A few days before date of entry we left New RailHead and proceeded to Romani. We are still with the A.S.C. Nothing of any interest doing. Went exploring the other night and came upon an old graveyard. The desert had given up its dead and there were skeletons lying about in all directions. They must have been buried some considerable time although the hair of the females was still quite good. I also visited several old ruins but did not hit on anything worth carrying away. One thing worth noting is the other day an officer (unknown but Lt Chapman of the 7th LH now RJO and his assistant S.M McGee of the 6th LH had a finger in the pie) sent across to have two men detailed to flog Gippo’s who refused to work. Fancy their impertinence them asking, mind you, to detail two men. The boys I’m pleased to say stood on their dignity and absolutely refused to do it, whereupon the batman of the above mentioned officers volunteered to do it. There will be a day of reckoning for them when the boys get a chance to (to use the slang phrase) deliver the goods for they have disgraced Australia by their act. J. A. Graham "Informal portrait of a group of 7th Light Horse Regiment officers. From left to right: Lieutenant (Lt) John William Hampton, Lt Haydon, Major Harold McIntosh, Captain Luke Bice and Lt Chapman (possibly Richard Rupert Chapman). Hampton and McIntosh also served in the 12th Light Horse. A photograph in an album relating to the service of Captain Edward Oswald Straker, 5th Australian Light Horse (5ALH). Source: Australian War Memorial: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P02023.043.004
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After spending 2 or 3 days at Railhead I was transferred to the R.A.S.C. as water fatigue.
We then went on to New Railhead about 3 miles further on. Spent 3 more days here and then proceeded further along the line. Reg has gone to rejoin his Regt. We are camped by ourselves. There are thirteen of us and one of the boys has taken on cooking with the result that we are having a good (…) and plenty to eat. It is very hot here at present. If one could only get a swim or a bath it would not be so bad, but however we cant growl. J. A. Graham Left Kantara and arrived at Railhead and thence to Anzac Depot. During the journey by train from Kantara to Railhead we had quite an amusing experience. The train left at midnight (or rather part of it) but unfortunately on starting two trucks became loose and about 100 yards further on nine more fell off. This was unknown to the driver until we got half way. On starting again, two more got loose, one of which I was in and the remainder of the train went on, the driver quite unconscious of this third mishap. However after waiting some considerable time an engine came back and towed us into Railhead at dawn. The distance was only 20 miles. (part of diary used to light fire) J. A. Graham "Kantara train station. One of a series of photographs relating to an unknown Australian serviceman who undertook motorcycle duties with a signal squadron in Egypt and possibly Palestine during the First World War. The photographs were found in the wall cavity of a residential house in Byrnes Street, Botany, Sydney when it was demolished in the early 1970s." (SOURCE photo and caption: Australian War Memorial. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P08997.005) Left Tel-el-Keber and arrived at El-Kantara same day. We had a lovely camping ground handy to the canal with plenty of trees to be under.
J. A. Graham |
AuthorJack Graham, ANZAC soldier, kept a diary from 1914-1918. Here it is, blogged 100 years later to the day.... Archives
February 1958
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