Photostat copy of diaries of Benjamin Bennett Leane, 1915-1916 - Part 17

106

Father Divine. home of your

comfortable, sleek finest about

him, but a tall gaunt, sharp

[[?]] Irishman, with a head

that takes a 7 3/8 hat - by he

way. I lost drinks to him over

the size of his head - a voice

[[?]] is manly, a keen sense

of humour, a laugh that is

[[?]] and a mind that is 

broad. He is the type of

Catholic who makes you wonder

why the protestant church is so

bitter against his [[?]]

His particular friend is Capt

Woolland our mo - an atheist

and a propaganda, as he calls

himself. So sure as the Padre

takes up one line of original

the Doc will take up the opposite

He is very clever, and has a strongly

developed humorous vein, so you

can guess that the discussions

become both lively and personal

 - but always with good feeling

and an [[enlive?]] absence of malice.

He is a little yellow, about 5'5'

but he can straffe with the best.

He is never lost for a word

He abuses the Padre most unmercifully

calls him "The man of God" the

[[Jes?]]" The Parasite of Faith

and several other xxxxx unpleasant

names - and the Padre chuckles

away until he has finished and

then opens out on him with equal

force. But they are real good

friends.

We had some war news

[[?]] [[?]] yesterday. [[?]]

108

[[?]] [[?]] second of the North Sea

battle. From all accounts the

Germans lost several vessels while

we did not even get our new

[[?]] scraped off. But I always

feel dubious about these one -

sided reports, don't you

Tuesday June 6th

Just so! Today we get

news of the loss of at least

three ships" and - the 'Queen Mary"

'Invincible' and Warrior".

We have been hearing some

exciting news of our own today.

we have passed within close

call of no less than three

submarines, the skipper says.

One of them gave chase to

the "[[Kunf?]] Castle" on which

are the 46th Bn and our Brigade

Headqrs. I'd like to see one of

these queen fish pop up, so

long as she didn't get us

This afternoon we had a very

good concert on the saloon

Deck. We have quite a lot of

talent in the 48th both

among officers and men.

Perry, my bolman, came

to light with a comic song

and some rather clever [[patter?]].

He quite surprised me. I didnt

know he had it in him.

He quite brought the house

down, and made me feel

decidedly proud in a sort

of reflected glory "fashion.

Carter, one of our new officers,

has a splendid baritone voice.

Jove, I wish I could sing. [[kidd?]]

110

Wednesday June 7th 1916

Very bad news today.

The 'Hampshire' with Kitchener

& his staff on board, has

been sunk off the Onkney

and it is practically certain

that all are drowned. 

now it is particularly unfortunate.

Others will arise, I suppose to

fill the vacancy, and may

fill it even better, but there

is no doubt that his loss will

give the Germans as much elation

as would the capture of a whole

Turkish army corps. However,

we're not going to lose the war

through it, are we

We expect to reach Marseilles

about noon tomorrow. Where we

go from there I don't know, and

won't know until the mLo

comes aboard.

Thursday June 8th 1916 11 am

All day yesterday we

had the coast line of [[Land?]]

in sight, but this morning

all is grey mist and a

fair sea is running. The

boat shows very little motion

though.

The skipper reckons to

 berth about 4 pm. He had

to alter his course yesterday

on account of submarines. A

steamer about two miles from

us sighted one ad fired three

shots at it.

11 pm We berthed at about 5.30 pm

112

and are now laying alongside

waiting to disembark in the

morning. So far we don't 

know where we are to go.

I hope we are not kept long

away from the trenches.

I bought a Daily Mail of June 7th

today, and in the list of

killed there are two officers of

the old 10th One, Capt

[[P?]], was a particular chum

of mine, and a fine fellow.

He was also a chum of [[Heritages?]]

Poor old Charlie came through

Gallipoli safely only to meet his

death of the hands of these cursed

Germans. I hope I may be

able to get one in for him.

The other name was that of

Lt Shaw. Shaw was the chap

who swapped jobs with me just

before the landing on Gallipoli,

and went back to the Base as 

Orderly room Sergeant in my

stead. I never had too much

faith in his [[?]], but he

has evidently had enough to

get himself killed. Poor chap.

France - or that much of

it that I have seen so far, -

is not at all as I had pictured

it. The coast line as one

approaches the harbor, is very

rugged and not particularly

[[fertile?]].

The cliffs appear to

rise almost sheer from the

waters edge, and are built up

of [[slrala?]] upon [[slrala?]] of grey

clay or sandstone. Further

inland the hills appear to be

114

well timbered. The first

thing to be observed on approaching 

Marseilles itself (after the

lighthouse which stands on a 

low rock well out to sea)

is what appears to be a

castle perched high on a 

hill peak. A closer view

proves it to be a R.C Cathedral (Notre Dame de la Garde)

with an enormous gold figure

of The Virgin Mary [[?]]

its tallest spine. The town

itself - as seen from the

ship - is like most other

big seaport towns , rather

closely packed, rather smokey,

and rather dirty. As we

steamed in past the first

docks we got our first welcome

to France - three or four

buxom working girls in very dirty

overalls and with very unkept

appearance altogether, ran down

the quay and waved their

greetings. An old man

caused much amusement by

leaning against a public

fountain as we went by

quite oblivious to the fact

that on the other side of the

board a good stream was

running from the tap, suggesting

something that set us all laughing

at which the old chap looked

all round to see what  the

joke was, but still remained

in his suggestive attitude.

