Nearing the end

I have 100 pages left to type of Uncle Bert's diary. I can hardly believe it. I'm on an absolute roll right now and imagine I will be done typing very, very soon. I'm not sure if I have done the right thing by publishing this on a blog, because if I do create a hard copy book (which is my plan) then who would pay for a copy when they can come to the blog to read it? But, sometimes when I've been plodding along it's been very encouraging to have feedback from people who are reading along, so thank you for that encouragement and enthusiasm. It has truly helped. I do hope some people will want a hard copy, especially family, but perhaps others will too. After I'm done typing there will be more work. The whole publishing path...plus, it's going to cost money, and as a casual teacher, working sporadically, I don't have a bunch of spare cash.  I'm hoping some of the followers on here might be able to help me. Keep reading, I'm not just after cash.
Things I need:

1) I'm sure there are a bunch of typos. If you notice any, please leave a comment on the relevant page.
2) I've tried to add a 'label' on posts for information that I think wold be useful to include in an index; usually people and places (ie Jack McEgan (who is one and the same as 'Mack") or Villers Bretonneux) If you are reading and think 'This should be included in the index' leave a comment so I can make sure it is indexed.
3) Side research. I have tried throughout the process to go to source documents from the National Archives or just online somewhere to find photos or other interesting information that relates to the things Uncle Bert has mentioned. I'd like to pepper the book with information such as this. If you can help in this regard I would be very grateful. I have had contact with Relative Maze Genealogy and they are very helpful. I recommend you contact them if you have your own project to research.
4) I've tried to distinguish actual diary content from letters/publications/songs etc with the use of two different fonts. If you notice some entries where I've missed this, please comment.
5) Actually any comments that help to clean this work up will be greatly appreciated.
6) And finally, as hard as it is to ask for cash, I do need to fund the completion of this project. If you would like to assist in this regard please comment on this post....even a recommended method for doing this. I've heard of crowd sourcing, but really don't know where to start.

Finally, thanks for your interest. This has been a long held goal of mine to get this compete and I know there will be some very happy people when it is done. The insight into World War 1 through such a personal first hand account has been eye opening, and frequently emotional. Thanks for joining me on the journey.

Michelle

Bert's tent mates on January 18, 1918

I am constantly amazed by the information on the internet... a few searches and I have been able to locate documents related to Bert's tent mates as listed on January 18, 1918...


First is Reggie Gluyas, Reginald Reseigh Gluyas 5029

There are 50 pages of original documents scanned into the National Archives. Sadly, Reggie didn't make it home and died in France later in 1918, aged only 19... When Reggie signed up he was 18 years and 9 months old, weighed 123lbs and was 5 foot 7 inches...

Next we have Don Tobin Donald Vincent Tobin 5090

There are 40 pages of original documents scanned into the National Archives. Don was an apprenticed fitter and turner when he applied to enlist in the Australian Imperial Forces in 1917. He was discharged on 21/9/19. Every soldier has a story and it would be fascinating to piece together the story of them all but I am afraid it will waylay me from my task.

Frank Watson Frederick William Watson 5124

These blokes who go by different names make future historians jobs much more difficult. Pretty sure Frederick is Frank... Details on his file confirm he was on the Ulysses with Bert and also that he disembarked at Suez on 16/1/18. I love finding information that correlates with the diary. It seems that Frank signed up in 1915 but did not travel overseas until 22/12/17 when he was over 21 years. I guess his parents didn't provide a letter allowing him to.

* Could Frank Watson also be: William Isaac Watson 5098 ??? (keeping this link here to see if future references reveal more...)

Frank Riley Francis Angas Riley 5079

Frank was a labourer whose father had died 5 years prior to his enlistment. His mother agreed that he could sign up and travel abroad after he had turned 19. It seems that Frank was subject to a Court Martial and sentenced to 3 years PS. (penal servitude)  Not much information appears to be on the site but it looks like I can request a copy here. The file does note desertion on 1/8/18 - 2/8/18 and also that the sentence was perhaps suspended in October of 1918. It also states the Court Martial was conducted in the field.
He was discharged 31/1/20 after returning to Australia in February 1919.
As with all these men, there is so much more to know.

