Item 01: Oscar Rhodes diary, 26 June 1915-4 April 1916 - Page 26

[Page 26]

(midnight). Long before our arrival we could distinctly see the flash then the roar of the big guns fired from the warships off shore. It was a clear moonlight night, we were "all lights out", & we sped along the surface of the moonlit sea like a black phantom of the night. Quite distinct to our silent secrecy were the hospital ships flamboyant with their rows of green lights & huge red crosses brilliantly alight & their reflected beauty in the unruffled sea enhanced the charm & serenity of the night. Serene from the artist's standpoint but from the material disturbed by the evidences of the proximity of grim war. We were bundled ashore in lighters attached to steam pinnaces & soon we landed at the primitive pier which gave us access to the spot where our brave heroes first landed & distinguished themselves as amongst the greatest soldiers in the world. A long tramp in the

Sunday 22nd Aug. 1915

Severed top of left forefinger with jack-knife.

After our landing we had a long tramp