The following is a verbatim transcript of the entries from Capt. Savige’s 1918 diary. He won this small French (8-6-2cm) pocket diary in a telegram competition at a party 19th Jan whilst on leave in London. From these entries & those in his Dunsterforce 1918 war diaries he wrote his book Stalky’s Forlorn Hope.
Jan. 1st. The day.
2nd. In for a mysterious show. Have been asked by Gen. Smyth our com. if I would undertake a desperate venture which would probably cost me my life but had a sporting chance. Nature of work & place not known. Accepted.
3rd & 4th no entries.
5th. Went to corp. hqts there interviewed by Col. Byron. Nothing definite stated about job beyond it being a rare adventure.
6th to 11th no entries.
12th. Left France. Lieut. Turner arrived at 6am.Snowing. Arrived Boulogne 11am. Arrived London 4pm reported AIF hqs. Went to Stainsbury Road.
13th Went to church with Grace then to Seven Kings. All very surprised to see me. Stayed at Seven Kings.
14th. Reported AIF. Jogged about town then went to see Billy at lunch, created quite a stir at Wilkensons.
15th Reported Tower & medically exam. Passed. Very gratifying after 3 years active service. Went to Southerns who were extremely nice to me.
16th Reported Tower. Took Grace to theatre Dear Brutus Du Maurier a very good play.
17th Saw Mr. McClelland went to dinner, att. Dury Lane. Spent a very nice evening.
18th No entry.
19th Party at Manning’s, Harry Fletcher & Mac. there. Won this diary in telegram competition. Had a very happy evening. Kiss in the ring & god knows what.
20th Went to see Mrs. Snowden with Billy after going to Southerns
21st Inspected by Gen Robertson who addressed us as the cream of the British army. Took the two Southern girls to dinner & theatre Maid of the Mountains.
22nd. No entry.
23rd Went to lunch & to see Kathleen Poryard. She has a nice flat met Mrs. Clarke Stayed the night sleeping on the drawing room sofa. Very cold & snowing. Did a line with a girl in the theatre (picture) very nice too.
24th Went to town with Les & had lunch. Went to the Hippodrome saw Mother Goose.
25th Took girl from Liverpool St Station to theatre & dinner. Had to walk about 6 miles home on night of air raid. Bad with diarrhea.
26th Party at Jims. Saw Connie Cook Had a very nice time Little Grace broken up. Not feeling too well too many late hours.
27th Spent the day at Jims farm Jim Grace & Bertha. Had some rabbit shooting. shot 8. Little Grace very quiet. Can’t make out why this child likes me so.
28th Went to National Sporting club with Ned, Pat & Keith beat bandsman Blake in 2nd run. Air raid held up at Strand Palace hotel until 3pm. Got a lift to Liverpool St arrived home 7am dead tired
29th Left Waterloo 12 noon Southampton 3pm Left England 7pm Arrived Cherbourg 11pm Felt very lonely on station without any friends to see me off but put them off, wished at the time I hadn’t.
30th Arrived Cherbourg France disembarked at 7.30am then to rest station Good huts & food.
Went into town with Alan Hitchcock had dinner together.
31st Entrained 2pm. Nice day & scenery 4 in carriage Hitchcock, Turner, Shakleberg.
1st Feb. Still traveling. Living on bully & rations able to buy a little various canteens. Very interested in France 1814-1914.
2nd. St. Germain 8am not far from Lyon went into town at night. Very wide river here. Concert at night in camp. Had some trouble in getting Mc Ivor home from town, blotto.
3rd. Left St.Germain 1am.
4th. Trip along the Rhone most beautiful had a wash early morning in the Rhone beautiful clear. All sunshine a glorious day.
5th. Passed Monte Carlo, Nice & Menton unfortunately it was night. Still it was clear night & saw the sea & fair amount.
6th. Arrived Faenza 11am left 8pm. Italian town of famous china ware. The Italian method of waiving very funny. Had a good look thru the town.
7th. Arrived Brindisi a seaport. Saw some Aust. Navy men there. Very dirty.
8th. Arrived Otranto 5pm went into camp a very good one indeed. Met Col. Bridges wrote letters went to bed.
9th. Saw bishop of Gibraltar for information about the country we are going to. Given cards of introduction.
10th. Embarked Malwa 3pm. 30 nurses on board. Good food & cabin.
11th. Having good time. Good food & rest after long train journey.
12rh. Sailed 9am. Russian class starts. Nurses very nice. Deck amusements.
13th. Having splendid time. Girls are real sporty. Hard at Russian. Deck sports.
14th No entry.
15th. Arrived Alexandria 2pm. The sands once more. How that land calls one. Plenty of champagne at night. Girls nearly all tight.
16th. Disembarked & entrained for Suez 7-30pm. On duty all morning. Went into to town for hour with Lewis a Canadian. Shared carriage with Col. Bridges.
17th. Arrived Suez 6am. Embarked on Nile. Left Suez 5pm. Strange that I started embarks from Egypt on this new stunt on the same boat on which we left Egypt for Gallipoli in Aug. 1915. Take this as a good omen.
18th. Russian most of the time. Good food & comfortable cabin 41.
19th. Working very hard at Russian.
20th Lectures on Persia.
21st. Deck sports & boxing. Lectures on Caucasians.
22nd. Passed Aden. Red Sea. Fairly hot but not nearly so bad as June 2nd. 1915. Lecture by Russian officer. The OCD Russian army.
23rd. Lecture by Armenian sgt.
24th 25th No entries.
26th. Arrived Henjan a queer little village on a rise has barracks & wireless station. Quite a lot of native shipping. Jokes with the fishing people.
27th. Coaled. Left about 5pm all the coaling is done at sea, barges bring out the coal in sand bags which are manhandled.
28th Sea rougher today. We are now well in the Persian Gulf.
!st. March. Still plugging along. Usual routine.
2nd. Water looks much shallower.
3rd We change over at sea to the Erin Para hospital boat. Nurses on board a very comfy boat. Concert at night altogether good time.
4th Boat quite good. We move up the Shaft al Arab a magnificent stream with date trees in profusion on either side. Capt. Of the guard 8th NZ.
5th. We arrive at Basra & are taken to a camp about 3 miles out at a place called Makenah. The place is muddy & we sleep in a tent. Officers club is very good.
