World War I Diary - Charles Leo Manley Diary of events during… - Fine & Decorative Arts, Antiques & Jewellery - Lawsons

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World War I Diary - Charles Leo Manley Diary of events during the 'Suvla Bay' campaign & onwards through the Grecian Islands, Egypt & the Sinai peninsula, afterwards in France, the experiences of Charles Leo Manley Sergeant dispenser 33rd Divisional field Ambulance, 32 Brigade 11th division 9th army Corps. British Mediterranean Expeditionary force, afterwards 15 army corps Egyptian expeditionary force, afterwards B.E' book commenced Bally Bunion Sinai Peninsula Saturday June 1916 in compiling this diary to this date I am indebted to several members of the ambulance for dates etc as my original diary was lost in the flood on the peninsula on Nov 26 1915 (signed C.L Manley, Sergt Ramc) June 3rd 1915 entrained at midnight at Farnham for Devonport after pleasant journey & embarked 1:30pm on Canadian Pacific Railway companies SS lake Michigan 9119 Tons. We left Devonport in the evening & anchored in Plymouth sound July 5 Monday. Left Plymouth sound at breakfast time escorted by the destroyers Mayfield & Media(?) which escorted US into the bay of Biscay & left US on July 7th early morning. We had very good weather until July 7th when the weather got very hazy, the sea got very choppy, proper Biscay weather I was told. July 8th at night we went through the straights of Gibraltar & anchored in the bay of Gibraltar at 1:30am July 9th to pick up orders. It was a beautiful moon lit night & we had a very fine view of the rock we also had a fine view of the Spanish coast & the town of Algeciras we also got a fine view of the Morocco Coast & the town of Tangier. We waited at Gibraltar for an hour & a half & left for Malta we had a very fine trip through the Mediterranean. We hugged the African coast for the greatest part of the journey passing Algiers & Tunis, then we struck off & passed the island of Pantelleria the Italian penal settlement. July 14th arrived at the grand harbour, Valetta, Malta. You get a magnificent views off Malta. We waited here about six hours & then left for Alexandria arriving there early morning July 17th. July 19th went ashore for two hours to have a look round. Went round the native quarter & into the city. We left all our transport & kit here. July 20th left Alexandria for Lemnos July 23 arrived at Mudras harbour Lemnos. July 27th left Lemnos July 28th early morning arrived at Kefalos bay. Embros (Imros) We disembarked here at 5pm during the time we were here we felt the heat very much. We bivouacked in a field of Indian corn. It was a very trying time for US, the ground was infested with insects of all sorts & sizes. August 6th early morning the NCOs were issued with maps of the peninsula of Gallipoli without any instructions whatever. In the afternoon we embarked on the cruiser Endymion & left Imbros in the evening we did not know where we were going to land we knew that we were going onto the peninsula & that was all. When we were two miles or so from the peninsula we were transferred to motor lighters & then a landing officer came along & told US that if we did not clear out straight away we should all be blown to H- as they had landed US at the wrong point, they had landed US by Anzac Cove, the bullets were falling all round US all the while. We then started loading up the lighter again but before we had finished the skipper of the lighter got that funky that he shoved off & we had to walk along the open beach for about 2 miles to Lala-Baba under a heavy rifle fire. On arriving at Lala-Baba we found that the infantry had just laudary(?), then we started work. We first made a bayonet charge. This was a horrible sight especially in the dark the Turks were waiting on the top of the hill for US & it was raining bullets. We were not long in clearing the Turks out at the point of the bayonet & our Brigade the 32nd took Lala-Baba & named it York Hill after the Yorkshire Regiments of which our Brigade was composed. We had a very funny thing happen here our stretcher bearers were between the Turks & our men during t

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