... parades, fatigues, de-lousing, cholera inoculation, the usual...

4.2.16  We had drill as usual; physical exercises 6.30 to 7 am.; company and platoon drill 10-11 & 11.10- 12.30 (Reveille always at 5.30 am. ) In the afternoon we were issued with uniforms.  We also got 1 shirt each from gifts sent to the battalion; some men also received socks.

5.2.16  Usual parades.  Letters from home (5th & 24th) and papers.

6.2.16  (Sun)  On fatigue 9 am. carrying rations to Q.M. Stores and cook-house.  I got beef to carry, then carried wood to cook-house.  I missed church parade.  I was at service at Soldier's Home in teh evening.  I joined the "Pocket-testament League".

7.2.16  Usual parades.  I went to Heliopolis in evening with H. Cowan.  Had a letter from home dated 17th Jan.  Also one from Mr Sutherland.  I was inoculated against cholera.

8.2.16  This was the battalion's day on brigade fatigues; 6.30 am. cleaning officers' lines of Brigade; 9 to 12.30 cleaning rubbish from ground, left by R.F.A.; 2 to 3.30 pm. shifting officers' tents; 3.30 to 5 pm. down to Abbassia siding from mails.

9.2.16  Usual parades.  Put on hut guard for 24 hours at 4 pm.  On from 6 to 8 pm. etc. Dress:  clean fatigue, with belt and bayonet; cane during day; fixed bayonet and 5 rounds in magazine at night.  Hut guard till 4 pm.

10.2.16  Had spray-bath in forenoon (second since here). 

11.2.16  Usual forenoon parades; paid in afternoon: got £1:12 (Making £3:2:4 drawn since I left home).  Went to music-hall with H. Cowan. (A good acrobatic act).  (I met H Cowan once by chance some years after demob.; he was manager of a S.C.C.A. branch in Blackhall).

12.2.16  Usual parades; in Cairo in afternoon;  walked through Esbekieh Gardens & went to cinema in evening.

Ezbekiah Gardens, Cairo

13.2.16  Curch parade in morning.  Went to zoo at Gizeh beside River Nile in afternoon.  We were rowed down Nile to Cairo at night (2 pts, each)  I was with Fleming and Noble.  We had dinner in Cairo.

14.2.16  Morning parade; inoculated against cholera 9.30 am.  Fatigue at 3 pm.  Guard at Canteen 5.30 to 9.30 pm.  Advance party left for Ballah at 11 pm.

Minding the Egyptian Reservists

1.2.16  Breakfast at 6 am.;parade 6.40.  Marched over to road in front of Barracks of Egyptian Reservists to prevent them marching out. http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1916/mar/09/egyptian-reservists
4th & 7th R.S. marched into Barracks' Square at 3pm., and rounded men into Barracks, a guard being kept on doors all night.  We were relieved by Australians at 8 am.  I went on quarter-guard at 10-30 am.  This was to guard officers' tents, to keep out intruders.  We were 2 hours on and 4 off.  We had bayonets fixed all the time.  I came off guard at 9.30 am. on 3.2.16  I had nothing to do all day after 9.30.  The others had the usual parades. I got 4 papers (one from "The Cottage"), 1 letter (P. Gemmel)

[on first February in 1916 the Russians were moving into Armenia]

Arrive at Alexandria and on to Abbassia Camp

(My notes up to this point must have been re-written from another notebook into my 1916 diary, which presumably reached me about 17th Jan.)

21.1.16  Reached Alexandria 10 am.  Fatigues unloading ship in afternoon.  Left ship at midnight.Train sitting in harbour.

22.1.16  Left Alexandria in train 12.15 a.m.  Reached Abbassia Stn., Cairo 6 am.  Put in bamboo huts in Abbassia camp (Polygon Camp),80men per hut.

23.1.16 (Sun)  Church parade 10 am.  On hut guard 6 pm. to watch that no rifles or bayonets were stolen by natives.  Skeleton order at night; bu[XXXX] and bayonet during day.  Two hours on and four hours off.  It has been unusually hot during the day, but cold at night.  Usually one shower every day; heavy, but soon past.

24.1.16  On guard till 6 pm.  Went into Heliopolis for a walk; connected with Cairo by tramway.  Houses modern and large.Town built last 10 years.