6th. Went to Basra a big city typically eastern bazaars, carpet roads & mud. Saw the prohibited quarters. Went by boat. Hooper Withers & I in morning crowd in the afternoon.
7th Went for ride with Hitchcock, buck jumped & bolted. Oh what a day. Skinned face, cut lips, & sprained wrist.
8th. Too sore to move. No sleep with pain in wrist. Rested all day.
9th. Stiff & sore. Stayed home & read 20 Years After.
10th. Still home. Had a night in Basra. Nurses, dancing but went to pictures. Pretty Armenian kids & queer crowd.
11th. Inspected by GOC communications.
12th. Issued with swords. Russian classes.
13th. Sword exercises. Russian Fraser & I come gutser over the pictures.
14th. Packing prior to departure.
15th. It rains all night & I woke to find I was in a pool of water. The mud is sticky & extremely slippery.
16th. We leave Basra on board a paddle steamer with 2 barges slipped one on either side. The Shatt al Arab continues to be with us.
17th. We enter the Tigris leaving the Euphrates on our left. The latter is the wider at the junction but unnavagatable owing to a pontoon bridge. A railway runs along the Tigris.
18th. This morning we passed Ezra tomb a dome shaped structure about 30ft. high inlaid with blue glazed plates the whole surrounded by a wall inside of date palms. Quite a number of Egyptian women some very pretty come along side the boat. Fine & warm.
19th. Stopped at Amara to coal. Went for a walk on shore at night. Officers club & cinema. Building like a barn with guards, awful show, nurse there. Came home crossing the river in motor boat. Slowing at Russian, find it very hard to concentrate mind on it, difficult without book.
20th. Pulled in to shore & held sports. I ran in a centipede race 2nd. In former. Col. Donnan very funny in pillow race. Tug of war very good. Arab team 2nd beaten by officer’s team.
21st 22nd. No entries.
23rd. Pulled into shore again today. Latchfort & I went for a walk. Quite a number of dead fish on the bank. Irrigation good & fields look well. What an opportunity for a few men with little capital. Did some washing today quite pleased with the results.
24th.25th.26th. No entries.
27th Arrived Ctesiphon. Saw a great arch 200ft high only ruin left of city built 312 BC
28th. Arrived Baghdad. Go into canvas camp with Turner, Hitchcock, Hodson, & Roberts. Went in to town.
29th Dropped Russian, disappointed now learning Persian. Went in to town with Fraser explored narrow winding endless streets.
30th Drills & blowing very dusty.
31st Went in to town with Hitchcock & Fraser. Picked up 2 lads who spoke English. Went & saw native dancing show weird music& fantastic dancing.
April 1st to 12th no entries.
13th Perrot monitors learning Russian & Persian. Sword exercises. Monotony only relieved by occasional trip to Baghdad. There sometimes meet the two lads who show us around. Once saw a dancing show.
14th Play bridge, a good deal with Turner, Fraser, Hitchcock. Re. a number of re addressed letters from Aust. One from Grace, Gert, & May.
15th 16th 17th no entries.
18th I am chosen for the pioneer party. We leave at 9pm charge in to open trucks at 3-30 am arrive Ruz. Pitch camp. I am transferred from transport with Kay, Fisher, Cochrane, Scott Olson, and Hooper.
19th Tent very comfy. Came up stormy but am quite dry. The 6 of us mess together & I think we will get on well. I hope so as this show, its organization & heads give me the pip.
Thoughts travel back to my dear Lil, Mother, home, & England. The way to God seems near with these thoughts.
20th Rained all day but kept dry.
21st Sun shining & clear.
22nd Still at Ruz.
23rd Push off today in Ford cars. Travel 58 miles. Very interesting in the foothills. Pitch camp at Kar-I- Sherin.
24th Looked over the ruins of the old city. Some remarkable old buildings. Underground passages & a city wall.
25th Frightful storm, hail as large as pigeon eggs. My tent with others blew down. All our sleeping bags soaked.
26th Went shooting with Toby Williams did not have a shot but examined an old city wall & cemetery.
27th Went shooting with Hodson. Had some shots at a fox.
28th Practiced loading mules. Went shooting with Kay. Had shot at fox & partridge.
29th Packing up ready to move forward tomorrow.
30th Up at 4am 18 mile march. We as advance guard arrived at Siripul. Tired & bushed pitched tents. Good tea, bed.
!st May 9 mile march from Sir-I-Pul to Pia Tak. Feel very tired the heat being very oppressive in the deep valleys. The mountains rising thousands of feet on either side. Steep cliffs & razorback ridges. Swift rivers through the gorges. Road fairly poor.
2nd 4 miles of the worst country imaginable. Steep windy track up the steep cliff sided mountain. Scenery wonderful in its ruggedness. Pitch camp on top. More vegetation in shape of small trees.
3rd Up at 5am off again 14 miles. Country better good pastures, more stock. Extremely pretty wild flowers.
4th Rained during early morning. Rested till 10 off at 12.30. Camp 4.30 extremely rough ground. Better villages, vineyards. Nothing to eat bar 2 biscuits until 6pm.Went to village bought eggs. 11 miles.
5th Up at 5am 14 mile march. Frequently on the pass. Nothing to eat until 4pm Dog tired & weary.
6th Reveilled 5am Short march 8 miles good soft track. 3 regular meals, bought some eggs. Raining tonight. Villagers’ better class. Some well dressed but still signs of great poverty.
7th Extremely dry. Forced march of 16 miles. This sticky clay in reguard. Mules get stuck hard to help them up & escort them to camp. Arrive there 7pm Fagged out.
8th 3 years since leaving Aust. More pleasant march today, fine day good road. Took boiled eggs & biscuits in pocket today. Kept off hunger until 5pm at camp.
9th March to Kirmanshah starts today 16 miles Good road. Pitched camp on hill overlooking town. Looks well from here. Mountains in background all snow capped. Fertile plain in between.
10th Went in to town. Usual bazaars. Natives not zealous in putting goods on to you. As usual give half of what is asked. Majority seem feed & clothed but instances of awful poverty & scenes of people dying on the footpaths. Awful sights to see women dying with child alongside & vice versa. Rambled with Scott Olsen
11th Went in to town with Scott Olsen in evening.
12th Off again. Up at 4am weather much hotter Good road did 18 miles. Taken kid 10 years old with us Zillerman by name.
