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[Page 49]
The day was beautiful & the boat ran along beautifully at about 15 knots. We made Lemnos bout 12 noon & was taken to the R.G. wharf. The Coy proceeded to camp about 2 miles away while Cpl Banks, Saps Stock, Murray H & King and myself stayed behind as baggage party.
19th
We're having a good time so far. There has been great improvement since we were here last. There are great camps & hospitals everywhere one looks, & great quantities of Military Stores, while the Harbor is full of shipping – great transports & war craft appearing to fill the Harbor. There is a remarkable difference in the appearance of the First Division Camp now and at Mena before we came away to the war. The Camp only appears to cover about the same ground as a Brigade did formerly. Today we had a look around & altogether I think we will have a good change from what we have been having on the Peninsular.
20th
We've had a good time today – been able to have a look around & what is a great thing to us we are able to buy a good many little things we have missed for a long time – such as eggs, fruit & tinned stuff & prices are reasonable. Heard today that the strength of the original 4th Battln is now only 75. The Battlns generally appear to be terribly decimated.
21st
Had a good day today. Went across to a couple of small village & made a few small purchases. The villages are all of the same of primitive kind that I have mentioned elsewhere - while the people are absolutely primitive – living the simple life absolutely.
22nd
Had a quiet day today. Late in the afternoon Saps Smith, Tickle & myself took a walk to a village about 4 miles away but found that it was closed so had to walk practically for nothing. All villages are now closed to troops at 6.30 p.m. & the sale of liquor is also prohibited.
23rd
Had another long walk today. Saps Smith Tickle & I had a look through 3 villages. "Portiano", "Condia" & "Simandria" . All the villages like all others that we have seen on the Island are composed of square stone houses with reddish tyled roofs & blue-shuttered windows. From a distance the villages look very pretty with the coloring on the houses & green trees & bushes growing among them but when one actually gets into them the whole has a very dirty appearance & mostly the houses appear to be centuries old. "Condia" lies about 5 miles from our camp & is a fair sized village lying in a hollow on rising ground to some hills behind. Just behind the Village we climbed a very steep & rocky hill rising some hundreds of feet above the village & on top of which there is a small church. From here there is a beautiful view. Just below is the village with its square colored houses built at every conceivable angle to each other – narrow streets or lanes & trees here & there & looking down upon it from our altitude it looked very pretty indeed. Looking further afield one had in view the villages of "Simandria", "Portiano" & several others beside & all the Military camps & Hospitals & a fine view of the great Habor & all the hundreds of boats anchored there altogether the view from this hill was very beautiful