Jack McEgan Lawrence John McEgan 5066

Uncle Bert thought Mac's name was Jack, when in fact it was Lawrence John McEgan. Earlier in the diary he mostly refers to him as Mac but occasionally as Jack McEgan. He listed his service number 5066 so it was easy to confirm I had the right record.
It seems he was discharged on 22/12/19...exactly 2 years after setting sale on the Ulysses (and the same date as Bert) Prior to signing up he was a jeweller. It also seems that there is documentation showing that his parents were advised at some stage that he was wounded in action and they had to follow up with letters for more news... I can't even imagine how terrible that time must have been for them. Jack/Mack/Mac is also referred to in the forward of the diary...a long lasting friend of Bert's.

Archie Trimming Archibald Ernest Trimming

Archie seemed to have a lot of medical issues and was returned home to Australia on the Port Lyttledon . He boarded on 10/6/19 and disembarked in Australia on 5/8/19 and was eventually discharged on 30/8/19. Below is a picture of medals awarded to him

Jobson Edwin Henry Jobson

I'm not sure which christian name he went by but Bert obviously refers to him as 'Jobson'. I found these records by confirming he was on the Ulysses. I have seen several copies of letters from parents giving their consent for their under 21 year old son to sign up. On September 1917 Jobson's parents gave their consent for him to sign up and less than 12 months later they received advice he was wounded in action (gassed).  He was later discharged on 4/3/1919. It notes 'underage' and family history  information about Jobson suggests he signed up with a false date of birth...but his parents 'blessing'.  His date of birth is noted as 1900 rather than 1899. He lived until 1980. He married on his return and his wife lived until 1997.

I hope that if ever any of these blokes descendants are searching for information about them they might stumble across this blog and read about encounters they had with Bert. It's yet to be revealed if there are future mentions in the diary, but it is highly possible.

Personal Sketches - some links

While re-typing the on board newspaper 'The Innocents Afloat' I thought I would google a few of the people featured in the Personal Sketches section. I am no expert googler so the results are pretty hit and miss:

The Ship's Commandant: Colonel Frederick William Hurcombe

The Ship's Adjutant: Lieutenant Jack Andrew Robertson

The Quartermaster: Lieutenant Louis Joseph Butler

Senior Medical Officer: Captain Herbert William Franklands

Church of England Chaplain: Captain William Edmund Moorhouse

Roman Catholic Chaplain: Captain Matthias Joseph Smith

Presbyterian Chaplain: Captain William John Gray

The Matron: Matron Matilda McNeill

Nursing Sisters: Sister Hilda Clapp, Sister Elenor Jeffries, Sister Wilson, Sister Cowley, Sister Kelly

Ship's Sergeant-Major: Warrent Officer Gerald Mack

YMCA Secretary: Rev. H.A.Brewer (Article in WA newspaper about his service)

I have found links to a school in Uganda that had a Rev H.A. Brewer as headmaster from 1920 - 1931... given the article refers to his previous work in Uganda I am confident it is him

Australian Comforts Commissioner: Mr. Ivo Whiston Kerr

I am now able to return to Uncle Bert's first hand account of his experiences... Chapter 5 about to begin....

Moving from Chapter 2 to 3, and we're about to meet 'Bargey'

I am now onto Chapter 3! I found it very amusing typing the final pages of chapter 2 as Uncle Bert received more and more socks! But, of course the chapter ends on a very sobering note with his duties as a pall bearer at the funeral for an Anzac and the packing of his bags to leave for "over there".

He's used the term "over there" on another occasion and it reminds me of the way some people refer to cancer as the 'C' word... perhaps if you don't say it out loud it wont be real? or it's a way of distancing ourselves from something unpleasant, like 'war'!

Get ready to meet Bargey in Chapter 3. Well, I'm pretty sure it's Bargey - Uncle Bert refers to a man with the name Bargmann and as Australians are known for turning surnames into nicknames I am betting that Bargmann is the Bargey to whom this book is dedicated. I now know that Uncle Bert believes that Bargey (Bargmann) is of Swedish heritage... But a quick search of the web reveals an A.Bargmann who matches perfectly and is of Danish heritage. Don't click on the link if you don't like spoilers in books because it does reveal the fate of Private Bargmann.

How much is a page?