13th 6 miles today. Got in to camp before heat of day. Had good swim in river. Camped near old city or rather remains. I am camped on a cliff. Cliff approx. 1500 ft. high wonderful sight.
14th Up at 3am 18 miles very hot & dusty. Party of mountain rovers about to attack a caravan when we appeared & escorted latter through. Very tired.
15th 23 miles today up at 3 marched from 4-45am to 11-15. Not fully well when starting. Arrived camp dead beat. Passed the wonderful rich & well cultivated valley. Heat on the mountain plateau & valleys intense. Am as brown as a berry.
16th March of about 8 miles very easy
17th 18 miles through pass which climbed to 8000 ft over mountain, stream to cross 4ft deep. Dead tired. Thunder storm in evening. Hanging on to the pole like grim death.
18th Arrived Hamadan after 17 mile march. Dead tired & leg weary. Invited to lunch. Chicken & salad most excellent.
Stakly addresses us.
19th Rested all day.
20th We are doing a lot of famine relief work such as road work & soup kitchens. Dead on the streets.
21st Paid a visit to the American missionaries Mr. & Mrs. Fink. Had a great feed of pancakes with plenty of eggs in them. They were great. Had a long yarn about things in general.
22nd Resting, sight seeing etc.
23rd Resting
24th Edna’s birthday. Had sports today. Entered for relay race & tug of war. Didn’t win but good runners up. Quite a number of Europeans there.
25th Busy preparing for move tomorrow. Said goodbye to Mr. & Mrs. Fink
26th Push off for Kasvin today. Camel transport. Am in charge of No.2 group (colonials) No water at half way point. Pushed on 6 more miles making 22 for the day over metal roads. Dead beat.
27th Up at 3-30am 14 miles fairly hot. Food short. Had 2 meals of bread & dripping today.
28th 16 miles. Hot. Lot of trouble with the camels. Loads continually falling off. Had bath & good feed tonight.
29th Easy march today of 10 miles. Arrived camp 10am. Rested all day. Plenty of food also available.
30th 12 miles through pass road very good though steep in places. Reckoned an easy march. Plenty of food today. Convoy of wagons with 4 horses abreast passes camp.
31st Arrived at Abba Garm a place where there is a remarkable hot spring bubbling from a rock surrounded on 3 sides by a creek & with cold springs a few feet away. A bath house erected evidently by the Russian. Had a beautiful hot bath.
!st June No entry.
2nd 19 miles today in the boiling sun. Dog tired. Hot food tonight & turned in early. It’s a case of bed at 7pm up at 3am & plodding all day. Walking becomes mechanical like breathing.
3rd Arrived at small village just outside of Kasvin.
4th Rested all day.
5th Went in to Kasvin, a good sized town with fair population of Russians. Shops much European style. Good bazaar. Fine Avenue of trees.
6th Started off again trekked about 16 miles. Very hot. Had a bad headache all night, felt ill all day
7th A1 today did 18 miles quite easily. Country much richer & more populated this way.
8th 15 miles today. Very hot but road good. Passed a lot of vineyards. Country very fertile ready almost for harvest of good crops. Inhabitants very friendly.
9th 15 miles mornings very cool dusty along dunes. Found it hard to pitch camp in wind. Had good sleep. Any amount of Turks in these regions.
10th 14 miles. Good camp.
11th Arrived Zenjan 18 miles done. A very pretty place in big gardens for camp. The sight of trees great relief after the mountains.
12th Breakfast in bed rested all morning. Went in to town with Scotty. A very fine bazaar with little food shops. People cannot make out the reason for us being here. Scotty & I went for a walk unarmed & saw 2 Turks whom we collared.
13th Rested all day in gardens. Went out after a body of Turks reported in town. Two sgts. to assist collared 2 who had recently come down from Baku.
14th On track once more. In command of the march have a neat little roan pony. Bijah objective never been traversed by English before no maps of route. Bad day with mules which evenditely brought in off the grass. 14 miles.
15th 18-19 miles rough road. Tremendously steep hill at end. Very little water lot of which brackish
16th 16 miles a very hard day towards the end. Followed generally the valley of the river. Fine stone bridge which we passed before reaching camp. Food very scarce making 1 meal do for 3.
17th 17-18 miles water very scarce. Arrived near village looted 5 days previously by the Kurds. Heard Turkish convoy with rifles passed here a few days previously for Kuchik Khan.
18th Arrived Bijah a place on the cross roads heading to Hamadan. Good water supply. Town right at the foot of the hills. Very tired, dusty & foot sore.17 miles. Food very scarce on trip. Hungry practically all the time. Rice, dried fruit, flour, tea (god’s water)
19th Rested during the morning & went out with Scott Olsen to town. Bazaar very poor having been destroyed & looted in turn by Russians & Turks. Estimated 6000 deaths during present season due to starvation & cholera. Rained for 5 mins. today.
20th Went in search of house for a billet.
21st Rested all day. Getting on with French which appears to be the most useful language. Went for short walk with Scott Olsen
22nd Went on a road reconnaissance along Hamadan rd. Good fun on the mules over the rocky slopes.
23rd Rested.
24th 3 Turkish deserters knocking about. Collared them & got some useful information.
25th A little girl 11 or 12 years came along to camp for washing. Struck me owing to her cleanliness & pretty little face. I asked her what she was & she told me Turkish & burst into tears thinking the English would punish her. I gathered more of her history. She lives 24 miles away & had walked into Bijah for employment after all her people died. Knowing she would die of starvation within a month I arranged through the interpreter to get her into a home & I would pay to keep her.
26th My birthday forgot about it until 27th.
27th The lady of the house robbed my little girl & I gave her no food. Such are the Persians.
28th Again arranged for the kid.
29th Today took my little girl to the bazaar to get some clothes for her & as about to leave had the commission of police on my heels & half the town. I went to his office & explained what I had done & was doing. He refused to let her take the stuff so I left him in rather disgruntled manner.
30th Rested. We shift into Bijah tomorrow. Was elected mess president.
1st July. Shifted today rather a big house within a large square yard & wall. With the house built on 3 wings & 2 stories high. Scott Olsen & I share a room.
2nd My little girl came along today evidently being allocated but I’m unable to do anything for her.
3rd These dam native cooks drive one mad. They never think of cooking all the stuff at once. First one then the other & when finished its meal time. As for regular times it never enters their minds.
