Diary of Lindsay Robert Turner, 1918 (Vol. 3) - Part 8

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I preferred it. The despatching

staff were not about at the hour

so we had to wait as it happened

until 8.  Then Commenced the

long tedious wait for our barrage

to be landed and as soon as

it was I've pushed on by car

for the Australian Base Depot

at Harfleur.  We couldn't immediately 
ascertain our fate but

saw at least 3 days before us

at the Depôt.  We paid a visit

to Havre this afternoon it

a typical continental City and

I feel certain I'll never become

an ardent admirer.  The long

Narrow streets very unsanitary 

and showing much sign of

disrepair are so different

to those of our Australian

cities or even England.  We

obtained some amusement

out of the quaint Normans

however - budding linguists

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14/4/18 Sunday in the sixth camp

since we left Australia not a bad

record Certainly and all within

a space of Something like four months.

Altogether it was a very disagreeable 

Sunday and not the least like

we've been experiencing lately.

An old friend in Bishop Long

of Bathurst I had discovered

Yesterday as well as two other

Lewites now both Captains in

the Dental Corps.  I used to enjoy

the Bishops sermons when he

was but a Curate tho' this morning

altho' he was officiating at the little

church here I had to undergo

gas instruction at an adjoining

R.F.A. camp.  That helped to make

the day despicable because we

had to turn out at the unearthly

hour of 5.45 with little or no

sleep the night before moreover

it was a typical winter's day

in England cold and bleak

and we were overjoyed when we

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could get under cover. The whole

afternoon we spent writing letters

Now under the Censorship regulations

and we have to be very much more

careful what we say.

15/4/18 After falling in and having

our presence on parade noted

we tour F.A's were detailed

to take a dismounted party for

a route march for some two hours.

By dismounted I mean Infantry

and I know nothing of the drill

Still had to get them away

somehow.  It was either that

 or censoring letters and we

preferred the former on a

morning such as it was.  Still

no news of the "line" but this

inaction can't last many more

days tho' it has been known

to reach a week.  Still I

busied myself sorting out

my Kit as we may be parted

for several days.

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16/4/18 We had another sleep in

this morning as there was no parade

until 9 and breakfast doesn't take

long to eat.  We censored letters until

10 o'clock and after that paid a

visit to the Y.M.C.A. for morning tea.

At midday marching Orders Came

out for two officers for the 1st Divn.

but as it afterwards transpired Jones

and Gates were the fortunate ones

Creed and I were left to still

further wonder where we would

go.  I rather perturbed at the 

thought of being separated from

little Jones as we have been

together since we arrived in

England but its just the luck

of the Game.  While the two of

them busied themselves getting

ready to move out at 7 PM.

took a walk over the Hills with

Bishop Long.  We weren't destined

to wait very long before Knowing

our fate because at 10 precisely

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we received orders to depart at

9 in the morning for the 5th Division

Where we had to go I know not

but decided to go to bed and

have a good sleep in Case.  There

wasn't another forth coming for

several days.

17/4/18. We spent all the morning

saying farewell and repacking

our kit for the perilous journey

inland and we knew that the

treatment usually meted out to

Kits is a pretty severe one.  We

did to leave at 12 and be at

the Gare Marchandises in

Havre by 1 of course that didn't

specify leaving at that time

as we were to find out.  However

arrived with our marching orders

we arrived at the station and

then found the train left at 4

for somewhere but that wasn't

disclosed.   The journey reminded me

of our trip thro' France many

weeks ago under different

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circumstances Certainly but we

were much more comfortable.  We

had a good run up to 8 o'clock 

when a halt was called for almost

an hour during which we had

a very good tea at a Café near

the station and cracked a

bottle of very old wine to celebrate

our journey to the Line. The

country we passed thro was very

picturesque and mostly agricultural 

land. and worked by women.

I went to sleep wondering just

where we'd be when next I

viewed the landscape.

18/4/18. At 6 o'clock I woke up

to hear someone remarking

that we would be detraining at

the next station.  It was a

remarkably good run or else

we would have to walk miles

to our base.  We were then at

St. Oust some miles beyond

Flexecourt rather a large railway

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centre. We detrained at the next

station^ Pernois where the Base of the

2nd Division were had a good wash

and a shave at a farmhouse and

after supplying hot tea to the men

set out for our Base here at

Brucamps only a small village

and some 6 miles distant.  It

was a long tramp thro' the mud

and most of the men were heavily

laden with packs and rifles

and we had two rather stiff hills

to climb.  We arrived at 5.30

got rid of our drafts and then

made our way to a farmhouse

where our mess is and where we

were to be billeted.  The Village

is typical of all French Villages

mostly the houses have been deserted

by the population and very much 

in need of repair and everywhere

are soldiers Australians mostly

as the Wireless Arm of the Division

is billeted here and it is

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technically known as the 5th

Aust. Divisional Wing.  Here the

results of the Division are Collected

and drafted to their various units

some of which are in the Line and

quite 10 miles away.  We mess

in the only respectable living room

of the farmhouse and have our

quarters in a small hay room

attached to the barn.  It is very

comfortable  tho' very draughty still

we rolled ourselves up in our

sleeping bags and for the first

night slept exceedingly well.

This is our first experience of

real war conditions We are

gradually being educated up to

the real thing.

19/4/18 We are "out of the Line"

so entitled to get up late as a 

matter of fact it was 8 o'clock 

before I woke up and I was in

bed at 10 so reaped much 

relief.  We had a stroll round

the village its only a very small

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one so that didn't take us long.

I met an old Bairnsdale friend

at St. Oust. Saw a face I knew well

struggling back with a huge pack

and wearing 23rd Battn. colours

as we were plodding along on 

our way out here yesterday.  He

recognised me instantly and we had

a few hurried words to say to

one another but I have his no.

This will be happening almost

every day now I expect.  We were

going to an adjoining village this

afternoon to see a friend of

mine in the 60th Battn. but it

commenced to snow heavily so

we postponed the trip until

tomorrow.

20/4/18     Saturday with French Village

differs slightly from our experience 

of it in Australia and even in

England.  Its' no holiday here

tho' as a matter of fact we went

out on an expedition revolver

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shooting this afternoon and afterwards

to Gorinflos where the 60^th Batt. officers

are billeted.  The place was formerly

a beautiful Old Chateau now used

as Divl. H.Qs. whilst the officers are

in residence at the Châlet a Kind

of Lodge.  The grounds are well laid

out and neatly Kept and to get into

such a place one is truly fortunate.

I saw my friend as well as Several

others I recognised and spent

a very enjoyable evening.  As we

were returning home several

planes flew over on an errand

of destruction presumably in

and around Bapaume and one

we distinctly recognised as a 

Boche machine. When we

returned the unwelcome news

Awaited us that we as Divisional

long had to transfer to Pernois

some 8 miles away near Amiens

and the rail head we detrained

at.  It will mean another tramp