Excerpts from Axel Oscar Polssen's diary
Excerpts range from 14 August 1914 to 8 May 1915.
Copied exactly as written.
14.8.1914
Went up to Sydney to enlist
15.8.1914
Packed up at the Port [Port Kembla]
18.10.1914
Moved out of camp 8.15am. Got on [train] to Darlinghurst then marched to boat. Go on about 9.30 am. Pulled out to midstream about 10.30am. Sailed out of the [heads] at 4.30pm.
Raining and rough sea.
5.12.1914
Arrived at Alexandria during morning. Troopships arriving all day.
7.12.14
Pulled into wharf about 12 noon. Started unloading. Part of “H” Coy.
Went onto Cairo as … guard. “B” Coy on town picked.
A mob lowered one of the boats and went ashore but got captured.
10.12.1914
Went up to top of pyramid and cut my name and Lil’s there
13.12.1914
Went and found Paddy Hare & Tom Blancy and more Mt Morgan boys from Light Horse.
2.4.1915
Looked through third pyramid and tombs near the sphinx.
Letters home. Latest Rumours we leave in 34 hours.
A bit of a riot in Cairo.
25.4.1915
Pulled out from Bay about 3am. Dropped anchor right behind the firing line of warships about 5am. Started to disembark about 6am. Warships bombarding the shore defences. A couple of hydroplanes flying about on top of us. HMS Beagle alongside unit 3 killed and a couple wounded out of 3rd< brigade. Landed on shore at 10am. A shrapnel burst just to the side of us and one over the top just as we landed. We started to dig in bear the beach but the shrapnel drove us. We went up and occupied the top ridge and held it. A terrible lot wounded. A furious day. Met the major just after we landed.
27.4.1915
Completing road up to the firing line. Went up a big ravine looking for a couple of snipers hid there but could not find them. Shifted headquarters away out to the front of the firing line. Extended the left flank of the line about a mile forward and trenched in. The Turks came up right up to the trenches making a great row on their bugles. But they got a very heavy fire at them. They managed to get a couple of hand grenades in and wounded a few.
Dick got shot through the head.
A very heavy fire kept up all day by both troops and warships. During the night we kept up a heavy fire on the Turkish lines.
29.4.1915
We formed a sort of camp so as to get a good rest. A few on the beach got wounded and killed through stopping stray bullets. The warships gave the Turks a good pasting. Met the Major again ...
5.5.1915
Shifted out of Death Valley to a position further on the right.
We relieved the 2nd Brigade. We are just behind the field guns. And we are getting in pretty hot from the enemys shrapnel on the account of them trying to pick out OOR guns.
6.5.1915
Getting it hot all day from shrapnel line.
7.5.1915
They gave us a terrible pasting with shrapnel just before dark, the hottest outburst so far. One of the Turk officers gave and gave himself up. The Turks shelling the beach. The officers reckoned that the Turks had a very heavy loss on Tuesday 27th April.
8.5.1915 (Last entry: Age 20 years)
A pretty quite day. They were getting out guns in position. Warships gave the Turks a couple of good shots after dark. A heavy bombardment could be heard on our right.
9.5.1915
Heavy shrapnel fire for some time during the day.
THREE PRIONEERS HIT INCLUDING ALEX (AXEL)
(Signed) MICK KEEGAN “PIONEER”
Other notes in diary
No. of Mothers badge 70164 (Issued by Department of Defence to Women of Australia for duty done)
Caroline Polsson was a member of Australian Comforts Fund and Women’s Patriotic Sewing Guild.