4th Getting appalling monotonous. Mail in 39 letters & I parcel Good O.
5th Visit of the governor also Sirdar & other heads. Feast commenced at 9pm & finished at 3am. Some French spoken so got on a little but all rather amusing especially method of eating.
6th Nothing doing
7th to 18th No entries.
19th Left Bijah. Trekked 16 miles camped Ponja.
20th Arrived Kizil Bulahk distance 16-18 miles.
21st. Arrived Takan Tepe 16 miles.
22nd Arrived San Jud 28 miles.
23rd Arrived Sain Kala 15 miles.
24th Sain Kala. People not there.
25th Sain Kala.
26th Turned back on order. Disappointed. Tried all I knew to persuade them to stay. Never allow me to break through to lake.
27th Sain Jud
28th Genja
29th Takan Tepe. Persuaded them to allow me to stay with party & raise irregulars.
30th Interviewed governor. Very satisfactory.
31st Sent Kay & Nicol out on levy raising. Mapped out Becon nuisance work for Wilson. Everything satisfactory
1st. Aug. Rec. news that Syrians due in Sain Kala This news came as Major More & I were at conference with governor & leading men of surrounding villages..
2nd. Moved forward met Syrians. We woke up about dawn & pushed off quite early. Pitched camp 6 miles south of San Jud. About 1 hour lots of Syrians arrived. Awfully disappointed at so few of us. Great sight to see them swing into the valley. Conference until late at night
3rd. Moved forward San Kala. Refugees streaming in. Arrived San Kala about 7pm to see refugees streaming in a great shock to all. Could do nothing that night
4th Conference with Agha Petros & Russians early in morning. Rode out with Reid & A.P. for about 8 miles. People coming in thousands. Heard some of the first desperate news. Armenians first to leave. Line deserted so all came. Herd of raiding of columns persuaded More to allow me to go with some officers, NCO’s, guns & Syrians & get moving. He is unable to form opinion.
5th Reguard to Syrians, Nicol, Scott Olsen. 6 Sgts, 2 guns.100 Syrians failed to appear. Met Dr Shed 15 miles out, signs of fighting. Wonderful reception by people. Gathered 24 Syrians & pushed on. Nicol to guard right front got in touch with enemy, dispersed. Returned to village 6 miles back, killed sheep, hungry & tired.
6th Decided to stay until 10am. Up before dawn. Posted observers. Enemy concentrating 2 ½ miles out. Heavy 6-7 hours fight from position to position. Surrounded time & time again. Sent message back for help. Russians left camp after receipt. Lt. Nicol told 3 times to rescue lost mules & gear. Armenians took up fight.
7th Moved to San Jud, Enemy attacked patrol in morning but would not face position. Tried to coax him no avail. Awful sights of dead & dying on road.
8th Moved to where the rear of the people were. Funny incidents the going for provisions & the return. The Russian column.
9th Moved to Takan Tepe. Brophy ill gave up horse. Helped to get refugees on mules & camels. Sad sights of distressed families. Dog tired & done to the world.
10th Moved out with 6 Sgts, guns & 50 Syrians to fight 300 Turks who cleared on our approach. Returned 12pm no food all day.
11th Moved camp to cleaner ground. Saw Gov.
12th Resting. Many of my men sick.
13th France died. Read burial service by light of lantern a rotten job. Many of my Sgts.seriously ill. Capt. Kingscotte extremely ill.
14th Left Taken Tepe. Refugees on camels Agha Pedro’s 50 men under my command as advance guard. Rear & flank guard. Arrived Qizil Bulagh.
15th Same routine. Passed through very dangerous part of country. Very hard to tell Syrians to do our methods of protection.
16th Arrived Bijah. Feeling ill since leaving Takan Tepe. Saw Major McCarthy who was to come through & take charge. Agha Petros pleased that I go with him.
17th Tried to hang on all day but feeling worse.
18th Went out to it today with fever. Am about 6 days on floor of billet down & out with malaria & cannot eat or sleep. Then sent to Thorpe for a number of days & as I am on fire about burnt out.
19th Many times thought the end had come but pulled through.
20th to 22nd. No entries.
23rd Recommended 2 weeks leave. Dr. Seddon blocked this.
24th Took over the sick refugees. 700 & arranged to bundle them off to Hamadan, all who were fit to travel. Many objected but gave them ½ rations for a few days which did the trick.
.
25th No entry.
26th Ill again cannot eat & running a temp.
27th Feet & ankles all two of them like footballs. Went to doctor who is concerned due to failure of the heart.
28th Pushed off to Hamadan running temp. of 104 & over 100 miles to do in the blazing sun over mule tracks in a food lorry. Left 6am arrived 5pm nearly dead in bed in a tent.
29th Discover my bed to be alive with lice. Food awful & very sick.
30th No entry.
31st Spent about a fortnight on my back then got up & put in time in Mrs. Tunks drawing room reading. These people were very good to me all the while I was ill.
1st Sept to 8th No entries.
9th Took over relief work 1100 refugees still here. I am still very weak & ill.
10th During the time I was ill I was unable to keep the diary going. I met a chap called Beckam who was placed in the same tent. The winds blew furiously at times with the result our tent was always full of dust.
11th Influenza was raging which resulted in the hospital at Hamadan being packed. Nearly all the orderlies were down sick which meant no attention. Terrible food.
12th Local military bakery produced bread full of grit. Once I got a stew with 4 pieces of fat some 2 inches square & gravy. Eventually I was pushed on to Kermanath.
13th I remained about a week. Philip my native (or Assyrian) servant loaned me at Hamadan was practically useless. The journey to Kermanath took 2 days over very rough roads.
14th The first night we camped near a motor transport depot. It blew a hurricane all night. I was very ill & slept in the open on the ground. The journey was accomplished in a light motor lorry.
15th Sea sickness wasn’t in it. I was then pushed on down the line to Baghdad. First camping out in the blue & then tent.
16th This was the the first place where we got any civilized food having for a meal white bread & jam & a drink of soda water. We finally reached the railhead two days later & was put in to the first comfortable bed I had been on for 9 months.
17th Then by train to Baghdad. This was like heaven. I was in a very quiet ward but very ill with a high temp.The nurses were extremely kind & the food excellent.
