Thomas James Richards, Diaries, Transcript Vol. 1, 26 August 1914 to 24 April 1915 - Part 22

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landing.
I don't know anything about our movements at all,
though there are such a lot of rumours about. These
reports or lies make a man a cynic, a miserable pessimist,
as I won't listen to anything now - just sit down and
read and await actual instructions, not secondhand ones
either.
My thirty-third birthday turned out one of considerable
interest and pleasure (such as pleasures go
nowadays).
They caught me for guard at 12 o'clock. I did
40 minutes dinner relief and took my post No. 11 at 4 p.m.
to 8 p.m. It was on the saloon deck and overlooking the
town and cultivations with the round, block-house like
windmills in action all around. With a pair of glasses
I could see the rocky formation of the slopes. In Egypt
canals divide properties; here, like English farms,
there are hedges built up out of the stones gathered.
The hedges ran in all directions and shapes, making
pretty scenes and odd-shaped paddocks. I understand
the Island has a population of 27,000 people, mostly
Greeks, although there are two Turkish villages. This
Island belonged to Turkey until recently. Greece took
it during the late war but the Turks protested and in
some unaccountable way Great Britain got hold of it and
recently proclaimed it "British territory".
As dusk gathered the light effects of this
splendid harbour were fine. It is a natural land-locked
harbour with plenty of water, as vessels drawing 6
fathoms come to and fro easily. To give me a splendid
panorama view the wind changed and blew the vessel
slowly around which opened up fresh scenes astern the
whole time.

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I got one Greek coin to-day. I must try and get
some more from the trading boats.
I went to bed at 9.30 p.m. but did not sleep.
My mind was anxious about Mother, Win and the future
hopes and possibilities.
9th April, 1915. On guard at 4 to 8 a.m. The night
was magnificent and as dawn commenced to break the grays
were charming and greatly intensified by the rising
quarter moon and the occasional glimmering of the
dazzling planet of Venus.
My mind was busy thinking and working out what
the future would hold for me and the possibilities of
Mother's protection and the chances of my marriage.
I have told Win much about my love for her and my
desires, but where it will end is beyond my solution
just now.
There is a war to face. Goodness knows what it
might mean or hold for me, yet for my part I don't much
care what happens. I am going to do the best for my
country regardlessly, yet I suppose it's my duty now
not to be foolish and take unnecessary risks. I am not
quite the free agent of past years now. Anyhow this all
ran through my mind. As the night gave way the day
ornamented by purple haze then rose coloured borderings
to heavy clouds and later the whole setting turned to
a mass of glorified gold before giving place to a clear
and welcome sunlight.
I have of late given more sympathy to sun
worshippers than to other forms of religion, as our
existence we know depends upon the sun and to it or
what power controls we might well offer praise, or
something of the kind, in preference to the doubt and
dispute that engulfs and ruins one's appetite for other
religions without any modern facts to support it, not

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even at its foundation.
I went into the galley at 5.40 a.m. and
"hummed" a cup of coffee and a round of bread and butter,
then, instead of running through some signalling or
arithmetic tables as is my want when on sentry work at
night time, I fell into thinking out future problems
again - quite a useless business too.
At reveille I got a familiar call from some
fellows sleeping on the hatch and discovered Fred Small
of Rockhampton and Lloyd of the Brisbane Grammar School.
They are good boys and I was pleased to meet them.
Today passed off easily although there is a
strong wind blowing which made the rowing very hard work,
yet several parties of our Corps went out. We are doing
no work at all now, although we parade a 9 a.m. and 2
p.m.
The mail closed to-night. We were warned that
all letters would be censored and sure enough they were
and many of them were sent back to the writers, others
were cut to pieces in extracting prohibited sentences.
10th April, 1915. I slept splendidly on my plank last
night after the sleepless night before on guard. We are
still anchored in Lemnos Harbour with a constant wind
blowing. It is fairly cold - rather annoying as a swim
and some rowing would be lovely.
New troopships arrive here all day long.
There must be many thousands of troops waiting now.
The Dardanelles are only two hours or so from here and
it's really hard to realise that we are so close to the
bombardment and danger. Whether we are to storm forts
or land on Constantinople is hard to say. Our spare
blankets were returned to us yesterday so I expect there
is more horrible waiting and loafing to go through yet.

