"At a mile distant their thousand hooves were stuttering thunder, coming at a rate that frightened a man - they were an awe inspiring sight, galloping through the red haze - knee to knee and horse to horse - the dying sun glinting on bayonet points..." Trooper Ion Idriess
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Thursday, 11 December 2008
Bert Schramm's Diary, 12 December 1918 Topic: Diary - Schramm
During part of the course of his military service with the AIF, 2823 Private Herbert Leslie Schramm, a farmer from White's River, near Tumby Bay on the Eyre Peninsular, kept a diary of his life. Bert was not a man of letters so this diary was produced with great effort on his behalf. Bert made a promise to his sweetheart, Lucy Solley, that he would do so after he received the blank pocket notebook wherein these entries are found. As a Brigade Scout since September 1918, he took a lead part in the September 1918 breakout by the Allied forces in Palestine. Bert's diary entries are placed alongside those of the 9th Light Horse Regiment to which he belonged and to the 3rd Light Horse Brigade to which the 9th LHR was attached. On this basis we can follow Bert in the context of his formation.
Bert Schramm's Diary, 12 December 1918
Bert Schramm's Handwritten Diary, 8 - 14 December 1918
[Click on page for a larger print version.]
Diaries
Bert Schramm
Thursday, December 12, 1918
Bert Schramm's Location - Tripoli
Bert Schramm's Diary - Shifted camp at 10 am this morning and are now camped along the beach about two miles south west of Tripoli.
9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary
9th Light Horse Regiment Location - Tripoli
9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - Sharp, Lieutenant RC, MC; and, Turner, Captain Chaplain RC; and eleven Other Ranks proceeded to Besherri on six days leave. At 0830 the Regiment moved to new camping area on the beach 11/2 miles south west of Tripoli.
Darley
Darley, TH, With the Ninth Light Horse in the Great War, Adelaide, Hassell Press, 1924.
Another entry from the book written by Lieutenant Colonel Hüseyin Hüsnü Emir, called Yildirim. Every day, one page of the book will be posted. This is Page 158.
Colonel Hüsnü, Yildirim, Page 158.
[Click on page for a larger print version.]
This chapter deals with Hüsnü observations of the Turkish response to Beersheba on other parts of the battlefield.
The following entries are extracted and transcribed from the 9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary, the originals of which are held by the Australian War Memorial. There are 366 entries on this site. Each day has entries as they occurred from 1914 to 1919. In addition to the 9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary, when appropriate, entries from the 3rd Light Horse Brigade War Diary and other regiments with the Brigade will also appear. Entries from the unit history, Darley, TH, With the Ninth Light Horse in the Great War, Adelaide, Hassell Press, 1924 will also appear from time to time. The aim is to give the broadest context to the story and allow the reader to follow the day to day activities of the regiment. If a relative happened to have served in the regiment during the Great War, then this provides a general framework in which the individual story may be told.
9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - Commanding Officer and Adjutant called to Brigade Headquarters at 1000 for instruction in anticipated.
1916
Tuesday, December 12, 1916
9th Light Horse Regiment Location - Bir el Malha
9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - The Regiment undertook routine work for the day. Daly, Major TJ; Chanter, Captain JC; and Ayliffe, Lieutenant SH, went on reconnaissance with General Officer in Command Brigade to Gerarat and Hill 100. Enemy aeroplane flew over and bombed Bir el Malha. Casualties were: Killed one horse in 3rd Machine Gun Squadron.
1917
Wednesday, December 12, 1917
9th Light Horse Regiment Location - El Burj.
9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - 1000 Moved by squadrons and relieved 4th Light Horse Regiment on Suffa sector in Square J24C 8.6, J23O 5.8. A Squadron on the right, C Squadron in the centre and B Squadron on the left. Nature of the country rocky, hilly and densely olive clad.
1918
Thursday, December 12, 1918
9th Light Horse Regiment Location - Tripoli
9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - Sharp, Lieutenant RC, MC; and, Turner, Captain Chaplain RC; and eleven Other Ranks proceeded to Besherri on six days leave. At 0830 the Regiment moved to new camping area on the beach 1½ miles south west of Tripoli.