18th I had quantities of quinine for drinks & injections. Then 2 weeks later I was packed down to Amara which was better still. Here I remained for 4 days then by train to Basra where I remained for 6 days.
No further entries. Finish.
Jan. 1st. The day.
2nd. In for a mysterious show. Have been asked by Gen. Smyth our com. if I would undertake a desperate venture which would probably cost me my life but had a sporting chance. Nature of work & place not known. Accepted.
3rd & 4th no entries.
5th. Went to corp. hqts there interviewed by Col. Byron. Nothing definite stated about job beyond it being a rare adventure.
6th to 11th no entries.
12th. Left France. Lieut. Turner arrived at 6am.Snowing. Arrived Boulogne 11am. Arrived London 4pm reported AIF hqs. Went to Stainsbury Road.
13th Went to church with Grace then to Seven Kings. All very surprised to see me. Stayed at Seven Kings.
14th. Reported AIF. Jogged about town then went to see Billy at lunch, created quite a stir at Wilkensons.
15th Reported Tower & medically exam. Passed. Very gratifying after 3 years active service. Went to Southerns who were extremely nice to me.
16th Reported Tower. Took Grace to theatre Dear Brutus Du Maurier a very good play.
17th Saw Mr. McClelland went to dinner, att. Dury Lane. Spent a very nice evening.
18th No entry.
19th Party at Manning’s, Harry Fletcher & Mac. there. Won this diary in telegram competition. Had a very happy evening. Kiss in the ring & god knows what.
20th Went to see Mrs. Snowden with Billy after going to Southerns
21st Inspected by Gen Robertson who addressed us as the cream of the British army. Took the two Southern girls to dinner & theatre Maid of the Mountains.
22nd. No entry.
23rd Went to lunch & to see Kathleen Poryard. She has a nice flat met Mrs. Clarke Stayed the night sleeping on the drawing room sofa. Very cold & snowing. Did a line with a girl in the theatre (picture) very nice too.
24th Went to town with Les & had lunch. Went to the Hippodrome saw Mother Goose.
25th Took girl from Liverpool St Station to theatre & dinner. Had to walk about 6 miles home on night of air raid. Bad with diarrhea.
26th Party at Jims. Saw Connie Cook Had a very nice time Little Grace broken up. Not feeling too well too many late hours.
27th Spent the day at Jims farm Jim Grace & Bertha. Had some rabbit shooting. shot 8. Little Grace very quiet. Can’t make out why this child likes me so.
28th Went to National Sporting club with Ned, Pat & Keith beat bandsman Blake in 2nd run. Air raid held up at Strand Palace hotel until 3pm. Got a lift to Liverpool St arrived home 7am dead tired
29th Left Waterloo 12 noon Southampton 3pm Left England 7pm Arrived Cherbourg 11pm Felt very lonely on station without any friends to see me off but put them off, wished at the time I hadn’t.
30th Arrived Cherbourg France disembarked at 7.30am then to rest station Good huts & food.
Went into town with Alan Hitchcock had dinner together.
31st Entrained 2pm. Nice day & scenery 4 in carriage Hitchcock, Turner, Shakleberg.
1st Feb. Still traveling. Living on bully & rations able to buy a little various canteens. Very interested in France 1814-1914.
2nd. St. Germain 8am not far from Lyon went into town at night. Very wide river here. Concert at night in camp. Had some trouble in getting Mc Ivor home from town, blotto.
3rd. Left St.Germain 1am.
4th. Trip along the Rhone most beautiful had a wash early morning in the Rhone beautiful clear. All sunshine a glorious day.
5th. Passed Monte Carlo, Nice & Menton unfortunately it was night. Still it was clear night & saw the sea & fair amount.
6th. Arrived Faenza 11am left 8pm. Italian town of famous china ware. The Italian method of waiving very funny. Had a good look thru the town.
7th. Arrived Brindisi a seaport. Saw some Aust. Navy men there. Very dirty.
8th. Arrived Otranto 5pm went into camp a very good one indeed. Met Col. Bridges wrote letters went to bed.
9th. Saw bishop of Gibraltar for information about the country we are going to. Given cards of introduction.
10th. Embarked Malwa 3pm. 30 nurses on board. Good food & cabin.
11th. Having good time. Good food & rest after long train journey.
12rh. Sailed 9am. Russian class starts. Nurses very nice. Deck amusements.
13th. Having splendid time. Girls are real sporty. Hard at Russian. Deck sports.
14th No entry.
15th. Arrived Alexandria 2pm. The sands once more. How that land calls one. Plenty of champagne at night. Girls nearly all tight.
16th. Disembarked & entrained for Suez 7-30pm. On duty all morning. Went into to town for hour with Lewis a Canadian. Shared carriage with Col. Bridges.
17th. Arrived Suez 6am. Embarked on Nile. Left Suez 5pm. Strange that I started embarks from Egypt on this new stunt on the same boat on which we left Egypt for Gallipoli in Aug. 1915. Take this as a good omen.
18th. Russian most of the time. Good food & comfortable cabin 41.
19th. Working very hard at Russian.
20th Lectures on Persia.
21st. Deck sports & boxing. Lectures on Caucasians.
22nd. Passed Aden. Red Sea. Fairly hot but not nearly so bad as June 2nd. 1915. Lecture by Russian officer. The OCD Russian army.
23rd. Lecture by Armenian sgt.
24th 25th No entries.
26th. Arrived Henjan a queer little village on a rise has barracks & wireless station. Quite a lot of native shipping. Jokes with the fishing people.
27th. Coaled. Left about 5pm all the coaling is done at sea, barges bring out the coal in sand bags which are manhandled.
28th Sea rougher today. We are now well in the Persian Gulf.
!st. March. Still plugging along. Usual routine.
2nd. Water looks much shallower.
3rd We change over at sea to the Erin Para hospital boat. Nurses on board a very comfy boat. Concert at night altogether good time.
4th Boat quite good. We move up the Shaft al Arab a magnificent stream with date trees in profusion on either side. Capt. Of the guard 8th NZ.
5th. We arrive at Basra & are taken to a camp about 3 miles out at a place called Makenah. The place is muddy & we sleep in a tent. Officers club is very good.
6th. Went to Basra a big city typically eastern bazaars, carpet roads & mud. Saw the prohibited quarters. Went by boat. Hooper Withers & I in morning crowd in the afternoon.
