Terrell, Frederick Leopold – August 1915
1 August Sunday
… Met a chap from Sth Adelaide who was in the first landing on the Peninsula. He was shot in three different places… His opinion of the landing was like hell let loose…
3 August Tuesday
… Last night was a very busy night in the harbor sending troops to the front. We are expecting to go our selves shortly…
5 August Thursday 1915
… Put in best part of the day, packing up all Bridging equipment ready to embark for front…
6 August Friday
… Had Tea which consisted of 3 Biscuits and tinned dog…
7 August Saturday
left Imbros at 2 a.m.
… This is going to be a big attack as there are 60000 leaving Imbros and 50000 leaving Lemnos … Last night there was a terrible bombardment going on all night. A landing took place… Turks driven 7 miles inland and many guns and positions taken
8 August Sunday
… landed today at 4.45 P.M there has been great loss of life. Where we are, is infested with land mines
9 August Monday
After a very chilly night under Gods great sky, with nothing but my clothing to cover me. I turned out at 5 a m and started to make a dug out to live in whilst here…
10 August Tuesday
… All through the night the battleship kept up their bombardment. The attack has been in progress now, since Friday night. and many of the Tommies have been at it ever since. Many have returned to our base real worn out and some on the verge of insanity. At about 7.20 P.M…
11 August Wednesday
… things are not progressing too well at this base as the Tommies have had to retire on account of heavy shrapnel fire…
12 August Thursday
Last night we had a very heavy dew, and consequently it was not too pleasant sleeping out in the open with nothing but ones clothes to cover him. … Yesterday there were 60,000 reinforcement landed. Hundreds of Tommies are dying of sheer exhaustion and for want of water. Had some real excitement ashore here having shell fire all about us.
13 August Friday
… Things very busy. Hundreds of tons of provisions arriving our pier is beginning to prove its usefulness at last…
14 August Saturday
… had breakfast of cocoa and 1 hard biscuit. Plenty of shrapnel flying about. There has been air duels nearby every night, but neither of them have been hit. The Taube gets a deal of information this way, as after he has made a flight over our position, we receive a bombardment the next morning…
17 August Tuesday
received first mail yesterday 3 from Clara 1 from home 1 from Lou and 1 pair of socks. During the night and early part of the morning there were 7,000 troops making somewhere near 140,000 troops since the 7th August…
19 August Thursday
… Had an exciting morning shells flying fairly close in our direction, one shell went through the Jetty which is a part of our work to keep in repair…
20 August Friday
… had not been up long when the shelling started as usual but with very disasterous effect. First shot did no damage 2nd did its share killing one fellow straight, shell going right through his left lung. Another shell a minute after wounded 4 more; later in the day another killed 5, and injured 8 this is the worst we have had…
27 August Friday
… I have nearly been away from the trade 12 months. I expect if ever I have the chance to take it on again I shall be at a loss… one shell just at rear of my dug out accounted for 14 whilst another accounted for 4 mules…
30 August Monday
… wrote a letter to Clara today, had … a swim, felt much better for a little exercise. Receive issue of cigarettes which Queen Mary sent to the soldiers
Diary of Frederick Leopold Terrell
