For King and Country - January 1917

Auntie Bessie and Uncle Lance (A.E.L Scott) post war

Lance joined the New Zealand Army on the 27th of June, 1916 as a Private in the 18th Reinforcements, 1st Battalion Auckland Infantry Regiment (1/AIR), 6th Company. He left Wellington aboard the SS Tofua, on the 27th of June 1916 and disembarked at Plymouth, England on the 29th of December 1916. His diary starts on the 1st of January 1917 where he is based at Sling Camp, the principle training camp for New Zealand soldiers. Sling Camp was located "in the heart of the great Salisbury Plains. Twelve miles to the south of the camp clustered around its famous old cathedral the ancient town of Salisbury; and London, with its perpetual call to the exile in training, was seventy-four miles away" (Drew, 1923, p.218). Soldiers usually completed a 30 day course before heading to the front line.

Please note, when I am unsure of a word due to difficulty reading it I have left the word blank with the following "...". Additionally, any writing in italics is my added notes or additional material.

Troops parading sea-kits at Sling Camp, Salisbury Plain, England. Ref: PA1-o-934-050-2. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/23031749

1st Monday - Training starts tomorrow, kits inspected for shortages. Everything done at the double here. Men called out for the first draft inspected in front of hut. All boys turned out to have a look at them.

2nd Tuesday - Up 6:30AM Drill, 8AM Bayonet fighting, bomb throwing, lewis gun square drill. Route March evening. Mess orderly lecture on gas at night, free 9pm, lights out 1015. Not bad for first day of all same, no time to self.

3rd Wednesday - Drill same as yesterday, paraded for shortages. Finished 630pm. Stayed in the hut on my … bed and thought of Blighty (an "affectionate" term for England or perhaps in Lance's case - home) six stinking blankets.

4th Thursday - Drill same still, Route March 4PM to 6PM up steep hill about nine men dropped out too solid for them 2 min out on these marches in full marching order.

5th Friday - Drill ditto, lecture on trenches at night. Went down to YMCA canteen no letters from NZ yet. Trench lecture very interesting but perhaps will not prove so in reality.

6th Saturday - Drill still same. Bayonet, Lewis Gun, bombing, gas, helmet and square drill paraded. 4PM 1/4 hour … drill for whole battalion for not saluting properly on march past the Colonel and staff. Weather has been terribly cold. London papers say coldest winter for almost 16 years, no wonder we are cold, though I do not feel as bad as some.

7th Sunday - Church parade started 20 to 10 and finished at 11AM. Paraded for service rifles 11:30AM. Off all afternoon, wrote letters. Draft 19th Regiment left tonight for France. Wet and Cold and miserable.

8th Monday - Started musketing learning part of the rifle. Letter form Auntie and Dot. Snow and sleet all day, plenty of mud and very cold. When not snowing or raining, it's very pleasant.

9th Tuesday - Shifted from No. 2 camp to No. 7. On fatigue all day shifting gear, got parcel of sox. Wrote to Dot. Very cold, icy wind blowing mud in new camp over our socks (?).

10th Wednesday - Bomb practice mustering and square drill, very frosty all day. Can't throw bomb for nuts. 19th expected but did not come today. Getting huts ready for them.

11th Thursday - Digging trenches all morning in Bull Ring. Musketing afternoon. Route March washed out today, too wet, mud over our boots, mess orderly today which is a very pleasant proceeding.

12th Friday - Fatigue all morning carrying sandbags. Musketing afternoon. Funeral of Sergeant who shot himself. Band dead march gun … Pay for right half company, paid other half tomorrow night, YMCA band concert 18th Regiment band.

13th Saturday - Shovelling dirt. Bull Ring all morning. Musketing afternoon. Paid evening of 2-10. Intensely cold. Went to bed early, disappointed no letters from anyone, none from mum even.

14th Sunday - Church parade, morning inspection after. Spent afternoon cleaning gear and writing letters to NZ. Cold, awful and very frosty, a lot of the boys went to Amesbury. (Amesbury a small town about four miles walk to the south of Sling Camp.)

15th Monday - Firing on Range, four practice done, fair, 25 point 20, 18, 16. Route March 4:30 to 6:30PM. Underpants issued. Some of the boys got G B for dirty boots some for using nugget instead of Dubbin.

16th Tuesday - Musketing in morning, not too good today, too cold for Rapid fire. Same old. Squad drill etc in afternoon more GB for the boys for dirty towels. [I've] got a clean sheet right through so far.

17th Wednesday - Musketing in morning very bad, same old routine afternoon Route March. Evening aeroplane came down today driver hurt pretty badly.

18th Thursday - Musketing morning did ... fatigue afternoon carrying old iron (?), feel very crook tonight getting bad cold, could hardly get through the day shivering all over. Got a bad attack of the flu I think.

19th Friday - Musketing morning, not too bad fatigue afternoon scrubbing huts. Went to doctor [and was told I've] got influenza, one tablet, drink of water, [then told] you will be all right quick march. One gets no sympathy here if sick.

20th Saturday - Musketing morning. Threw three live bombs classed as 2nd class. However, still plugging along with the flu in full blast, also very sore throat. Bombs very easy to throw from trench. To find the time gas will take to come from enemy trenches double the distance between trenches and divide by the velocity of wind. Trenches both apart 20 mile wind blowing gas would reach us in six seconds.

21st Sunday - Went through poison gas test morning. In bed all afternoon, very crook. Aeroplane came down today, airman killed instantaneously, machine came down on top of him, every bone broken.

22nd Monday - Finished musketing course today, gave in rifles to mess orderly. Still crook with flu. 18th Reinforcements kept up average of 95% right through musketing, best for some time, only one Rft (Reinforcements) who ...

23rd Tuesday - Route March morning about 12 miles. Bull Ring in afternoon. This flu is still very crook. March over ploughed ground and home through two villages.

24th Wednesday - Bull Ring in morning. Wire entanglements and gas test in afternoon. Cold still got a grip of me, worst I have ever had or wish to have.

25th Thursday - Marking in the ... all morning. Bull Ring afternoon. Some of the boys were on leave to London this morning. Flu still the same, glad I did not go this time, felt too seedy.

26th Friday - Paraded sick this morning. Got another tablet, a tonic and a gargle and sent out to drill, not too bad. Bull Ring morning. Route March afternoon through village Amesbury about ten miles all thatched cottages.

27th Saturday - Cold little better, about time. Bull Ring morning, bombing lectures afternoon also bayonet fighting. Supper at the YMCA in evening. No letters from anyone at home yet, getting rather anxious about it.

28th Sunday - Church parade in the morning. Wrote letters in the afternoon. Cold weather. Cold very much better but for a bark and bad attack of sniffles but every one is troubled the same way.

29th Monday - Wiring, gas, and Lewis gun [in the] afternoon, fatigue, pick and shovel. 19th arrived at 8PM very frosty weather. Non Coms (Non Commissioned officers I assume) getting it off their chests at the 19th [Reinforcements] as soon as they got into the camp.

30th Tuesday - Route March all morning. O.C (Officer Commanding) got out wrong side of bed. Bayonet drill afternoon. Bombing lecture and squad drill two sittings in mess room. 18th [Rienfs] first, 19th second, very cold.

31st Wednesday - Bull Ring all morning. Wiring, Lewis Gun and Gas in the afternoon. Bad headache all day snowing for the greater part of the day. Very cold, not got draft leave yet.

Drew, H.T.B. (1923). The New Zealand Camps in England. The War Effort of New Zealand. Auckland, Whitcombe and Tombs Limited.