorrow for a swim, but

have just got word that the

Army Corps Commanding General Godley,

wants to inspect the Brigade tomorrow

so that settles our swim.

Tuesday April 18^th 1916.

Musketry on the range all the

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morning. Inspected by General 

Godley at 5 pm. Everything

alright - men did the "General

Salute" etc, in good style; horses 

didn't prance round too much.

Ray's mare would insist on

backing into every horse that

came near it. When he was

riding round the lines with the

General he nearly bumped

him off his horse several times.

Tomorrow we do our march

to the Canal.

Wednesday 19^th 1916  10.15 pm

I am waiting up for 150

reinforcements that were due 

to arrive by 8.30 and have

not yet come in. I wish

they would come, for I'm

tired. This will just about
bring us up to full strength.

This morning we were up

at 5 am. breakfasted at 5.30

and on our way to the Canal

by 6.30. Practised artillery

formations etc. on the way

down. Arrived about 9.30.

Put in the morning swimming.

After lunch we rode over

to some bayonet practice trenches

to inspect them, and then on 

to 52^nd Bn to see Col Beevor.

I also went on to the 51^st Bn

& saw Stan Short. He is a

Lance Corporal there.

Got two letters from England

dated Feby 11^th They've been

over two months getting here,

I found out today where my

letters have gone lately. They