A Soldier's Diary

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 59, Issue 72, 28 April 1930, Page 8

A Soldier's Diary

DAN JOINER'S MEMOIRS Some Plain Facts And Comments ARRIVAL IN ESSEX Tliere" has come into our possession tlxe war diary of a gallant soldier, now deceased as a result of war injuries, who was present at the landing of " Gallipoli and saw service in various fields of hos tilities practically to the end of the war — Q..M.-S.-M. Dan Joiner, D.S.M. It is our intention to publish the story by column instalments daily, the third portion of which is given below. No. 3. This was the 28th of December. The order earne at last, about 10 p.m., but as we were too fed up and too eold we did not go on deck to see the siglits, if any there were. Next morning, on going on deck, we notice that we had got inside the breakwater and had anchored there for the night. Before breakfast we were on the move again. The usual English drizzle was our introduction to the eountry we used to create all the noise about. J -.was wishing for some English sunshine. All we could do was to stand on the decks shivering, for the animated scenes were too interesting to miss. The quays were lined with people, who were eontinually sh'outing, "Are we downhearted?" Boy Scouts sounded bugle calls (not forgetting the "Cookhouse" ) , old dames waved aprons at us, sliips' crews gave us a cneer as we passed, and workmen in the dockyards found sonie excuse for knocking off work. Such scenes as this were eontinued until we eventually tied up to the quay at Devonport. As we lay in Devonport Dockyard we b'ecame items of interest to all casual observel-s, so we were not sorry when we left the ship at six o'clock that evening for the usual place, •"Unknown." We were marched to the railway station, filed into earriages, and were informed we would be called when required. Shivering with cold, we shut all the windows and smoked as much as possible in order to warm the earriages, which contained no heating apparatus. At last, after naany attempts, we managed to fall into soniething resembling a sleep. The train rumbled on, and it niight have been going anywhere for all we knew, for the stations we passed told us little, as, like the tram, all the lights were obscured. Early the following moming we were rudely awakened and told to get out of the earriages. Before we had time to pull ourselves together and get our eyes opened we were in column of route and marching out of the station. Whatever city, town or hamlet we were in was just hestirring itself. Heads peeped out of windows, ' shadowy foi'ms were to be seen behind the blinds, occasionally a figure opened . a door — all, I suppose, wondering what the noise of bagpipes meant. We were stepping out smartly in order to warm ourselves up, as the ground was eovered. with frost and our bare knees were felling the change. The shadowy forms we had seen knew that the place they had evacuated was much warmer than outside. En route we^ spied a publie notice marked "Warley and Brentwood," so we concluded that that was the name of the town. Whether it was in England or Scotland we had yet to find out. Certainly there were several indications to say it was in Essex. ' On arriving at the barracks we noticed soldiers of the Essex Regiment, but also saw many of the IrisE Guards. We soon learned that it was the depot of the Essex Regiment and . the trainirig barracks of the Irish Guards. Once inside the barrack squ'are a halt was called while the "heads ' of departme'nts" held a cohsultation as'to our accommodation. "No preparations had been _ made. " The sergeants of the Guards, however, were equal to the occasion and sent -our sergeants an invxtation to breakfast, which was heartily accepted. The less fortunate ' otber ranks" had to wait nearly an hour before they were allotted their quarters. The sergeants' mess was all reaay for .us, so we soon xriade ourselves at honie. It was the first real English breakfast wa had had for a while, so we did it justice. The fire, however, was m great demand, and the majority of us had to warm ourselves before- we could handle.a knife and fork. The rooms to which the men had been allotted were absolutely bare abd comfortless. Several attempts were made to get sonie coal, but they proved fruxtless. However, after beggxxxg, bOrrowmg and stealing, we managed to get enough for our own conxpany's roonx. Before dinner-time the troops" had been gxveu something that ' represented breaiifast, axxd had also been issued with bedding. " The latter consisted of a straw mattx-ess and one blaxxket. We still had tjie blankets wo brought from India, so .were fortunate to be issued with another.' The canteen ."wallahs" were now. free to go and have their first decent drxnk of beer since leaving India. It ■was now December 30th, 1914— one day more and then New Year's'Day Leave was thought of , and the C.O. fhe ar Office to aiTange it. Men who had been saving in India now made a raid on the post office. Ihe queue there extended down several streets. Now commenced the "sport." There being no comfort inside the barracks, the men sought it outside. The town was only a small one, and the publiohoxxses were not prepared for the rush that- was made on t-hem. Result : ' Many wex-e drank dry, and when the beer was' finished the troops started on whisky. Men were being brought into barracks helpless by Boy Scouts, ladies in motor cars, and lorries, and at last pxcqxxets had to be sent out. It was, however, a hard job to get a picauet— at least a sober one. Time and again one picquet had to be sent to x-elieve a fox'nxer oue which had joined with the revellers. From this time until a day or so after New Year there ■ was hardly a sober man in barracks; in fact, in the battalion. The C.O. brought back word that the battalion was to go on furlough in parties, those wlxo had Been longest abroad going first. No warm English clothing had as yet been issued, so you ean imagine the sights that paraded that night bound for' home, a place that many had not seen for a matter of from seven to twelve years. (To be Continued).