Item 01: Eric Susman war diary, 1 January 1915-4 April 1916 - Page 81
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[Page 81]
Friday 26 February 1915
The day was set down for divisional training so reveille sounded at 5.30 a.m. However we were evidently a reserve force for an order to hold ourselves in readiness, to move off at any moment, came through from divisional headquarters. So all morning, we remained in our lines. And it was not until 2.30 p.m. that we moved off, through the village of Zeitoun where the New Zealanders were encamped. However, when we got to the base of operations, all action was over and after a short spell, we returned to camp.
This evening, I listened with great pleasure to a powerful address by a Scotch Y.M.C.A. Secretary, on the War and its effects generally. This gentleman, fresh from the battlefields of Europe, depicted, with vivid realism, some of the terrible scenes which he had witnessed. He concluded with this exhortation to his Australian audience: "Your turn, your chance to play your part in this awful struggle, is close at hand. The eyes of the world will turn their gaze on to the hitherto untried Australians. See to it that, when the time comes, you worthily uphold your country's honour". And I may add that his speech made a deep impression on the majority of his audience.