In case you're wondering, more often than not I have actually been publishing more than a single page - which has been obvious in the page numbering, but this most recent post represents a true page from the typed diary. It started one paragraph down on page 34 and finished one paragraph down on page 35. So, that is what I am up against... on my way to page 688 (not including bits and pieces pasted in at the end) I am ahead of schedule. Page 35 should be published on day 35 and I am up to day 10 (or 11) so I hope I can keep up that pace! I know I have a couple of readers/followers. Please let me know via comment or tweet if you are reading along or if you have any questions/feedback.

Explaining a few things & what not to post

Okay - I've had a flurry of typing tonight and have quite a few pages of the diary to publish, which is exciting, but I feel like I need to add a few links first and explain a section I plan to omit from the online section.

Checking the facts

Firstly, in the section just published, Uncle Bert refers to Australia Day 1917. When I was typing it I thought 'Uh-oh, he's made a mistake here' He joined up in April 1917 yet refers to forming the Guard of Honor for the Governor of South Australia, Sir Henry Galway on Australia Day, 1917.

.

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As most Australians know Australia Day is celebrated on January 26 to commemorate the arrival of the first fleet to our country in 1788. It is a national holiday. But it wasn't until 1946 that all states in Australia celebrated January 26 as "Australia day" and during the world war 1 years Australia Day was held on different dates in different states, with it being on July 27 in 1917 in South Australia, and therefore, of course, Uncle Bert did not make a mistake... and he has again led me to research an element of the history of my country!

From the Australian War Memorial website:

"From 1915-1918 in South Australia, however, a different 'Australia Day' was celebrated. It was held to celebrate the anniversary of Australia's entry into WWI, and was used as a means of raising money for soldiers and their dependents, with proceeds going to 'The South Australian Soldiers' Fund'. "

Now for the ommission.

As I was typing the section where he was at the "Bombing School" I realised he was describing how to make a bomb. Even though it was quite an antiquated bomb it rang alarm bells in my head that I was potentially about to publish a 'how to' guide on the internet. After discussions with my husband I have decided that I wont publish those paragraphs... One day if the book is ever published you can read that section :) I can assure it doesn't really take anything away from the diary itself, but only further demonstrates how meticulous Uncle Bert has been in his recollections!

Lessons along the way

Am really enjoying re-reading Uncle Bert's diary - I've read ahead a couple of paragraphs... The next part I will type starts April 25, 1917 and Bert will talk about Anzac day and marching through Adelaide to commemorate the Gallipoli landing! I'm amazed that Anzac day & the ill fated Gallipoli landing was commemorated so soon after it happening. I had assumed (wrongly!) that it would have come to being acknowledged and honoured after the War was over... I'm learning as I go :) Here's a link to a wikipedia entry about the Gallipoli Campaign

Links to items referred to in Uncle Bert's diary

As I said earlier, re-typing this diary has roused my interest in this book all over again and as I re-type certain passages I am curious to search for some of the things that Uncle Bert references. I found this picture of the camp hut at Mitcham Army camp (circa 1914-1918).

I also found a reference to the German Zeppelin's referred to by Uncle Bert, when describing the nickname given to camp sausages.

I'm not the best googler, but hopefully my skills in this regard will improve :)


Michelle x

What have I done?

Okay - I have made the commitment to this project and am now wondering at the scale of it!! The 'diary' is about 690 pages!! It is organised into 25 chapters! Tonight I have typed and uploaded the foreword and chapter 1! I'm up to page 5!! (the foreword wasn't included in the page numbering) Each page is double spaced. Some pages are difficult to read as there has been some water damage when the diary was transported between Australia and Hawaii. Also, the diary was typed in 1924... it is in reasonable condition for something that old but the paper is thin and some of the type has bled through to the other side of the paper... However, I am determined to succeed at this! I have noticed that there is the odd news cutting pasted onto pages; as I come to those pages I will scan the cutting to include here as well. I last read this work many years ago (approx late 1980's) when I was studying a uni history subject called 'Australians at War'. Already I am intrigued by this book all over again. I want to know who 'Bargey' is and if he has family or descendants... Perhaps they would like to know about their great, great grand father, or uncle or cousin who fought in World War 1 and made the ultimate sacrifice. I now think there might be others who might be interested in a copy of this book. It makes me more determined to do it!!
Michelle x