1919
Friday, December 12, 1919
9th Light Horse Regiment Location - Adelaide
9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - Regiment disbanded.
Albury Daily News - War Declared Topic: GW - August 1914
5 August 1914, War is Declared, Albury Daily News
Due to the time zone differences, the declaration of war by Britain against Germany, while officially recorded as 4 August 1914, in terms of Australia, did not happen until Wednesday, 5 August 1914.
Apart from being a major regional agricultural service centre, Albury was also the first home to Duntroon and also supported other major military training facilities. The Militia formations at Albury Wodonga included: the 43rd Australian Infantry Regiment, "F" Company; the Australian Field Artillery, 4th Battery; and, the Albury Rifle Club.
Albury was a major regional centre which boasted of a daily newpaper, the Albury Daily News which incorporated the Wodonga Chronicle. It was priced at 1d [one penny or in 2008 AUD, $1.70] and was circulated around the area. The following two pages are indicative of the life experienced in Albury the day the Great War was declared.
War is Declared
This page explores the way the Albury Daily News dealt with the news.
Albury Daily News, Wednesday, 5 August 1914, p. 2.
[Click on page for larger version - 839kb]
The stories contain many complaints about British censorship. However, despite that it makes a valient effort to produce news that appears not to be at hand.
Loyalty was a significant theme with stories of the Irish in Great Britain and the Germans in Australia. The South Australian German community was some 10% of the state's population and thus was a significant consideration in any Australian response to a war against the German nation.
The stories that the newspaper can confirm deal with a hoax in Melbourne and a run on the banks in Sydney. These are hauntingly familiar scenes. After the tragedy of 9/11, abundant hoaxes occurred bringing into being anti-hoax laws. The hoax in Melbourne was quite elaborate requiring quite a bit of planning. The run on the banks has brought forward similar problems experienced as a consequence of the collapse within the financial community forcing the governments to guarantee deposits. Now as then, to ensure the stability of the banks, the government guarantee of deposits was an essential policy response. Nothing changes despite the elapse of 95 years.
Albury Activities, 5 August 1914
While the war announcement was a significant story, the life of Albury did not halt but just kept going on, as it did for the duration of the war. This page details quite clearly some of the life that occurred within Albury.
Albury Daily News, Wednesday, 5 August 1914, p. 3.
[Click on page for larger version - 1.121mb]
Dame Ellen Terry
Here we see that entertainment was cancelled for unstated reasons. Dame Ellen Terry, GBE (1847 - 1928) was a famous English stage actress specialising in Shakespearean theatre. In 1914, Terry toured Australia lecturing and reciting on Shakespearean heroines. The reason for the cancellation might well have been for health reasons for Dame Terry suffered from cataracts in both eyes. After touring Australia she went to America where she underwent an operation to remove the cataracts. Apparently the operation was only partially successful. The fact that Ellen Terry was in Albury was a significant cultural coup.
Maud Allen
Maud Allan as the sensuous Salomé dancing around the head of John the Baptist.
Maud Allan (1873? - 1956) was born Beulah Maude Durrant who made a career as a pianist, actress, dancer and choreographer. In 1906, Maud Allen became famous or infamous, for her dance interpretation of Oscar Wilde's play, Salomé. Her Dance of the Seven Veils became so well known it still resonates as an adult burlesque theme. As for Maud Allen, she was from then on known by the sobrequet of "The Salomé Dancer".
The connection with Maud Allen? Very tenuous but the Albury Daily News was not going to miss out on their story. Mr Howard Edie, the manager for Maud Allen was in Albury to make arrangements for the Cherniavsky Brothers to perform in Albury on Friday, 19 August 1914. The Cherniavsky Brothers were a stage act performing in the Maud Allen show that was on stage at that moment in Brisbane but would open in Adelaide later that month.
