27th Oct. Wednesday
Strong westerly winds. So our move is cancelled for the moment. Walked down to sea, where there was quite a surf. Beautifully warm.
28th Oct. Thursday.
Still a westerly wind, but not so strong. The Doctor (West1) turned up to everybody’s surprise. He made himself such a nuisance in Cairo they sent him out to get rid of him. 100 men out of two Yeomanry Regts. had to go into forward trenches at night in support. Cecil Bury2 was the Sub’n. with 12 of our men. Wrote P.D.’O.S.3
29th Oct. Friday.
Insides troubling again. Very quiet day. C. Bury3 and 12 men came back from front line where they had been in support. Reports Scot. Horse lost 4 killed 2 wounded making new trench, also one sharpshooter shot by accident. Wonderful does not happen oftener, as when a man is hit they bring him in often using rifle as stretcher, same rifle being loaded. Walked to beach with V. Ponsonby4 who bathed.
30th. Oct. Saturday.
Lovely day. Enormous parcel mail which we had to repack at once. Bathed in the afternoon. Much better. Found one of the Gilpins bathing. He is in Rough Riders. Found what I thought were stunted holly bushes, near beach, had acorns on them, so suppose is some form of prickly oak. The leaves are exactly like holly and we had arranged to decorate our dug-outs if here at Xmas with them. Harry D. and I found what sparkled like diamonds on Beach. Expect really broken glass.
31st. Oct. Sunday
Quiet morning packing up. Started off about 7.15 p.m. for Lala Baba to embark. The wind S.W. had got up nastily in afternoon and it was blowing half a gale by the time we go down to jetty in pitchy darkness. Eventually got on to lighter but it was a different thing getting on to S.S. Ermine5. Most of our men managed to get off but it was risky work and involved more or less of a jump. Just after I had got off the wire ropes broke and the lighter got adrift. The unfortunate occupants were tossed about on her for quite an hour before they got on board. One attempt ended in lighter nearly ramming the Ermine. I dossed down in saloon, expecting to start at 10 p.m. Was much surprised when I woke to find we were still at anchor. It appears the picket boat that went to open the boom got foul of it and effectively closed it. Having got free of that it fouled one propeller.
1st. Nov. Monday.
Consequently we never got off till 9 a.m. We got a glorious view of Imbros, also the coast of Asia Minor in distance. The wind was fresh. Got into Mudros6 at 1 p.m. where Tom Drake7 came on board. We were bustled off on to a smaller steamer about 3 p.m. It took about 2 hours to ship the immense amount of stuff on board.. From there we had to steam about ¾ mile to Mudros east where everything had to be shifted again on to lighter.
We managed to snaffle a cart and put a lot of stuff on it. I sent on C. Bury2 with about 16 men ahead. Could find no details as to position of camp except very indefinite. In fact all the staff arrangements were past belief. All I could find was, it was about 3 miles over a hill where hospitals were through a village, but they did not know the name. I left the dump by quay side with about 20 men with the cart at 6 p.m. and after getting stuck in village through fouling a house and mules jibbing fetched up at camp about 8 p.m. We were told to take any tents we could find. Managed to get one bell tent for Officers and two big tents for men. Alfy Part8 arrived most opportunately with some food. The men were too beat to want to do anything but go to sleep. C. Bury2 turned up about 10 p.m. having lost his way and left his men in a village. V. Ponsonby4 and Dr. arrived soon after having left H. Daniell9 with fatigues etc., about 1 mile away. C. Bury2 slept with Warwicks and the rest of the 4 Officers in bell tent. I did not want any
Notes:
- Leonard West, M.B., Ch. B. (31st May 1878 – 1945.) Appointed Lieutenant , Royal Army Medical Corps, T.F. 26th August 1914.
- Cecil Oliver Haigh Bury (16th November – 26th September 1967.) Appointed 2nd Lieutenant, Hertfordshire Yeomanry 2nd october 1912; Kieutenant 28th Novemebr 1916, with seniority 1st June 1916; captain 17th December 1917; resigned retaining rank 14th August 1920. Served 1st/1st Hertfordshire Yeomanry August 1914 – February 1919 in Egypt, Dardanelles, Western Desert & Mesopotamia.
- Phyllis D’Oyly Sheppard (nee Noble), Edward’s wife
- Victor Coupe Ponsonby (21st June 1877 – 22nd April 1966.) Appointed 2nd Lieutenant, C Squadron, Hertfordshire Yeomanry & Liuetenant 10th December 1914, with seniority 4th September; Captain 23rd July 1916, resigned retaining rank 22nd January 1921. Served 1st/1st Hertfordshire Yeomanry 1914 – 1919 (Egypt; Dardanelles – Dispatches)
- HMS Ermine built as a passenger ship in 1912 by Fairfield Shipbiulding & Engineering Co. Ltd at Goven on the River Clyde for G. & J. Burns Ltd. Glasgow. It was requisitioned by the Admiralty in 1915. It was sunk on 2nd August 1917 by a German mine in the Aegean Sea with the loss of 24 men.
- Mudros – small port on the Greek island of Lemnos. It became significant after British decided to seize control of the Dardanelle Straits some 50 km away.
- Tom Drake (17th May 1885 – January 1954) Appointed 2nd Lieutenant, Hertfordshire Yeomanry 10th September 1915 after service in the ranks of 14th London Regiment.
- Alfred Oswald Part (12th February 1889 – ) Served 1st/1st Hertfordshire Yeomanry August 1914 – September 1918 (Egypt; A Squadron – Western Desert; D Squadron – Mesopotania March 1916 – June 1917;B Squadron – Egypt/Palastine January – September 1918.)
- Henry Charles Nugent Daniell (26th August 1869 – 13th July 1925.) Appointed 2nd Lieutenant, Hertfordshire Yeomanry 26th August 1914 after rpevious service with Hertfordshire Imperial Yeomanry. Served 1st/1st Hertfordshire Yeomanry August 1914 – May 1916 (Egypt, Dardanelles); 3rd/1st Hertfordshire Yeomanry May 1916 – February 1917; 6th Reserve Regiment of Cavalry February – November 1917.
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