as I sent them home, and it is on
the valued advice of one in particular that I now offer these scraps
to the public. I make practically no change on the original, but in a
few places, for the sake of sequence, or more fulness, I have made
additions. These are always in brackets.

Some of the remarks in the original might safely be published fifty
years hence, but at present the war is too recent for these to see the
light of print.

GEORGE DAVIDSON,
R.A.M.C.

TORPHINS, ABERDEENSHIRE,
_June, 1919._

DIARY.

_March 16th, 1915._--After serving for five months as a lieutenant in
what was at first known as the 1st Highland Field Ambulance, and
afterwards, as the 89th Field Ambulance, I left Coventry, our last
station, to do my little bit in the great European War, our
destination being unknown. We had heard well-founded rumours that we
were going to the Dardanelles, or somewhere in the Levant, and our
being deprived of our horses and receiving mules instead, and helmets
(presumably cork) being ordered for the officers, all pointed to our
being sent to a warmer climate than France or Belgium, where the war
is raging on the west side of the great drama.

Leaving Coventry at 1.50 p.m. we reached Avonmouth about 5, to find
that our boat was not in. The men were put up in a cold, draughty shed
for the night, where they had little sleep, while the officers took
train to Bristol, nine miles off, where we dined excellently at the
Royal Hotel, but, there being no vacant rooms, we went to the St.
Vincent's Rocks Hotel, overlooking the Clifton Suspension Bridge and
the great gorge of the Avon.

_March 17th._--Returned to Avonmouth and wandered about inspecting the
huge transports lying in the docks, and H.M.S. "Cornwall," just
returned for repairs from the fight at Falkland Islands. She had
received three shell holes in her hull, one under the water line, and
a large number of perforations in one of her funnels.

We then got on board our boat, the "Marquette," of the Red Star Line,
built by Alexander Stephen & Sons, Glasgow, of over 8000 tons, and
said to be a good sailer. We lunched with the captain, a Scotchman of
course, hailing from Montrose. At 5.30 we got the men on board, and
all spent the night in our new quarters.

_March 18th._--After getting numerous details on board during last
night and to-d