Item 07: John D. Wilson diary, 19 September-28 December 1917 - Page 29
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[Page 29]
and world wide horrow. Whether peace is near or far rests with the German people.
Sunday September 23. 1917. (1147)
Fine but cloudy.
I again paraded sick this morning and got my hand dressed and was also given no duties.
Today is my birthday. This is the first birthday I have spent in France and the second away from Australia. The other was spent at Lark Hill Salisbury Plains England. I hope and believe that I will spend the next in Australia. This day a year ago I thought that the war would be over by this time, and that my birthday would be spent in an atmosphere of peace. Though in this part of France it is peaceful enough, and one could hardly imagine, were it not from the number of soldiers about that a terrific war is raging not many miles from us.
The Central powers reply to the Pope's Note has been received. Its tone is more concilatory, and favours compulsory arbitration after the war, and a gradual limitation of armaments & freedom of the seas.
The number of prisoners taken by us in the recent