7th Went for ride with Hitchcock, buck jumped & bolted. Oh what a day. Skinned face, cut lips, & sprained wrist.
8th. Too sore to move. No sleep with pain in wrist. Rested all day.
9th. Stiff & sore. Stayed home & read 20 Years After.
10th. Still home. Had a night in Basra. Nurses, dancing but went to pictures. Pretty Armenian kids & queer crowd.
11th. Inspected by GOC communications.
12th. Issued with swords. Russian classes.
13th. Sword exercises. Russian Fraser & I come gutser over the pictures.
14th. Packing prior to departure.
15th. It rains all night & I woke to find I was in a pool of water. The mud is sticky & extremely slippery.
16th. We leave Basra on board a paddle steamer with 2 barges slipped one on either side. The Shatt al Arab continues to be with us.
17th. We enter the Tigris leaving the Euphrates on our left. The latter is the wider at the junction but unnavagatable owing to a pontoon bridge. A railway runs along the Tigris.
18th. This morning we passed Ezra tomb a dome shaped structure about 30ft. high inlaid with blue glazed plates the whole surrounded by a wall inside of date palms. Quite a number of Egyptian women some very pretty come along side the boat. Fine & warm.
19th. Stopped at Amara to coal. Went for a walk on shore at night. Officers club & cinema. Building like a barn with guards, awful show, nurse there. Came home crossing the river in motor boat. Slowing at Russian, find it very hard to concentrate mind on it, difficult without book.
20th. Pulled in to shore & held sports. I ran in a centipede race 2nd. In former. Col. Donnan very funny in pillow race. Tug of war very good. Arab team 2nd beaten by officer’s team.
21st 22nd. No entries.
23rd. Pulled into shore again today. Latchfort & I went for a walk. Quite a number of dead fish on the bank. Irrigation good & fields look well. What an opportunity for a few men with little capital. Did some washing today quite pleased with the results.
24th.25th.26th. No entries.
27th Arrived Ctesiphon. Saw a great arch 200ft high only ruin left of city built 312 BC
28th. Arrived Baghdad. Go into canvas camp with Turner, Hitchcock, Hodson, & Roberts. Went in to town.
29th Dropped Russian, disappointed now learning Persian. Went in to town with Fraser explored narrow winding endless streets.
30th Drills & blowing very dusty.
31st Went in to town with Hitchcock & Fraser. Picked up 2 lads who spoke English. Went & saw native dancing show weird music& fantastic dancing.
April 1st to 12th no entries.
13th Perrot monitors learning Russian & Persian. Sword exercises. Monotony only relieved by occasional trip to Baghdad. There sometimes meet the two lads who show us around. Once saw a dancing show.
14th Play bridge, a good deal with Turner, Fraser, Hitchcock. Re. a number of re addressed letters from Aust. One from Grace, Gert, & May.
15th 16th 17th no entries.
18th I am chosen for the pioneer party. We leave at 9pm charge in to open trucks at 3-30 am arrive Ruz. Pitch camp. I am transferred from transport with Kay, Fisher, Cochrane, Scott Olson, and Hooper.
19th Tent very comfy. Came up stormy but am quite dry. The 6 of us mess together & I think we will get on well. I hope so as this show, its organization & heads give me the pip.
Thoughts travel back to my dear Lil, Mother, home, & England. The way to God seems near with these thoughts.
20th Rained all day but kept dry.
21st Sun shining & clear.
22nd Still at Ruz.
23rd Push off today in Ford cars. Travel 58 miles. Very interesting in the foothills. Pitch camp at Kar-I- Sherin.
24th Looked over the ruins of the old city. Some remarkable old buildings. Underground passages & a city wall.
25th Frightful storm, hail as large as pigeon eggs. My tent with others blew down. All our sleeping bags soaked.
26th Went shooting with Toby Williams did not have a shot but examined an old city wall & cemetery.
27th Went shooting with Hodson. Had some shots at a fox.
28th Practiced loading mules. Went shooting with Kay. Had shot at fox & partridge.
29th Packing up ready to move forward tomorrow.
30th Up at 4am 18 mile march. We as advance guard arrived at Siripul. Tired & bushed pitched tents. Good tea, bed.
!st May 9 mile march from Sir-I-Pul to Pia Tak. Feel very tired the heat being very oppressive in the deep valleys. The mountains rising thousands of feet on either side. Steep cliffs & razorback ridges. Swift rivers through the gorges. Road fairly poor.
2nd 4 miles of the worst country imaginable. Steep windy track up the steep cliff sided mountain. Scenery wonderful in its ruggedness. Pitch camp on top. More vegetation in shape of small trees.
3rd Up at 5am off again 14 miles. Country better good pastures, more stock. Extremely pretty wild flowers.
4th Rained during early morning. Rested till 10 off at 12.30. Camp 4.30 extremely rough ground. Better villages, vineyards. Nothing to eat bar 2 biscuits until 6pm.Went to village bought eggs. 11 miles.
5th Up at 5am 14 mile march. Frequently on the pass. Nothing to eat until 4pm Dog tired & weary.
6th Reveilled 5am Short march 8 miles good soft track. 3 regular meals, bought some eggs. Raining tonight. Villagers’ better class. Some well dressed but still signs of great poverty.
7th Extremely dry. Forced march of 16 miles. This sticky clay in reguard. Mules get stuck hard to help them up & escort them to camp. Arrive there 7pm Fagged out.
8th 3 years since leaving Aust. More pleasant march today, fine day good road. Took boiled eggs & biscuits in pocket today. Kept off hunger until 5pm at camp.
9th March to Kirmanshah starts today 16 miles Good road. Pitched camp on hill overlooking town. Looks well from here. Mountains in background all snow capped. Fertile plain in between.
10th Went in to town. Usual bazaars. Natives not zealous in putting goods on to you. As usual give half of what is asked. Majority seem feed & clothed but instances of awful poverty & scenes of people dying on the footpaths. Awful sights to see women dying with child alongside & vice versa. Rambled with Scott Olsen
11th Went in to town with Scott Olsen in evening.
12th Off again. Up at 4am weather much hotter Good road did 18 miles. Taken kid 10 years old with us Zillerman by name.
13th 6 miles today. Got in to camp before heat of day. Had good swim in river. Camped near old city or rather remains. I am camped on a cliff. Cliff approx. 1500 ft. high wonderful sight.
