Major E.B. Sheppard's Diary, 1st - 12th October 1915

1st Oct. Friday.

Woke early. Dense fog. Felt I must bathe. Got rather lost as wrongly directed by Lovat’s Horse. Eventually bathed by Welsh Hospital and thoroughly enjoyed it. Got very wet about legs, as all brushwood was very wet. One Westminster killed in the morning and one wounded by shrapnel. Went out in the afternoon to photograph Gurney’s1 grave . Took four photos. Position of grave 250° (Magnetic) S.W. Chocolate Hill 115° S.E. Lala Baba. When I got back to camp found shell had badly wounded S.Q.M.S. Sanderson and also wounded slightly , I think, Lance Sergt. Abraham, 9 men to hospital reducing men to about 40. Lovely weather, flies awful.

2nd Oct. Saturday.

Inlying Regiment, so could not bathe. Very slack day. Heard Scottish Horse were going to take some gully during night, but heard very little firing. Turks did very little shelling. Lovely day.

3rd Oct. Sunday.

Peyton came round lines 10 a.m. Bathed in morning with Harry D. Very hot. Heavy bombardment by our guns on Turkish lines. Not much reply except long distance shells on to Lala Baba 10 sick to Hospital, bringing our number to 118!

4th Oct. Monday.

Peaceful morning up to 9.30 a.m. when tremendous firing and shelling started on our right. I think amongst Australian lines. We were ordered to stand to arms and had the ordinary hustle to find everything. The “Strafe” died down after about ½ an hour, nobody the worse as far as we know. It robbed me of my bathe, worse luck! 20 men worked on communication trench (all we could find) 10 more men to Hospital, bringing numbers down to 111 all ranks. Scottish Horse were to have a demonstration with flares, firing, cheering and lastly bagpipes. I hear it in middle of night all except the last. Harry Daniell bad foot now. Wrote P.D.’O.S.2

5th Oct. Tuesday.

Very quiet not to say boring day. Inlying picquet so could not go out. H. Daniell3 went off to Hospital. French wired good news. 10 sick to Hospital. Missing exercise very much. Tried digging, but hands too soft and got nasty blisters.

6th Oct. Wednesday.

Lovely bathe with Ralph4. The big guns bombarded the Turks trenches about 4 p.m. for half an hour. I don’t know whether they did any damage but they made an awful mess. Two Armenians came in and said they wanted to fight for us as probably their wives and families were being murdered by the Turks. Had good news from French.

7th Oct. Thursday.

Bathed in morning. Photo Tommy Pitt and Gore in water. Coming back thought I would take view of surroundings and was immediately attacked by Adjt. of Middlx. Regt. who said no cameras were allowed. However when he heard my exalted rank he was quite nice. Saw 2 snipe evidently were flighting as they flew a short distance.

8th Oct. Friday.

Packed up for our move into front line. Spent the most horrible night of my life. Ordered to join up with Westminsters at 7.30. They took us ever so far round. After going ¼ of an hour a terrific storm of wind and rain came on. There was a long halt in front the night being inky black. After waiting for some time went up line, found Harding (Westminsters) in front sitting in trench. Said he had lost touch and himself. Went back, branched off to left, got on tack and joined with Westmisters in front. Another interminable wait. 2 Wesminsters wounded. Eventually about 10.30 got into trenches.

Found one reason of delay was branches fallen into trench. It was so late could not send back for waterproof sheets and blankets as expected, so men had to sleep as they were. Better off then self as they had coats I only had Burberry and as I had only sopping drill trousers spent a miserable night. Reggie Smith5 was shivering with cold. Spent most of night running up and down dug-outs trying to keep warm.

9th Oct. Saturday.

Morning cleared up. Had rather words with T. Pitt as he dropped on me for not bringing blankets and not keeping touch. Think he was rather unwell! Told him I was never out of touch of Westminster, but he would not listen to me. Altogether I was rather fed up with everything. My dug-out just by tree which is ripped by bullets. We got our valises and stuff from reserve trenches. It took one man 10 minutes to get there direct! Sun came out and dried every one, so all smiling again. Hear our old quarters at Tints Corner all under water. Evelyn Rothschild is there, poor devil!

10th Oct. Sunday.

Busy all day arranging move into fire trenches. T.P. rather worrying, arranging all sorts of things to be done when there were barely enough men to fill all the guard. As it is, all servants, cooks etc. will have to be used. My servant gone sick. This makes 2 servants wounded and 2 sick. As we were going round new trenches, shell burst and injured a Westminster. Saw Angus Mc.Neill who is a Major in Lovats Scouts. Rather wobbly inside. Walter Gibbs6 went to Hospital. Lovely day.

11th Oct. Monday.

Wrote P.D.O.S.2 Everything very quiet. A few men came back from hospital much the same as they went in. Lovats Scouts started a sap from right of our line and did good work having a reserve battalion to draw on for fatigue party.

12th Oct. Tuesday.

Angus Mc.Neill is a lucky man to be alive! We had a wing party outside Birkins sap and he came out reconnoitring at night without saying anything to us. It was a wonder he was not shot. Saw a New Zealander or rather Rhodesian who gave us a thrilling account of doings up his side. He was an observation Officer for guns, and one of his posts is 3 yds from the Turks. The opposing trenches are only 8 yards apart at one point. He said the other night 450 Australians attacked some point which was more important for the Turks. 10 fell back wounded before they got out of the trench and none of the others ever got back. They say 38 machine guns swept them out of existence. Cecil Bury7 returned looking very fit.

12th Oct

Went round Lovats’ lines with Angus Mc.Neill. At the end by Forfar Horse, looked at sniping (Turks) post through periscope. Just then a Turk passing down the communication trench 40 yds away put his head and shoulders over the parapet and I had a good view of him. This is the first one I have seen close and it made me almost as excited as viewing a fox away. I wish we were in that part of the Line as there would be some excitement in being able to catch a glimpse occasionally of our enemy.

Notes:

1 Major Samuel Gurney Sheppard (23rd March 1865 – 21st August 1915)  Killed in action 21st August 1915 in attack on Chocolate Hill, Gallipoli.  He had been raised to temporary Lt/Col when he replaced Lt/Co Harrison.  Gurney was Edward’s elder brother.

2 Phyllis D’Oyly Sheppard (nee  Noble), Edward’s wife

3 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.

4 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)

5 Reginald Henry Macaulay Abel Smith (28th April 1890 – 12th March 1964.) Served 1st/1st Hertfordshire Yeomanry August 1914 – December 1915 (B Squadron – Egypt, Dardanelles);and August 1917 – March 1919 (commanding A Squadron – Egypt, Palastine M.C.); 2nd/1st Hertfordshire Yeomanry January – July 1917 (Adjutant 31st January – 11th July 1917); and 3rd/1st Hertfordshire Yeomanry January – December 1916.

6 Walter Durant Gibbs (11th August 1888 – 20th May 1969.)  Lieutenant 18th August 1916; captain 7th December 1916.  Served 1st/1st Hertfordshire Yeomanry August 1914 – July 1918 (Egypt, Dardanelles; A Squadron – Egypt/Palastine. Dispatches) and January – March 1919 (B Squadron – Armies of Occupation)

7 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.

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