Drew rations as usual. Heard of Corporal Lightbody’s accident1. Had to look after the cookhouse too. Stayed in at night and read.
There’s no mention, here or anywhere else in the diaries, of the nature of Corporal Lightbody’s accident. ↩
Category Archives: 1915
31 October 1915; Sunday
Up at 7 o’clock. Paraded for church, but we were dismissed through rain. Went with Green to the Presbyterian church and enjoyed the service. Spoke to a few UMC friends at the Y.M1.
“Y.M.”: common abbreviation for “Y.M.C.A.”, Young Men’s Christian Association. “UMC” (if correct) might be “United Methodist Church. ↩
30 October 1915; Saturday
Fine day. Received pay but I only received 9/6. Went for rations and didn’t get them until 6 o’clock. Went into town at night and bought a music book. Had some trouble at night with some fellows coming in drunk. Cameron & Dunbar came in drunk.
29 October 1915; Friday
Finer day. Up at 7 o’clock. At town in the morning and in the afternoon as usual. Had to go to the station at night to see about rations and spoiled the night. Collins went on leave.
28 October 1915; Thursday
Up at 7 o’clock. Went into town. Rained very heavily all day. Went for rations and got drenched. Didn’t go out at night, but stayed in the hut because it rained heavily.
27 October 1915; Wednesday
Got up about 7 o’clock. Went into the town and ordered some things. For rations as usual. Read a bit and wrote some letters.
German Cruiser Prince Adalbert1 class sunk in Baltic by British submarine.
Prinz Adalbert was a heavy cruiser (9,000 tons, 8.3” guns), and was torpedoed in the Baltic on 1 July by submarine E9, but repaired; soon after repair, on or around 23 October 1915, she was torpedoed by submarine E8, and sank with the loss of all but 3 of her 675 crew; the biggest single loss of life by the German fleet in the Baltic in WW1. ↩
26 October 1915; Tuesday
Up at 6.30. Went to the town in the morning and ordered some things. Went for rations in the afternoon and nearly had an accident coming back. Went to lecture at night in St James’ church hall on the war and its origin and it was very interesting and illustrated by lantern slides1.
Lantern slides were used to project large format photographic transparencies or other images onto a large screen using a device traditionally known as a magic lantern, an early form of slide projector. They remained popular until as recently as the 1950s when they began to be replaced by the much smaller 35mm format. ↩
25 October 1915; Monday
At work as usual. Another corporal took over the cook house and the mess book, but I received it back in the afternoon. He went with me to the station for the rations. Went to the lecture at night. Rather interesting. Two young ladies bandaged my arms, and then I did the arm of another young lady.
24 October 1915; Sunday
At the Presbyterian church in the morning and had a very good service. Wrote letters in the afternoon and then went to Mr Kyle’s to tea. At our own church in the evening. Mrs Kyle plays the organ at the church. At Kyles’ to tea.
23 October 1915; Saturday
At work as usual. And at station as usual. Went to the pictures at night with McNeil and another chap.