14th Up at 3am 18 miles very hot & dusty. Party of mountain rovers about to attack a caravan when we appeared & escorted latter through. Very tired.
15th 23 miles today up at 3 marched from 4-45am to 11-15. Not fully well when starting. Arrived camp dead beat. Passed the wonderful rich & well cultivated valley. Heat on the mountain plateau & valleys intense. Am as brown as a berry.
16th March of about 8 miles very easy
17th 18 miles through pass which climbed to 8000 ft over mountain, stream to cross 4ft deep. Dead tired. Thunder storm in evening. Hanging on to the pole like grim death.
18th Arrived Hamadan after 17 mile march. Dead tired & leg weary. Invited to lunch. Chicken & salad most excellent.
Stakly addresses us.
19th Rested all day.
20th We are doing a lot of famine relief work such as road work & soup kitchens. Dead on the streets.
21st Paid a visit to the American missionaries Mr. & Mrs. Fink. Had a great feed of pancakes with plenty of eggs in them. They were great. Had a long yarn about things in general.
22nd Resting, sight seeing etc.
23rd Resting
24th Edna’s birthday. Had sports today. Entered for relay race & tug of war. Didn’t win but good runners up. Quite a number of Europeans there.
25th Busy preparing for move tomorrow. Said goodbye to Mr. & Mrs. Fink
26th Push off for Kasvin today. Camel transport. Am in charge of No.2 group (colonials) No water at half way point. Pushed on 6 more miles making 22 for the day over metal roads. Dead beat.
27th Up at 3-30am 14 miles fairly hot. Food short. Had 2 meals of bread & dripping today.
28th 16 miles. Hot. Lot of trouble with the camels. Loads continually falling off. Had bath & good feed tonight.
29th Easy march today of 10 miles. Arrived camp 10am. Rested all day. Plenty of food also available.
30th 12 miles through pass road very good though steep in places. Reckoned an easy march. Plenty of food today. Convoy of wagons with 4 horses abreast passes camp.
31st Arrived at Abba Garm a place where there is a remarkable hot spring bubbling from a rock surrounded on 3 sides by a creek & with cold springs a few feet away. A bath house erected evidently by the Russian. Had a beautiful hot bath.
!st June No entry.
2nd 19 miles today in the boiling sun. Dog tired. Hot food tonight & turned in early. It’s a case of bed at 7pm up at 3am & plodding all day. Walking becomes mechanical like breathing.
3rd Arrived at small village just outside of Kasvin.
4th Rested all day.
5th Went in to Kasvin, a good sized town with fair population of Russians. Shops much European style. Good bazaar. Fine Avenue of trees.
6th Started off again trekked about 16 miles. Very hot. Had a bad headache all night, felt ill all day
7th A1 today did 18 miles quite easily. Country much richer & more populated this way.
8th 15 miles today. Very hot but road good. Passed a lot of vineyards. Country very fertile ready almost for harvest of good crops. Inhabitants very friendly.
9th 15 miles mornings very cool dusty along dunes. Found it hard to pitch camp in wind. Had good sleep. Any amount of Turks in these regions.
10th 14 miles. Good camp.
11th Arrived Zenjan 18 miles done. A very pretty place in big gardens for camp. The sight of trees great relief after the mountains.
12th Breakfast in bed rested all morning. Went in to town with Scotty. A very fine bazaar with little food shops. People cannot make out the reason for us being here. Scotty & I went for a walk unarmed & saw 2 Turks whom we collared.
13th Rested all day in gardens. Went out after a body of Turks reported in town. Two sgts. to assist collared 2 who had recently come down from Baku.
14th On track once more. In command of the march have a neat little roan pony. Bijah objective never been traversed by English before no maps of route. Bad day with mules which evenditely brought in off the grass. 14 miles.
15th 18-19 miles rough road. Tremendously steep hill at end. Very little water lot of which brackish
16th 16 miles a very hard day towards the end. Followed generally the valley of the river. Fine stone bridge which we passed before reaching camp. Food very scarce making 1 meal do for 3.
17th 17-18 miles water very scarce. Arrived near village looted 5 days previously by the Kurds. Heard Turkish convoy with rifles passed here a few days previously for Kuchik Khan.
18th Arrived Bijah a place on the cross roads heading to Hamadan. Good water supply. Town right at the foot of the hills. Very tired, dusty & foot sore.17 miles. Food very scarce on trip. Hungry practically all the time. Rice, dried fruit, flour, tea (god’s water)
19th Rested during the morning & went out with Scott Olsen to town. Bazaar very poor having been destroyed & looted in turn by Russians & Turks. Estimated 6000 deaths during present season due to starvation & cholera. Rained for 5 mins. today.
20th Went in search of house for a billet.
21st Rested all day. Getting on with French which appears to be the most useful language. Went for short walk with Scott Olsen
22nd Went on a road reconnaissance along Hamadan rd. Good fun on the mules over the rocky slopes.
23rd Rested.
24th 3 Turkish deserters knocking about. Collared them & got some useful information.
25th A little girl 11 or 12 years came along to camp for washing. Struck me owing to her cleanliness & pretty little face. I asked her what she was & she told me Turkish & burst into tears thinking the English would punish her. I gathered more of her history. She lives 24 miles away & had walked into Bijah for employment after all her people died. Knowing she would die of starvation within a month I arranged through the interpreter to get her into a home & I would pay to keep her.
26th My birthday forgot about it until 27th.
27th The lady of the house robbed my little girl & I gave her no food. Such are the Persians.
28th Again arranged for the kid.
29th Today took my little girl to the bazaar to get some clothes for her & as about to leave had the commission of police on my heels & half the town. I went to his office & explained what I had done & was doing. He refused to let her take the stuff so I left him in rather disgruntled manner.
30th Rested. We shift into Bijah tomorrow. Was elected mess president.
1st July. Shifted today rather a big house within a large square yard & wall. With the house built on 3 wings & 2 stories high. Scott Olsen & I share a room.
2nd My little girl came along today evidently being allocated but I’m unable to do anything for her.
3rd These dam native cooks drive one mad. They never think of cooking all the stuff at once. First one then the other & when finished its meal time. As for regular times it never enters their minds.
4th Getting appalling monotonous. Mail in 39 letters & I parcel Good O.
