Turner Donovan Military Books - The world’s finest selection of rare and out-of-print books on British military history from 1800 to 1945
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SHINE (No. 3253 Pte. Thomas Shine, 2/1st City of London Regiment, Royal Fusiliers) Diary/journal account of enlisting in December 1914, training & subsequent services at Gallipoli &c. Two pocket notebooks with pencilled entries with largely similar contents, but different in some descriptions & details so complementing one-another. Both contain descriptions of enlistment, trench digging on Home Defences, then sailing on the SS Galicia on 1st Feb. 1915 for Malta, from where Shine & unit went to Egypt then finally to Gallipoli, landing at Suvla Bay on 24th Sept. 1915. He served there until evacuated sick on 5th December. Together with several photos. in uniform, Greeting from Malta real photo postcard, Certificate of Disembodiment (from the RAMC) on Demobilization in 1919 & a letter to his wife from a Capt. A.W. Garland at Endsleigh Palace Hospital in London, 7/2/18, stating that he is at 19th Gen. Hosp. Alexandria where he was apparently "the best Orderly in the hospital always only too willing to make one comfortable & to do anything in his power to help." Also two small & distressed pocket photo. albums retaining some snaps. of street scenes &c. in Egypt & a few of patients at 19th Gen. Hosp., Alexandria.  #61014
[HLMainPic] Some extracts from these brief but interesting journals: 24/9/15: "at night we went ashore on Lighters & then we had to unload the Lighters before morning because if not we would have got shelled by the Turks from the Hills... After unloading all the baggage we were marched up into some dug outs... 29th Division HQs were quite close... They told us we could make some tea with our Iron Rations & the lads enjoyed the fun in making their own food & making Oxo. Then the lads tried to go to sleep but the flys would not let us... stayed there til about 6 o'clock then our officer told us we were going to a place called Chocolate Hill which was about 5 miles further up the line... marched down the 29th Division HQs & got new rifles & bayonets & then marched up towards Chocolate Hill with full packs 2 blankets & waterproof sheet in & out did not know or care which way we went there were stray bullets being fired by Turkish snipers. I will never forget the first long march in & out bushes... It was a rough place were [sic] we had to dig all we could see was flashes of the bullets as the Turkish snipers were firing." He describes front line routine, e.g. "While in the trenches we had to go out on Listening Patrol which meant that we had to lie out about 10 yards from the Turkish Trenches in case they came & surprised us in the night..." & "We had to take good care of our rifles, we had to clean them every morning & then the Sgt. would come along the trench & inspect them. We had to report if we had not got our right number of bullets. We had to carry 250 rounds with us when we went on the Peninsula..." The routine of front line trenches, supports & fatigues continued for several months until the great storm of 26th Nov., when "it started raining about 4.30 in the afternoon thunder & lightning all the night through it came over black we were falling in dug outs because we could not see our way... our things all were under water Blankets Valise Rifle Equipment all the things we had. We had to stand in the trench with wet Blankets wound round our shoulders to try & keep warm... next morning they could get no rations up to us we had to have Bully Beef & Biscuits for Breakfast, Dinner & Tea..." Next day they cleared water out of the trenches but it poured again so the work was to no avail: "We could see the Turks in the same state as us wet through running up the Hill." With the rain turning to snow & bitterly cold (the water now froze in the trenches), & no dry clothes, the author was one of many who reported sick & returned to Malta, arriving at St. John's Hospital on 9th Dec. After about three months he rejoined the regiment in Egypt. He later transferred to the RAMC & worked as an Orderly at 19th Gen. Hosp., Alexandria. See illustrations on our website.   £450

     




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