I believe the 2nd Division

had a 58 ms train journey

after they landed. I wonder

116

is that in store for us.

I sent you a postcard

yesterday dear, and I have

a letter ready to post as 

soon as we get ashore. I

am enclosing several snaps

in it, also that menu I

told you about. I wish

we could have brought our

cameras with us, instead of

having to leave them behind

in Egypt. I expect w'll

find that everybody else has them.

Saturday, June 10th 1916

I am writing this in the

[[?]]. so please excuse

of the writing is bad. We

have just passed through Lyons

and we now travelling

through beautiful country very

like that of dear old England.

There is a wealth of greenery

everywhere, all washed clean

with last nights rains, with here

and there a red roof on a

white wall, or perhaps a

silver streak where the river

wands its way. Ray is

 enraptures with the beauty of the

place, just as I was with my

first introduction to England.

Swe disembarked yesterday

just after lunch. Unfortunately

we have had to dispense with

all baggage except our values.

I handed mine over to Cook's

agent with instruction to forward

it on to [[?]] {{?]].

We left Marseilles at 5.30 pm

118

[[and?]] expected to be three or

[[?]] journey. However, we have

a comfortable first class carriage

and a kerosene case full of

[[provi?]], so it won't be any

[[?]] hardship. The men are

all in horse trucks, thirty

to a truck. I notice that

all the French troops who

have gone past have been in

3rd class carriage. Just a little

discourteous of our allies, I think,

considering the fact that we are

their guests. However, things

could be worse.

We picked up five bags

of mail at Marseilles ,and have

sent them on the  journey

I was lucky enough to get two,

[[?]] from mother and one from

you. Yours was dated may 1st

Dear old sweetheart, it was so

[[?]] to have home letters to

meet me on my first day in

a new land. I have answered

it at once.

There are five of us in this

carriage C.O, major [[Inlay?]]

the Doc, the Padre, & I. Last

night the Padre slept on the floor

while the rest of us tangle up

together on the two seats. I think

the Padre was most comfortable of

all, except that once or twice

somebody placed their feet

on his face. At 11.30 pm

we reached a place called

Orange where hot water was

obtained for the purpose of

making tea. The station was

120

[[?]]  let and we all floundered

about in [[mindfuless?]] and

make holes for about half an

hour. Then suddenly without

warning the train whistled and

moved off and there was a 

wild scamper to get aboard.

It is indeed beautiful country

we are passing through. The

all the vineyards and orchards

and woods re such a bright

clear sparkling green. It seems

[[?]] to bring war and all

its horrors into such a 

paradise. And everywhere
are poppies, poppies, great

scarlet [[?]] among the green 

fields. And among the poppies,

working in the fields are

women, women and the old men,

taking the place of the young

men - the husbands, brothers, sons

 - who are away in the

trenches. And not one of them

but waves or throws kisses to

us as are rush through to go in

their men folk in [[stemming?]]

the progress of the invader and

forcing him back to his own

country. One old chap

[[?]] his hand across his

throat several times, pointing

in the direction of the front

The [[while?]] as though to urge

us on to slit the windpipes

of our [[?]] enemy.

The old Padre just raised a

joke unintentionally. He was

looking through a [[?]] of

122

[[?]] the Parisienne (a French

[[?]] devoted to [[stakles ?]] of

the French girl in various stages

of [[?]] - very [[?]] and

any [[?]]) when he [[suddenly?]]

and well, these are not

good [[?]] at all Of  course

[[?]] all  deliberately misunderstood

[[?]] and rushed to judge

[[?]] [[?]] the [[?]] in

[[?]] of the "[[?]]" 

progressing great disappointment

when we found that he

[[referred?]] only to the [[?]].

The poor old chap went [[?]]

and straffed us for having

[[?]] [[minds?]]. But he is a

good old chap and always

[[?]] most [[hear?]] when

the joke is against [[having?]]

Sunday 11th

Still travelling. The country here

is ever more like England than

is the country further south, We

passed through the [[?]] of

Paris about eight o'clock this

moving, but not near enough to

see anything except the Egypt Tower

We are now well into the North of 

France. It has been a long, but

a very interesting journey from

Marseille. We have passed through

all the southern country along the

route Marseille - [[?]] - Lyons =

Dijon - Versailles - Paris - [[?]].

According to a French [[R.?]]  at

the last station we should reach

[[Hazel?]] our destination at

2 am tomorrow, [[Hazel?]] is 

away up on the border of Belgium,