25.1.16  On fatigue putting up marquee forenoon, and another in afternoon. Went into Cairo in evening with H. Cowan; 7 milliemes in tram (2nd class).

26.1.16  Changed huts in forenoon.Went to Soldiers' home in evening.  Received parcel from Galston; a diary from Miss Rogers (a teacher at Galston School); letters from home and Harelaw.  Our blankets were all disinfected to remove vermin.

27.1.16  I was on fatigue carrying mails.  I got parcels from home, Castleview, Cogries, Redlands, and Largs; letter from home  (2), Miss Neil, Aunt Peggy, M.Lindsay; books from Miss Patrick.  Sweets from M. Harvie; Xmas card from M. Harvie.

28.1.16  Physical drill 7 to 7.30 am.  Parade 10 am.,when Col. Young gave a speech.  Received letter  from home (10th Jan.); also "British Weely" and "People's Friend" (Jan. 3rd).

29.1.16  Pitched marquee in morning; Coy, drill in forenoon; at Pyramid in afternoon; was inside pyramid, and saw Queen's and King's Chambers.  In Cairo in evening.

30.1.16 (Sun)  On fatigues all day, first 9 am. to 1 pm. at A.S.C.Stores, Abbassia; then 2 to 5 pm. carrying gifts and stores from Divnl. dump to stores; 3 newspapers and one letter received "Punch" from Largs, letter from home.  Rain showers seem to have passed.  Weather now very hot during day.  New draft arrived - 38 men, nearly all second line men - (2/4th R.S.).

31.1.16  Usual drill in forenoon; went into Heliopolis in afternoon.  Parcels from the Cottage (Mrs Clark), and Mrs Smith (Nether Newton).  Letters from J.M.S.Mair and Harelaw.

The evacuation, torpedo misfire, v. Lemnos to Alexandria

While in the firing-line we had to stop firing after 1 am., and no flares were sent up.  On 4 th till 8th Jan. there was heavy shelling by the Turks every afternoon.  I was on fatigues every day.  On 8th Jan. I left the Support Trenches at 8.30 pm. for the boat.  An advance party had gone down to the Rest Camp in the morning, and the sick had gone a week before. The 156 Bde. had to do rearguard for the 52nd Div.  We set sail in H.M.S. Prince George at 2 am. on Sun.,9th Jan., 1916. A torpedo from a submarine struck the ship, but it did not explode. 


HMS Prince George

We arrived at Mudros at 7.30 am. and went ashore; we stayed in tents till Mon.,17th Jan.  We had a short route march twice, and platoon drill twice.  The weather was fine till 14th, 9pm., after which it rained continuously for 24 hours.  The rain was very heavy, with flooding.  I was on guard on 15th from 9 am. for 24 hours, at a well.  We were in the sea for a bathe on 13th.  On 10th I had received letters from home dated 28th Nov. and 5th Dec., and a Xmas card from Crawlaw.  A parcel from Largs which had been sent v Peebles was of eatables, and unusable.



Lemnos is a bleak, hilly, place .  There were small, cultivated patches being ploughed with oxen and primitive ploughs.  There were th[xxx] sheep and donkeys on pasture-land.  The prices for articles like bread etc., were extortionate.  (My notes up to this point must have been re-written from another notebook into my 1916 diary, which presumably reached me about 17th Jan.)

17.1.16  On fatigue in morning carrying bales of hay from pier to A.S. dump. Left for embarcation 2pm.;went on board transport "Hororata", by means of a small steamer, the "Waterwitch".

HMAT Hororata (in Port Melbourne)

18.1.16  Parade 10 am. each morning in clean fatigue.  4th & 7th R.S. and R.A.M.C. on board.  Archd. Cochrane (from Galston, was in class at Galston school), 1/1 R.A.M.C. Lowland on board.  I was on fatigue bringing stores up on lighter to be sent on board sh[xxxx] 7 to 11 pm.

19.1.16  Sailed 8 am.  Lifeboat crews chosen from Battn.  I was on guard at side of lifeboat.  Alarm parade in afternoon.  My duty was to stand beside lifeboat with fixed bayonet.  We had all been issued with lifebelts.  We were in messes of 18, and slept on the floor.  Time spent in reading and playing cards.

21.1.16  Reached Alexandria 10am.