PAGES FROM THE DIARY OF AN OLD DIGGER

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 308, 28 December 1940, Page 7 (Supplement)

PAGES FROM THE DIARY OF AN OLD DIGGER

Nothing Is more pregnant of memories than an old diary—lt recalls names long forgotten, scones that have become blurred on the pages of memory and incidents that have passed into oblivion. One Digger kept a diary, fairly regularly, from November 22, 1915, to November, 1917, and that diary is now history. Its reproduction*. In the Page will be read with interest by all who served with the New Zealanders during that period, and will take them back once more along the road of those torrid years of war. x ' Monday, Nov. 22, 1915. Heliopolis, Egypt. For some 24 hours now, we have been ready to move out at a moment's notice. They have issued us with 120 rounds of ammunition, 24 hours' rations and essential gear in a valise on our backs, consisting of an overcoat, two pairs of socks, towel, shaving gear, mess tin, balaclava and other necessaries. The blankets are packed away ready to be sent to our destination—the Canal or the Tripoli border. Monday, Nov. 29. £1 Dabaa, on the frontier. We are now at the railhead of the route which runs west from Alexandria towards Tripoli. Apparently the reason we have been sent out here is that the Bedouins of these parts, incited by Turkish promises, .have shown signs of restlessness, and it is feared that at any time they may swoop down and destroy the railway. They have already done a job of mischief' by surrounding k few villages some distance away, and every night after sunset the Duke of Westminster's armoured cars pass us with refugees. The enemy i* reported to be officered by. Germans landed on the coast by submarines from Turkey. . ;

£1 Dabaa, where we are at present stationed, is about 100 miles west of Alexandria and only "A"'Company and No. 5 platoon came up here. The remainder are distributed along the line from Alexandria westwards. This place is about tlie dreariest ■ one could wish to find. We have endured-awful duet storms which cover everything with, yards of grit and make the food almost uneatable. The sand and the poor water supply—the water has to be brought from Alexandria by train—are the cause of the prevailing dysentery. Nearly everybody in camp has had it and I hope that our stay here will not be unduly long. I went down to the air station yesterday morning and saw aeroplanes being fixed up V make a raid on a German submarine base said to be somewhere down the coast. One of the mechanics said that the Senussi received their officers, arms and ammunition by the submarines. Christmas morning, 1915. ' £1 Dabaa. On this day of days I feel that some sort of account of how we spent Christ-' mas out here in the desert would not be out of place. It is now five weeks : since we have been out here and-'six weeks in the country. I • have had dinner and feel at ease with the: world. The diners were Beattie, GurnseyJ Mason, Bell, Ponder, Adamson, Ferrier, Bradshaw and myself. Boyd, another member of the tent, is still away in No. 15 General Hospital. We started with plum pudding with unsweetened condensed milk. Brother *-'Bell '■ cut his own pudding and landed a half-sovereign. The duffs were immensely popular and each had several returns, Ferrier nearly smashing his

teeth on an enormous button. Xext we struggled with 13 tins of pesvjL apricots and pineapple—a few at a the* —with banana syrup and more mjS Theiiext course was CSiristma*'• elk* from home and lager beer, the latter being very popular. We also gorgef> chocolate, biscuit* and *weet* of j kinds. . 1".",. There has been a great deal of eots> ment and discussion in the ramp about the colonials withdrawing from Ananfe It is not for us to judge, but the Dardanelles were a terribly hard nut t* crack. The preliminary bombardmesjt apparently ruined our chances, but 04 Gallipoli the boys have shown themselves to be the equal of anything the worlf has produced. The New Zealaadsjg actually got to the top of Hill 971 after fighting every foot of the way in I«rrraa heat. But the refusal of inexperiennl. troops to advance because they >«*j-»d water lost the position. (To be Continued.)