Major E.B. Sheppard's Diary, 2nd - 6th November, 1915

2nd. Nov.  Tuesday.

Another lovely day, getting settled into camp though very short of tents.    Had to be content with 1 Marquee and 1 E.P.¹ tent for men.  60 in one and 30 in the other.  This means, a lot of men had to sleep outside.  Went for lovely walk to Condia about 2 miles, with Victor^2.  Bought some potatoes and 2 cauliflowers, which was a great treat.  Men enjoyed rest, a good many walking 2 miles for a bathe.  Wrote P.D.’O.S.³  Had plentiful mails, parcels and letters.

3rd November.  Wednesday.

Another quiet day, 2nd Brigade came in in afternoon, they had had about enough.  Walked to Portiano meaning to but [buy?] a chair but it was like Bond Street in the season, there was such a crowd of Tommies so decided to leave it to Pingree (my servant) to do so.  I was turned out of my bell tent and we 5 Officers now share 1 E.P.¹ tent, was quite comfortable on a stretcher.  Tom Drake⁴ came to tea with news of 52 men, 1 Officer on Kinfauns Castle⁵ as a draft.  This with the 23 and 4 Officers with A. Part will make us up to about 158 men and 11 Officers.

4th Nov.  Thursday.

A nasty blustery day with a little rain in morning.  Walked over to see details.  Found Simmonds^6, Locke^7, Barnett⁸ and Bunley (?)  Seemed nice fellows.  The 2 former good sketchers.  Cleared up in afternoon.   Herbert Reeve rode over to see me in afternoon.  He is a major in Irish Rifles.

5th. Nov.   Friday

Lovely day.  Some horses arrived arrived (9) for the Divn. to ride but only 4 saddles.  However Morrison Bell and myself managed to get hold of two and started off to ride to Castro, the Capital of the Island.  We had a lovely ride over mountain paths through Condia about 7 miles, arriving at 3.15.  We were shown round Castro by a Yorkshireman who is one of the guard.  Bought some Turkish delight and finding Crocker Bulteel and others taking donkey loads of beer and wine back, we took some of the former.  The latter I tasted but was too sour I thought.  The country we passed through would have been just like the Highlands  but there is no heather.  Castro is a quaint town with a high rocky peninsula on which is an old fort.  As we wanted to get home before dark we started off at 4 p.m. meaning to go home by Therma where there are hot baths, and the main road goes there.  However one tyke put us wrong to start with but we had  a most lovely ride along the sea and eventually fetched up all right on main road near Therma.  By this time it was dark so instead of cutting across the hills to Camp we came by road which makes another 3 or 4 miles.  Eventually we reached Camp about 6.45 p.m. we had had about enough, so had our horses.

6th. Nov.  Saturday.

Lovely day.  Brigade parade.  Our muster was 58.  Wiggins has taken over command, he just inspected us and then we had bathing parade.  Walked to Condia with Harry D. in afternoon and stopped, buying some potatoes for men.

Notes:

1. 1. External poles tent.
   2. 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)
   3. Phyllis D’Oyly Sheppard (nee Noble), Edward’s wife.
   4. Tom Drake (17th May 1885 – January 1954) Appointed 2nd Lieutenant, Hertfordshire Yeomanry 10th September 1915 after service in the ranks of 14th London Regiment.  Served 3rd/1st Hertfordshire Yeomanry October 1915 – March 1917 (M.B.E.); and Machine Gun Corps (Cavalry) March 1917 – January 1919.
   5. Kinfauns Castle was built in 1899 by Fairfield Yard at Goven on the Clyde for the Castle Mail Packets Company. It was commissioned as an armed Merchant Cruiser on 8th August 1914 and acted for much of the war as a troop carrier.  The ship was scrapped in 1927.
   6. Hugh Henry Dawes Simmonds (1886 – 28th March 1952.)  Served 2nd/1st Hertfordshire Yeomanry March – October 1915;  1st/1st Hertfordshire Yeomanry November 1915 – June 1918 (B Squadron – Western Desert; A squadron – Egypt/ Palastine March 1916 – June 1918)
   7. Presumably Charles Fitzroy Lock (22nd December 1884 – 12th January 1948.) Served 2nd/1st Hertfordshire Yeomanry October 1914 – October 1915;  1st/1st Hertfordshire Yeomanry November 1915 – 1919 (B Squadron – Western Desert; D Squadron – Mesopotamia)
   8. Ralph Francis Barnett (1882 – 1968) of A Squadron was in charge of the regiment’s horses which sailed in the S.S. Messaba. Five ships transported 3,000 horses. Barnett was appointed Lieutenant A Squadron, Hertfordshire Yeomanry, 1st February 1914. Served 1st/1st Hertfordshire Yeomanry August 1914 – August 1918 (A Squadron – Egypt, Gallipoli, Temporary Captain 28th August 1915)