5th Visit of the governor also Sirdar & other heads. Feast commenced at 9pm & finished at 3am. Some French spoken so got on a little but all rather amusing especially method of eating.
6th Nothing doing
7th to 18th No entries.
19th Left Bijah. Trekked 16 miles camped Ponja.
20th Arrived Kizil Bulahk distance 16-18 miles.
21st. Arrived Takan Tepe 16 miles.
22nd Arrived San Jud 28 miles.
23rd Arrived Sain Kala 15 miles.
24th Sain Kala. People not there.
25th Sain Kala.
26th Turned back on order. Disappointed. Tried all I knew to persuade them to stay. Never allow me to break through to lake.
27th Sain Jud
28th Genja
29th Takan Tepe. Persuaded them to allow me to stay with party & raise irregulars.
30th Interviewed governor. Very satisfactory.
31st Sent Kay & Nicol out on levy raising. Mapped out Becon nuisance work for Wilson. Everything satisfactory
1st. Aug. Rec. news that Syrians due in Sain Kala This news came as Major More & I were at conference with governor & leading men of surrounding villages..
2nd. Moved forward met Syrians. We woke up about dawn & pushed off quite early. Pitched camp 6 miles south of San Jud. About 1 hour lots of Syrians arrived. Awfully disappointed at so few of us. Great sight to see them swing into the valley. Conference until late at night
3rd. Moved forward San Kala. Refugees streaming in. Arrived San Kala about 7pm to see refugees streaming in a great shock to all. Could do nothing that night
4th Conference with Agha Petros & Russians early in morning. Rode out with Reid & A.P. for about 8 miles. People coming in thousands. Heard some of the first desperate news. Armenians first to leave. Line deserted so all came. Herd of raiding of columns persuaded More to allow me to go with some officers, NCO’s, guns & Syrians & get moving. He is unable to form opinion.
5th Reguard to Syrians, Nicol, Scott Olsen. 6 Sgts, 2 guns.100 Syrians failed to appear. Met Dr Shed 15 miles out, signs of fighting. Wonderful reception by people. Gathered 24 Syrians & pushed on. Nicol to guard right front got in touch with enemy, dispersed. Returned to village 6 miles back, killed sheep, hungry & tired.
6th Decided to stay until 10am. Up before dawn. Posted observers. Enemy concentrating 2 ½ miles out. Heavy 6-7 hours fight from position to position. Surrounded time & time again. Sent message back for help. Russians left camp after receipt. Lt. Nicol told 3 times to rescue lost mules & gear. Armenians took up fight.
7th Moved to San Jud, Enemy attacked patrol in morning but would not face position. Tried to coax him no avail. Awful sights of dead & dying on road.
8th Moved to where the rear of the people were. Funny incidents the going for provisions & the return. The Russian column.
9th Moved to Takan Tepe. Brophy ill gave up horse. Helped to get refugees on mules & camels. Sad sights of distressed families. Dog tired & done to the world.
10th Moved out with 6 Sgts, guns & 50 Syrians to fight 300 Turks who cleared on our approach. Returned 12pm no food all day.
11th Moved camp to cleaner ground. Saw Gov.
12th Resting. Many of my men sick.
13th France died. Read burial service by light of lantern a rotten job. Many of my Sgts.seriously ill. Capt. Kingscotte extremely ill.
14th Left Taken Tepe. Refugees on camels Agha Pedro’s 50 men under my command as advance guard. Rear & flank guard. Arrived Qizil Bulagh.
15th Same routine. Passed through very dangerous part of country. Very hard to tell Syrians to do our methods of protection.
16th Arrived Bijah. Feeling ill since leaving Takan Tepe. Saw Major McCarthy who was to come through & take charge. Agha Petros pleased that I go with him.
17th Tried to hang on all day but feeling worse.
18th Went out to it today with fever. Am about 6 days on floor of billet down & out with malaria & cannot eat or sleep. Then sent to Thorpe for a number of days & as I am on fire about burnt out.
19th Many times thought the end had come but pulled through.
20th to 22nd. No entries.
23rd Recommended 2 weeks leave. Dr. Seddon blocked this.
24th Took over the sick refugees. 700 & arranged to bundle them off to Hamadan, all who were fit to travel. Many objected but gave them ½ rations for a few days which did the trick.
.
25th No entry.
26th Ill again cannot eat & running a temp.
27th Feet & ankles all two of them like footballs. Went to doctor who is concerned due to failure of the heart.
28th Pushed off to Hamadan running temp. of 104 & over 100 miles to do in the blazing sun over mule tracks in a food lorry. Left 6am arrived 5pm nearly dead in bed in a tent.
29th Discover my bed to be alive with lice. Food awful & very sick.
30th No entry.
31st Spent about a fortnight on my back then got up & put in time in Mrs. Tunks drawing room reading. These people were very good to me all the while I was ill.
1st Sept to 8th No entries.
9th Took over relief work 1100 refugees still here. I am still very weak & ill.
10th During the time I was ill I was unable to keep the diary going. I met a chap called Beckam who was placed in the same tent. The winds blew furiously at times with the result our tent was always full of dust.
11th Influenza was raging which resulted in the hospital at Hamadan being packed. Nearly all the orderlies were down sick which meant no attention. Terrible food.
12th Local military bakery produced bread full of grit. Once I got a stew with 4 pieces of fat some 2 inches square & gravy. Eventually I was pushed on to Kermanath.
13th I remained about a week. Philip my native (or Assyrian) servant loaned me at Hamadan was practically useless. The journey to Kermanath took 2 days over very rough roads.
14th The first night we camped near a motor transport depot. It blew a hurricane all night. I was very ill & slept in the open on the ground. The journey was accomplished in a light motor lorry.
15th Sea sickness wasn’t in it. I was then pushed on down the line to Baghdad. First camping out in the blue & then tent.
16th This was the the first place where we got any civilized food having for a meal white bread & jam & a drink of soda water. We finally reached the railhead two days later & was put in to the first comfortable bed I had been on for 9 months.
17th Then by train to Baghdad. This was like heaven. I was in a very quiet ward but very ill with a high temp.The nurses were extremely kind & the food excellent.
18th I had quantities of quinine for drinks & injections. Then 2 weeks later I was packed down to Amara which was better still. Here I remained for 4 days then by train to Basra where I remained for 6 days.
No further entries. Finish.