On parade as usual. Canteen corporal from 11.45 to 12.30. Wrote home and to Charlie. Went to the post office at night. Lecture in the afternoon as usual. Fine day. Had walk into town to post letter, and returned soon. At Y.M. last thing and an officer of the Fusiliers asked me if I was going out too.
Tag Archives: Charlie
7 January 1916; Friday
Up at 7.30. Got rations book up to date. Lecture in the afternoon by Lieutenant Macdonald. Called in new recreation room and commenced letter to Charlie. Walked into town at night. At Y.M.C.A. last thing. Went out with Corporal Collins to catch Wilson stealing coals. Waited until after 11 o’clock. Up at the mess about 11 o’clock and it was beastly. Had lecture in the morning by Groves through Lance-Corporal Aitken getting drunk, stealing and generally misbehaving himself. He lost his stripe.
25 December 1915; Saturday
Got up late. Willie came up about 11 o’clock. Went for Blaikie with Joe and Willie. Had cake and wine at their house. Henry Blaikie and Willie called after dinner and we walked round by Hylton1. Went to pictures at the Picture House at night and saw the Star of Joseph, and the Legend of Provence. Both very good. Went to Whittakers’ to supper. All our family there. Came up home about 12 o’clock. Wondered how Charlie was getting on.
“Hylton”: probably South Hylton (A), about 2 miles W. of Eldon Street (B), on S. bank of Wear; North Hylton is directly across the river, and Hylton Castle (C), restored in recent years, is about 1½ miles NNE. of N. Hylton. ↩
8 December 1915; Wednesday
Got up about 7.30. Wrote to Charlie and to Joe.
2 December 1915; Thursday
Day as usual. Talked to men in the room last thing about military discipline. Read a bit in the afternoon from my manual. Wrote to Charlie. Heard that Charlie had been at Alexandria.
22 November 1915; Monday
Usual day’s work. Wrote letters at night and went to Y.M. last thing. Played the Y.M. piano a bit. Received letter from Charlie.
15 November 1915; Monday
Up about 7.30. Frosty morning and we couldn’t get washed before breakfast. Busy all day with rations and town in the afternoon as usual. Scottish R.A M C got 3 hours notice to get to York. More women cooks in. Wrote to Charlie at night. Received letter from George Crawford. Spent at bit time in the Y.M. Winston Churchill resigned1.
Churchill, as First Lord of the Admiralty, took most of the blame for the failed Gallipoli initiative. Having been a professional soldier before entering Parliament, he later went for a time to France as a battalion commander. ↩
4 November 1915; Thursday
Busy as usual. Corporal Collins didn’t return until last thing. Went into town and left a note with the coroner1, who stood me a drink. Went to the guild meeting at the UMC and afterwards to Mrs Kyle’s to supper. Greece Neutral Ministry defeated2. Got pass through3.
Received letter from Charlie at Salonica4.
Coroner: odd shorthand, if the transcription is correct; if so, it would perhaps relate to Corporal Lightbody’s accident (see 1 November), though we do not otherwise know that this was fatal. ↩
“Greece Neutral Ministry defeated”: Possibly a reference to the the Greek Prime Minister’s decision to invite allied forces to set up a base at Salonika despite King Constantine’s insistence on Greek neutrality, although this had happened around a month earlier than this diary entry. The Salonika force was formed partly by forces withdrawn from the Gallipoli campaign, which probably explains Charlie’s presence there (see final note below). See also Greece during World War I at Wikipedia. ↩
“Got pass through”: ALL had, evidently successfully, applied for a second home leave. ↩
As emerges later in the diary, Charlie (fortunately) did not arrive in the Eastern Mediterranean until after the decision to abandon the Gallipoli expedition, though the last Allied troops did not leave Gallipoli until 9 January 1916. Charlie spent the rest of the War in Salonika (now the more usual spelling of Salonica), Egypt, Palestine and thereabouts. ↩
18 October 1915; Monday
Commenced fatigue work. I got charge of the mess book. Had to go to the station and draw rations. Received letters from Charlie to say that he is well. Had walk into town at night. Had ride in motor ambulance to the grocer’s to order things.
3 October 1915; Sunday
At church parade in the morning. Received long letter from Joe telling of all the doings in the business and that Mrs Hewitt† has taken over the business and we have kept the house.
Charlie leaves Hitchin for Dardanelles.