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I see the Queen Elizabeth is still in the
harbour and I find she was launched in October 1913.
She is the first vessel to carry 15 inch guns of
which she has eight. They fire a projectile weighing
1950 lbs., a broadside of 15,600 lbs., anti-torpedo
battery of 16 6 in. guns, also a battery of 3 in. guns
for aircraft. Designed for 25 knots with turbines of
60,000 - nearly 30 knots. Burns oil, fuel and stores
4,000 tons - enough to take her around the world at a
fair speed. Engine room labour is curtailed by 25 to
30% hereby. She cost about £2,350,000.
11th April, 1915. More troopships have arrived in port,
also a number of man-of-wars. This afternoon was
beautiful and a submarine in conjunction with an hyro-plane
gave us quite an interesting time. The harbour
is getting full of vessels now.
My Cambridge friend of the Bush Brethren (of
the Dubbo district) - Andrews - took the service this
morning and made the mistake of dealing with a spiritual
sermon to a rank, hard-hearted, materialistic crowd.
He tried to talk to the fellows who know something of
religion instead of attempting to get down to the simple
minds of the weaker men.
I have a few hours' conversation with
Andrews to-day and like him and his sporting sentiments
immensely.
I must mention the troubles of Ted Reynolds and
myself last night while in search of a hot bath. We ran
the gauntlet and reached the officers' quarters and
later gained an entrance to the bathroom, stripped off
and found our terrible disappointment there was no
hot water in the taps, so a cold bath which we could
have got without finesse had to suffice.

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12th April, 1915. I have received letters from Mother,
Bill, Bert, May Ffrench and W.T.B. and a parcel containing
a lovely pair of socks and two body bands (knitted)
from Maggie. She is a champion right enough. This
makes the second packet she has sent me.
To-day has been quite a red letter day.
This morning A. Section rowed ashore and went over the
rough stony hills amongst cultivations and lovely patches
of wildflowers for a short route march. As we passed by
a small but prosperous looking village (much superior to
Egyptian villages) the children were just coming out of
school. They were a good looking, plain but cleanly
dressed crowd and greeted us very amicably indeed,
and without the fear or shyness of the Egyptian villagers.
The girls wore white shawls and though they were mostly
of the dark olive-coloured complexion, there were several
with blue eyes, light hair and clear white skin.
Before returning we were allowed a swim and
it was, despite the cold wind, lovely. The beach was of
small pebbles, or shingle, and the water clean and deep.
I enjoyed it immensely and hope to get ashore again soon,
though I would prefer to move off. This continual waiting
and killing time makes me angry as I have a greater
respect and value for time now than ever in my life.
Bert's letter back home after the death of
Charles was splendid indeed, also are his letters to Bill
from Rabaul. His latest in which he discussed trading
with the natives on the Island is especially good.
Mother seems to be at a very low state of
happiness and states that when at the cemetery she almost
wishes she were dead also. What a sacrificing mother too!
She says the food she puts into her mouth almost
chokes her when she thinks of the rough fare that we
soldiers get. I quite believe this too, and can recall

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many many instances of similar self-sacrifice when we
boys were young. With Will, Bert and myself so occupied
at present and Mother alone, it must indeed make her
tremble. I dare not think of any scheme to ease her
just now either, but I hope when the war is settled that
there will yet be happiness in store for her. There is
very little hope of Dad sticking out much longer I
should imagine and this must worry Mother terribly.
It seems a shame that both Mother and Father did not
look further ahead of them and provide for themselves
differently and get us boys away from the mines, more so
when Father's two brothers were killed at mining in
America.
13th April, 1915. It has been raining to-day and
things generally are depressing.
The Queen Elizabeth went into the
Dardanelles yesterday with the 1st Brigade Officers
aboard but what they saw has not been made known to us,
though rumour has it that things are all at a standstill
there and that the moving field batteries have
baffled the warships. also that we are in for a jolly
rough time when landing amongst mines and barbed wire
entanglements. But why we don't get some war news
beats me - something to keep us alive.
14th April, 1915. There are some 300 horses aboard
and some of them are real old "smoogers". They love
to be massaged and played with, while others are very
cranky. At meal time they kick up a terrible row
stamping their feet on the boards.
It was a lovely warm day to-day.
Hundreds of the infantry fellows were ashore and
drilled (packs and all equipment up). These men have
had a hard time right along. These packs are very

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heavy and they have to carry them everywhere and all the
time.
I went on board a French-Greek ship to-day
with some patients, and it was astounding that there
were no nurses and no arrangements of any kind have been
made. We put our two men into cabins without any
bedding other than a mattress. Poor devils, they are in
for a dead rough time right enough.
On returning to the "City of Benares"
several fellows went in over the side for a swim. I now
joined them and enjoyed myself. To-night a mail was
distributed. It is quite cold to-night.
15th April, 1915. There is absolutely nothing doing at
all. We had some physical drill this morning and loafed
about the rest of the day. I printed off and fixed up
a few photos. and sent some to Mother and Maggie.
There is no doubt but what fort storming
is our mission. The warships don't seem able to shell
these forts successfully. The rumour that Japanese
troops are at hand seems likely enough too.
There has been one successful concert
since our arrival here in Lemnos. The A.M.C. fellows
are singing choruses to-night in good style. It's the
first for many months.
16th April, 1915. Pay day yesterday. I am now holding
£2. It will last a long time as I am not smoking and
there's not much else for me to spend it on. The canteen
is running biscuits and soft drinks only but the "bum
boats" bring nuts, dried figs, chocolates, etc.
There are a lot of the engineer fellows
going about with burnt hands caused by disembarkment
practice. They, with packs up and a pick and shovel,
had to go down a rope over the ship's side into the

