Diary of Lindsay Robert Turner, 1918 (Vol. 3) - Part 5

39
artillery so we must practise
something. The Course passing
out Commenced their shoot at
8 AM precisely and will be at
it next Sunday.
11/3/18.  Our last week's work
commenced today and by this
time next week we'll be on the
verge of shaking the dust of Lark
Hill from our feet unless of
Course live shells so put the
wind up on us that we won't
be seen for dust. We renewed
our acquaintance with Stonehenge
this morning Going out that
way with the Battery I was so
close with a telephone line to
our Battery position that I
was in plain language in
easy Speaking distance. It was
another fine day so we enjoyed
the morning's outing immensely.
 

40
12/3/18  We will just about be finishing
up this time next week. It may so
happen that we go on leave until the
Friday On the quiet of course but it
all depends on the sagacity or otherwise
of the C.O. here. He's a gentleman
at least and may assist in such
a scheme. Nearly all day we wrote
down lectures. Small chance of
getting an hour or so off for the
exam. tomorrow.
13/2/18  We woke up this morning
with an idea that sometime
during the morning there was Such
a thing as an exam. It was another
cold day and we didn't relish
the inaction for most of the morning
as only one could be examined
at one and the same time. Anyway
we all survived the test and
moreover Spent quite a pleasant
afternoon out on the range
gathering data for the preparation
 

41
of a fighting map, which we had to
prepare after "school" hours and much

to our regret because there's
another exam. Tomorrow and I
for one know little about it. Still.
14/3/18.  Another day over and two
more exams finished and
joy we handed back our Canvas
overalls an indication that the
end of our Course is at hand.
It was a pleasing sensation indeed
ridding ourselves of the canvas
weve worn incessantly for nearly
four weeks. Tomorrow a field
day is on the cards and our
last outing. Moreover we three
officers have been landed with
all the good jobs and true and
needless to say one is B.C.
15/3/18.  We had truly a great day
there was heaps of activity
mainly to please the major because
another course was out and
most anxious to see mistakes made
 

42
We took the morning and the
other course the afternoon. so
I had the unusual experience of
riding on the limber and thro'
some fairly rough country. Some
of the country we saw was quite
new to us and xxxx very pretty
mostly undulating and cultivated.
It was a very Successful day we
mostly gauge it by the state of the
major's liver and he was in a
particularly good mood tonight
at mess. I've stopped in the
midst of some earnest consideration
of the notes weve had
in view of tomorrow's exam
and don't hope to finish them
until well past midnight
16/3/18.  The exam is over and
we're now located in Camp
18 in preparation for live shell
practice at 8 tomorrow. This
is the 5th Camp I've been in
since leaving Victoria and
 

43
as far as we can tell better than
either Camp 14 or Heytesbury. The

rooms aren't so cosy in fact
three of us are in a large hut
reminding me of a School Dorm,
but there are only the three of
us and we've arranged our
beds around the stove to try and
Keep warm. It's only a makeshift
for we go out on Wednesday.
17/3/18 Sunday St Patrick's
Day and famous for the fact that
it was the first time I've fired
a live round. We were up at
6.30 and had Commenced
firing by 8. The first round I
fired completely dazed me and
I wondered where I was for a 
minute but soon Got used to
it and at the end of the morning
felt quite like a veteran. Tomorrow
we are at it all day both ranging
and manning the Guns. It it's
a good day we'll enjoy it otherwise
 

44
its a cheerless job especially for
the firers. This afternoon we 
had to ourselves and as usual
I indulged in letter writing.
18/3/18.  We turned out early again
this morning and were kept at it
all day with only 20 minutes for
lunch. We conducted the shoot
in the morning and manned the
Guns all the afternoon so it
was a good day's work There
was a very heavy fog at 8 o'clock
so we couldn't commence until
9 but after that we went straight
ahead. Its extraordinarily easy
observing tho' one would think
it difficult in theory. So we all
did Good shoots. Tomorrow we
have a holiday in the morning
or part of it and shoot all the
afternoon.
19/3/18.  It was a beautifully fine
morning, but as we set out for
the Observation Posts clouds rolled
 

45
up and very soon it was raining
making observation very difficult
but all the same all were Good Series
We ran thro' 300 rounds in the
afternoon our only regret was that
we weren't allowed to have a
few salvos. We've practically
finished the Course now There only
remains the inevitable announcement
of the results. These don't
affect us so much tho the cadets
are naturally very anxious about
it for it may mean another
month's Course for some of
them. Expect tomorrow we'll
be wending our way back to
our beloved Heytesbury to
probably learn that we are
down for overseas - After leave
20/3/18. We've tried and failed.
This terse remark doesn't refer to
the results of the exam but to a
Conspiracy we set going to Secure
the rest of the week for a dash
 

46
to London. We even prevailed on our
major to ring up to support our

application but all to no avail We
must return to Heytesbury first. We
spent a very miserable day doing
absolutely nothing except witness an
exhibition shoot. Altho' unable to
find out exactly what position we
occupied as many as 9 of the
cadets have been sent back for
another month. It's very hard luck
for they all deserved a pass and
a finer Crowd of fellows one can
never wish to meet. Our evening
was rather profitable managing to
secure from the Cook a loaf of
bread and a few slices of ham
which we consumed before we
retired for the night.
21/3/18.  We were rudely awakened
this morning by the Cadets at 6
o'clock. They were getting a train
 

47
at 7.30 - ours didn't go until 10 -
and deemed it wise to see we were
well awake and on the floor before they
left. We had no sooner arrived back
in Camp and reported when we were
told to go on leave - the leave we should
have had Quite two months ago and
we might easily have had it direct
from Lark Hill. However that's
the lot of a subaltern. We decided
to take the leave from Midday
tomorrow only 6 days but quite
acceptable with the prospect of
seeing London before us.
22/8/18  Friday is altogether a
memorable day with me. There I was
detured to see the "City of the World"
on the same day as we left Melbourne
It was rather a fine trip thro' the
southern counties tho' we didn't
see it at its best. Still we had a
fast run and was in the City in
a little over two hours. The approach
 

48
to London is not unlike that of
Sydney. After leaving Reading the
signs of City Life become more and
more evident. Quite 20 miles out was
to be seen the Suburbs of London and
it was quite a thrilling sensation to
realise that we were fast reaching the
City we had read about so often with
all its traditions but little realised
we would see so soon. We
arrived at Paddington just on 5
oclock and what a huge centre of
Activity it is. The run thro' Kensington
and past Hyde Park only served
to illustrate what a huge and
wonderful City London is. You
can stand at a street corner
and survey the scene before
your eyes but it's a work of art
to comprehend what a huge
place it is. I knew that my first
duty was to select some spot
such as Trafalgar Sq. and just find
out the lay of the land. It sounds