Usual artillery duels and bombfighting.
Went out sniping today and knocked a Turk. A good shot. J. A. Graham
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Back in the trenches. It was just like coming home again to be back amongst the old boys again, most of whom look fairly well.
One Australian is worth ten Englishmen. The Indians think there is no-one like us and we think the same about the Indians. I don’t know where England would be without the Colonial troops, Scotch, Irish and Welsh. They are certainly the main stay. The English themselves are not nearly so good. Of course that is my opinion. I may not have seen the best English troops in action. They are in France. If they are anything like the famous 29th Division they will do me. The 29th done some glorious work at Cape Helles. J. A. Graham Left Camp again under same conditions but this time we got away on the mine layer “Partridge” and arrived off Anzac at 2130.
On disembarking we were spotted by a German plane who flew over and dropped three bombs at us, all of which fortunately fell in the water. We drove her off with our rifles. J. A. Graham Left Camp this morning with full kit of 80 lbs up on a three mile walk to the wharf.
On arriving at destination were told to return, and they wonder why we growl. J. A. Graham Received marching orders to leave camp tomorrow at 0900 for Anzac for which I am truly thankful. Any place is better than this.
J. A. Graham Another day in ACB.
Went to villages of Portammus, St. Andres, Condine, West Mudros, Therma also Castra and bought a lot of rubbish off the mongrel Greeks. J. A. Graham Left C S Island. (Thank Heaven) and arrived Anzac Clearing Base. A real Siberia in every way.
Later - Poor food and plenty of fatigues. To keep us at it, they would make us build stone walls round the camp and next day, we would be ordered to pull it down and build it somewhere else. Fine treatment wasn’t it. The boys nicknamed it Siberia and it was worthy of the name. (5 April 1916) J. A. Graham Still in C.D having much the same time as 7/9/15. Food no good. One can notice a vast difference between English and Australian Hospitals. One is well fed in Aust’n Hosp’s and in the English one is nearly starved.
Later - The No 1 Australian Stationary Hospital was alright but the Tommy hospitals were far from it. The food there was very poor and insufficient. No wonder the Tommy’s tried their hardest to get into the Aust Hosp. After leaving the Aust Hosp I was sent to the Convalescent Camp (A Tommy Institution) and this was what we got to eat. Breakfast – a tiny piece of bacon, one slice of bread and dripping and a mug of tea Dinner – Stew that one could hardly eat and rice and tea Tea – One slice of bread, and a mug of tea. They expected us to get well on that fare and I can assure you I was glad to get away from the place. Anzac Base Camp was just as bad. Left Convalescent Depot and spent a most miserable night on C S Island. It was bitterly cold and we only had a miserable little blanket each. The fleas and lice were in millions and made sleep impossible. (From 5 April 1916) J. A. Graham A quiet day.
Heard heavy firing in distance. Probably on the Narrows. Makes me feel like getting back. J. A. Graham Left Hospital two days ago for Convalescent Depot. Am feeling well again. Walked about 12 miles for a dip in the briny. It was glorious and quite a treat to have a swim without being shot at. Visited the vineyards on our return and had a great feast of grapes, melons and tomatoes. Rather a pretty island with its numerous villages and rugged surroundings. Since leaving the peninsula, I have picked up wonderfully. I only needed a rest. Had three days on Imbros on milk diet and then 1st Aust Hosp at Lemnos on ordinary diet (which consisted of tea, porridge, bacon, cutlets or steak and eggs, Stews, roast beef, chicken and two puddings for dinner) + Tea, cold roast beef, eggs, butter, jam and bread. Between meals I had beef tea, stout and excellent port wine, so I didn’t do badly. Mudros quite handy. The island is populated almost entirely of Greeks. Shopkeepers charge most exorbitant prices for their goods, but what can one expect from Greeks. French soldiers are a happy-go-lucky crowd and so are the Indians, Ghurkas, Punjabs and Sikhs. The Indians will do me as a fighter. 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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