The Cherniavsky Brothers pianist Jan, cellist Mischel and violinist Leo, 1904
The Cherniavsky Brothers included violinist Leo, pianist Jan and cellist Mischel, were young men from Minsk who began their stage career in 1904. After the loss of Dame Terry, this was another cultural high point for Albury.
On the more mundane
Nice Steaky Breakfast Bacon is 1/3d per pound or in 2008 AUD, $55.11 per kilo. Mate and Co Butchers were also selling Beef sausages at 8d per pound or in 2008 AUD, $29.39 per kilo. Very expensive meat then and now.
The Hume Shire was calling for tenders to clear 19-50 chains (382m - 1km) on the Balldale-Howlong Road. Albury Council was looking at installing pipes in the culverts near the Globe Hotel in Dean Street. [Dean Street was and still is the main throughfare of Albury which now contains the cappucino strip and shopping malls.] Another contract was for the forming and gravelling of Jones Street. This may seem routine, and it is, but it is this work the kept Albury and surrounding areas operational upon which the governments predicated their ability to support the troops overseas. The ability to do so came back to infrastructure projects such as these, mundane but very necessary.
Hire Purchase
Abe Nathan, 1906
Abe Nathan's furniture store was another historical institution in Australia. In 1872, the 16-year old Abe Nathan left the East End of London with 10/6 in his pocket worked his passage to Melbourne. He worked for his brother Samuel's furniture business for about 10 years before striking out on his own with a furniture store at 225 Chapel Street in Prahan, Melbourne. Abe Nathan was very successful with a new method of obtaining customers which he did by offering hire purchase contracts. He was the first business to offer the working man the ability to furnish the humble home from 2/6 per week.
Abe Nathan's association with Albury began after 1908 with the land boom. On speculation, he freighted furniture to Albury for auction. The results exceeded his expectations resulting in him relocating to Albury. Abe Nathan settled in Albury and then expanded his business throughout the Riverina.
The history revealed by a newspaper
A newspaper is a historical snapshot of a particular area on the day the newspaper was published. They contain a wealth of information which can be extracted and used according to the individual taste. The above extracts give an example of the depth of information contained within a simple rural newspaper. Every story contains many more stories, each layered upon each other like onion peels. As one peels away one skin, more appear to reveal a vibrant community brimming with history.
Do you want to take part in uncovering and writing Australian history?
If this entry or other entries inspires you to produce further insights, please feel free to post a response and it may become an acknowledged part of the article.
The following entries are extracted and transcribed from the 9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary, the originals of which are held by the Australian War Memorial. There are 366 entries on this site. Each day has entries as they occurred from 1914 to 1919. In addition to the 9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary, when appropriate, entries from the 3rd Light Horse Brigade War Diary and other regiments with the Brigade will also appear. Entries from the unit history, Darley, TH, With the Ninth Light Horse in the Great War, Adelaide, Hassell Press, 1924 will also appear from time to time. The aim is to give the broadest context to the story and allow the reader to follow the day to day activities of the regiment. If a relative happened to have served in the regiment during the Great War, then this provides a general framework in which the individual story may be told.
9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - Major Barlow SW who is now in charge of the Regiment reported to Brigadier at 1000.
1916
Monday, December 11, 1916
9th Light Horse Regiment Location - Bir el Malha
9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - Duty Regiment. Daly, Major TJ; Parsons, Major HM; McKenzie, Major KA; and, Ragless, Captain BB, visited outpost line with General Officer in Command Brigade.
1917
Tuesday, December 11, 1917
9th Light Horse Regiment Location - El Burj.
9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - In bivouac. Scott, Lieutenant Colonel WH, acting Brigadier.
9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - Advanced parties proceeded to prepare new bivouac site. Parsons, Major HM, DSO; Burns, Lieutenant AG; Stephen, Lieutenant HH; Gibney, Lieutenant BE; and, nine Other Ranks proceeded on seven clear days leave to Port Said and Egypt. Parsons, Major HM, commanded Divisional Party.
1919
Thursday, December 11, 1919
9th Light Horse Regiment Location - Adelaide
9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - Regiment disbanded.
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Thursday, December 12, 1918
