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[Page 84]
18/11/15
Things continued quiet in spite of a little artillery go until 1530 at which hour Curnow came along! Meantime the cold was damnable feet like ice so we took a walk down to the beach. Beachy Bill had a couple of pots at us but only a floating wisp of shell smoke showed the burst. Continued down and found the beach crowded with fatigue men busy shifting goods to further above high water mark. Big fatigues on terraces Watson's pier almost washed away no shipping near shore. Passed Sikhs and Gurkhas and motley degenerate looking crowd of Greeks & Maltese. Beachy Bill put a shell within a few yards of us. Turkish aeroplane aloft dropped bomb into water sending fountain of spray straight up. Our anti aircraft gun burst a shell just underneath & plane turned sharply and planed down homewards.
Breakwater ship smashed about by storm and one tugboat a wreck. Mules hard at work, drivers calling out "Boosh! Boosh!" Returning noticed a few men drunk on broached rum but did not "see" them as it means 2 years penal servitude if detected. Beachy just missed us with another shot so we came up thro' sap. During gale last night tug overturned near hospital ship and sunk our last three days homeward mail – 100 [indecipherable] of mine. Through burial ground 1 board "In memory of 55 comrades", another 2 brothers 'D' Alton.
Back up hill and met Dr Mackay. Recalled conversation of two men who been appointed to sanitary squad discussing new work (1) "This war may last for ---- years too!"
(2) "Years! it may last for f --- ever!"
All quiet after tea. Reported that man was buried with gas helmet & respirator on body Asked the Pioneer Sgt. where the hell he thought the gentleman's soul was bound for that he had to give him those articles Furphey around that coffee & Nicholas 24th killed by a 75. During early