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boat. The weight was so great that many of them slipped
and the friction burnt them.
On guard to-day and it gives me the idleness
that makes me think deeply and grieve very much.
17th April, 1915. To-day has been a great day for me.
Although I did not get much sleep on guard for the past
24 hours, still I went ashore in the boat, and as my
section and I got a little mixed up I found Levy and
myself free to wander for an hour or so. We made for a
village some 1½ miles/away. This is the second village
I have been in and it was splendid. The houses are made
cheaply and solidly out of the locally-procured stone and
tiled with the long ½ round tiles so common all over
Europe. The homes were poorly ventilated and what
windows there were had iron bars and shutters to protect
them. It was much the same in style and crookedness of
the stone-lined streets. The soil seemed only fair and
mixed with a lot of stones. Water is obtained from the
windmills which seem to be used also for grinding wheat.
The fields to-day were covered with lovely flowers -
scarlet, violet, gold and white colours mingled with
the green crops. I took two photos. of peasant women ,
got a bottle of good beer and returned to the boat well
pleased. This afternoon with Fritz, Bob Miller, G. Hill
and Pidcock I dived over the ship's side and with the
two former swam in the cold water over to A.3 boat and
back - perhaps 1200 yards - and it took me two hours to
warm up after it. I even stood in front of the cook's
galley for 40 minutes and as I write (some 3 hours later)
I still feel the effects but the exercise will do me the
world of good.
No signs of our leaving here as yet, alas!
There is a mascot billy goat on the "Lake
Michigan" which is tied up to our ship and it gives great
amusement to all hands by its fighting qualities. The

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men get it riled and then its butting and poking is fine.
18th April, 1915. A party is detailed off to go with
patients back to Alexandria. I bustled to get two
letters written instead of going to Church and then
found the party were not going to-day. I wrote
Hollingsworth and sent two rools of films to Kodaks
to be developed and sent on, also gave Harcourt money
to buy a brooch and post it to Africa for Mother. A
letter also for Win.
At 2 p.m. I went for a row with a boatload.
Captains Poate and Welch wanted to pass round the
"Queen Elizabeth" but to our great surprise we were
allowed aboard this monster. I have been on and seen
other dreadnoughts but this one knocks them all, more
no perhaps as she is the last word in shipbuilding and
the nation is looking to her in the present crisis for
remarkable destruction. Her 8 15 in. guns are perplexing
to say the least of it. The large wooden decks
rather surprised me. I thought they were steel mostly.
I climbed up to the "crow's nest" and saw the 12 ft.
range finder and the tubes and telephone apparatus by
which the fire-eater is guided. About 16 days ago while
in the Dardanelles three warships were sunk, two badly
damaged, but the Queen Elizabeth escaped with shots
through the funnel and one through a porthole. No one
was injured.
The Turks have beaten off the fleet's
attack chiefly by the use of field batteries and
land torpedoes. Now it seems as though we are going
to strike from the land side, but again there seems a
terrible and costly delay. We are on a very tough
proposition I believe.

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19th April, 1915. Last night I had some hot lime juice
and brandy going to bed for my cold. I must get it
better at once as I must not miss getting into action
fit and well.
On guard I had a loaded rifle to challenge
all rowing boats and prevent the trading boats from
selling nuts of any sort, chiefly I understand on account
of the shells being thrown all over the deck.
Lice hunting is now popular sport, although
the catches and excitement are not so great as a few days
ago. Nevertheless they are large and plentiful. "You're
lousy" is an expression that is no longer offensive as
the cleanest fellows are indeed lousy.
20th April, 1915. Very cold and windy to-day. We've
had such lovely warm weather for the past three days.
Lumping ammunition, 18 lbs. shells to be fused, is the
latest stunt of the A.M.C. There are four shells in a
box which weighs 76 lbs. and we had to carry them up
the stairway to the engineers. It was heavy work but
it will do us all good.
21st April, 1915. A miserable rainy day. I read
"Rita's" "Seventh Dreams" and was rather amazed at the
type of stuff and I can't say but what I enjoyed it as
far as fiction goes.
22nd April, 1915. As I was rolling up my blankets and
preparing to put away my sleeping hatch plank Arthur
Searl handed me my mail which consisted this time of only
one letter and that was full of faith, trust and hope,
from Win.
In "Rita's" "Seventh Dreams" in the
"Turkish Baths" story I found : "Nothing dies: not a
life, nor an act, nor a thought. You may put the past