Diary of Lindsay Robert Turner, 1918 (Vol. 3) - Part 7

59
holiday. There was a sports meeting
in Heytesbury Park a very tame
affair however still we enjoyed
being out of doors if only to indulge
in a Sun bath. A draft was Sent
overseas this morning and I had
visions of being sent as Conducting
Officer but my stable companion
was sent instead so tonight I have
the room to myself. The 1st May
is rather a memorable date for me
I may be rushing a gun up into
a position a month hence who
knows!
2/4/18.  We started work in earnest
this morning At least we repaired
to the place where we might have work.
There was an officer however
who would insist on telling us
accounts of hair breath escapes
in Frances how to tell an
8 in. shell from a 9.2 and
so on so we naturally didnt
do much work. Mac a good
 

60
Scot is our instructor and
Mac dearly loves a glowing account
of anything interesting. I learnt
during the day that an Australian
Mail would be here tomorrow.
Ye Gods!
3/4/18.  The most important part of
the days programme was the reading
of home letters and I didn't
allow work to interfere with
that solemn duty. Mac proved

to be very disinterested today So

it was a rare opportunity letter writing

We arranged finally for the

participation of our "Port Sydney"

Paper to be called the "Lubner

Log 1917" and it promises to be

good.

4/4/18. It's evident we're in a

new month so is necessity to

reflect the fact. The months slip

by with alarming rapidity why

we'll soon be at the end of

another year. Moving on for

61

as many as 11 letters came

for me today. Im still reading

them. Major Dixon awaiting

transfer overseas called in to

see us today and spent the

whole afternoon relating his

experiences as O.C. of a Battery

in days gone by and they were

thrilling.  A week ago we arrived

back from leave Why we aren't 

going again today I know not

I could appreciate another

week in London.

5/4/14.  It's been a glorious

day the typical April shower

failed to arrive. And so did any

further Australian Mail. We

had an afternoon's sojourn

in the Sena and it was just

superb. We were trying a

scheme of ranging from a

prominent position near the

Camp and illustrating it by

smoke bursts in the vicinity

62

of the supposed Target so we

had to remain out of dorms There is

a dance at Warminster tonight

but I elected to remain in my

dugout instead.

6/4/18. Today it turned out a

cold day so we remained 

all the morning and instead of

playing tennis as we arranged

I wrote letters in the afternoon.

This a decidedly different atmosphere

here to Maribyrnong during the

weekend. At home it was the

exception to find any one in

but here it is just the reverse

the old Active Service Stunt again

I suppose Anyway London is

the one place worth going to and

that's so far especially with the

100% increase in fares resides

by not going it saves a meagre

bank a/c.

7/4/18. Announcement for Sunday

Church service all officers muster

 

63

so we were favored with the Colonel's

presence the first to my knowledge

since I've been here The rain

kept off in the morning but this

afternoon showers were frequent.

So more indoors and more

letters. The latter is in view

of an early anticipated departure

for the Front

8/4/18. The anticipated announcement

in Brigade order that "the

undermentioned will hold themselves

in readiness to proceed overseas

at short notice" came out this

morning rather to my relief

as I want to get going and

I'm heartily full up of this place

I don't expect we shall go until

Sunday but let us have at 

least 5 days leave beforehand

and I'll be quite happy at

the prospect. We had two

outings today this morning

in the vicinity of Knook Horse

64

Hill locating Battery positions

and this afternoon watching more

smoke bursts over near Tytherington 

I must get moving on my kit

in view of a departure earlier than

we anticipate.

9/4/18. Still no move or even

any indication that there will

be one in the immediate future

still one must be prepared for

any contingency with that end

in view I took some time

off to sort out Kit and incidentally

write a couple of letters. If we

go off hurriedly as there's every

possibility I may be fighting

rear guard actions this time

next week. I take every opportunity

of expressing my anticipated

pleasure at leaving Heytesbury

whenever I happen to go tho'

I know quite well conditions

will no longer be the Issued

feather beds must be left behind

65

10/4/18. Well I am a prophet of 

the perfect order Precisely at 11

today word came tho' that we

were to depart somewhere. We

could get us more information whether

we were to have the customary

leave at first so prepared to

depart as we thought to Southampton

en route for France and the

Front Line. Imagine our great

joy when we finally ascertained

that the date of departure was

the 12th so that clearly meant

almost two days in London

we lost no time whatever in

getting away glad to shake

the dust of Heytesbury off

our feet We were in London 

at 6.30 the "big   smoke?" once

more and quite a pleasing

sensation too. There wouldn't

be much time for sightseeing

that I knew well but the relaxation

was well worth it. We had

66

been inoculated the day before

so didn't feel very much like

going out and making merry

the inevitable result a Comfortable

bed and right early.

11/4/18. I woke up at 9 to find

myself truly and indifferently in

London and a day of purchase

and pleasure before and mostly

the former. As it happened it was

a dull cloudy day one of those

typical depressing days of early

Autumn. I enjoyed a bus ride

up the Strand and Fleet St. to

visit the Bank thence back

again leisurely to the Club

at Piccadilly for lunch. In

the afternoon I purchased

and enjoyed afternoon tea

at that Queen of Cosmopolitan

eating houses the Trocadero

altogether the day passed all

to quickly what holiday doesn't

Southampton tomorrow by 3 oclock
 

67

12/4/18. The day of our departure

overseas and with a tinge of

sorrow too. I would prefer just

a few more days leave However

The train was tuned to leave

Waterloo at 11.35, 11.55 as we

afterwards discovered so by

the time I was up and had

packed it was time to leave

We had to report at 3 and 

after an extremely pleasant

run thro Surrey arrived at

our destination well on time

As we anticipated we were told

to report again at 7 for the run

across to Havre under cover

of darkness. We were fortunate

in running across some

officers from the Wasilda

Genuine Australians and as

their transport was laid up

on dock as the result of a 

collision we had an excellent

tea at their expense otherwise
 

68

we might have had to devour

the sandwiches we had stocked

for early morning breakfast at

Havre. The boat we crossed in

the St George is a comparatively

smaller one and with 300 officers

and over a thousand men there

was little room to swing the

proverbial cat. Sleep was out

of the question because of space

allotted to the officers was soon

filled to overflowing and the air

was worthy of better days.

before long. That state of affairs

Continued long after I commenced

dozing.

13/4/18. Sometime this morning

I heard the engines stop and

knew we must have deluded

the wily submarines and were

somewhere in the vicinity of Havre

when I woke up effectively at

5 AM. the air drove me out

and cold tho' it was on deck