Another instalment from Wilfred Ashcroft's diary, maintained while he was travelling out to South Africa as part of the First Active Service Company of the King's Own. What strikes me about this and similar writings from 'other ranks' soldiers of this time is the generally high standard of the work and its observant content. True, there are grammatical errors and sentence construction is often laborious (I could be accused of the same thing, no doubt), but, considering that men of his class probably only ever had a rudimentary education I consider it quite remarkable. A common refrain is that educational standards have declined. Maybe, maybe not. What I am sure of is that in these days of email and text-speak, letter writing and diary-keeping is a dying art. Over a century on I wonder if he ever thought that his thoughts would still be of interest to anyone - and so readily accessible to those interested?
Once again, a warning: this was written at a time when the use of racially-slanted epithets was commonplace. I make no apologies for transcribing it unedited so, if offended, then go and read someone else's blog.
Friday, March 30th – There is nothing fresh for me to tell you today, only that we are travelling at the best speed we can, and the average speed is about 17 knots. The captain says he is going to keep it up till we get to Capetown, and it means 370 miles in the 24 hours, as we always slow down in the daytime. It is getting very breezy now, and a deal colder, and more like our own weather at home. Still it is very musty down below, and we are glad to get up in the morning when we wake and it is sometimes between 4 and 5, and we think it late at 6 o’clock. The ship’s bakers are always busy, as they have to bake bread for us all, and we have fresh bread twice a day, but it is very sad and soon go sour; and I am always glad to eat the biscuits as they are hard but sweet and very appetising, and you don’t feel hungry so soon after them. We have beef and rice for breakfast, and mutton or beef for dinner, and cheese or jam and bread for tea, so I don’t think we are doing so very badly. There is going to be a tug-of-war between our team and the West Kent’s tomorrow, and it will be very exciting, as they are all big men. Ours have the best of it as they are the heaviest.
Saturday, March 31st – I have been orderly for our mess today as we take it in turns, and it comes my turn every four days. We have to wash all the pots and scrub decks and tables, and there are eight and sometimes more men at our table, and they make some dirty pots, but we get off parade when we are orderly and have plenty of spare time on our hands. The officers are very strict about the pots, tins and tables, and if they see a speck they will give you a sentence of some sort. There are two of our men on extra drill for dirty tables. They call them defaulters, and make them go round and help the others to scrub and clean their messes. They got ready for the tug-of-war this afternoon, and when the Kents saw our men, they said, “is this a sample of your regiment?” and the officer it was. There were ten aside, and they had to pull three times, and the best out of three won. Our team won each game easily, and they got 8d.each given and have to pull again on Monday and Tuesday. On Monday they pull the Lancashire Fusiliers, and on Tuesday they pull the Yeomanry, and our officers say they can pull anything on the ship. They are going to give them some more money if they win. Our officers let us have a concert tonight for winning the tug-of-war, and it is very nice, and makes you think of good old England and home when you hear the songs and music. It does seem like a long time since we set off and this is only a little over a fortnight. It is surprising how we can sail away for days without seeing a ship of any sort when there is such a lot in this world. Now there is no fish to see, or anything to look at, only the briny deep, and wonder what a mighty power there is in such mountains of water, and our good ship goes up and down over the waves and never says she is tired of running. I will tell you about this mighty ocean if ever I get home again, and then you can have a better idea.
Sunday, April 1st – This is April Fool Day, and when we got up all sorts of dodges were played to see the fool. Some said they could see land and then there was a rush up stairs to see they had been made a fool and came back and tried someone else. One of the men told the guards his officer wanted him at the saloon and he stood outside for nearly an hour, when he bethought himself and went away to his post very much upset. The Yeoman that was out of his mind is better again and is walking around as usual. I daresay he feels very strange. I hope he will behave himself in future, as he is about the wealthiest man on board this ship and lost a lot of money at cards the day before sailing. He got among card sharpers and they did him out of £55. We got paid yesterday and they knocked 5s. 5d. off for barrack room damages at Lancaster. I did not break a thing of any kind but have to help those that did break chairs, beds, or pots. There is no gambling on board ship now, and it is a good job. The men that get caught get severe sentences and two of the Yeomen were caught and they are picking oakum and it will teach them to obey. Most of them think they can do as they like because they are gentlemen and want their meals first and water as well but have to wait their turn. Some of them are just the opposite and will do anything for us from Lancaster as they can see what we are and know we are just as good as the best if spoken to right, but won’t stand driving with the inferiors. One of the Yeoman told me that most of their lot had never seen a rifle before they went to the barracks, and did not know how to load or fire it. So you see they have to learn what we know and they should be a bit civil then they would learn a few bits that they will be glad of. They will be landing at Capetown and we are going with the King’s Royal Rifles and Kent and Lancashire Fusiliers to Durban or East London. I hope you are all well at home and give all my kind love and good wishes. I must say no more as it is lime juice time and I am ready for my tablespoonful, as that is our allowance for a day. It is getting very cold at night now and breezes are making this ship pitch and kick like a mad cab horse. We got served out with field bandages today and have to sew them in the right hand corner of our tunics, and so you see we do a bit of sewing and can wash and darn like good men.
Monday, April 2nd – I got up this morning to hear that it was our turn on watch again and we had to go on at 8 till 12 and then at night at the same time. Our men had to pull their team this morning and did it easy. In the afternoon they pulled again and won it and they have to pull tomorrow for the final. If they win they get £1 each given from the officers. Then they are going to pull at Capetown and if they win there they will get more. I have just come off watch, and I am not tired at all, and am writing this when a lot of snoring is going on. We are to post our own letters at the Cape. Our team has just finished the final pull of the tug of war, and won it easily, so we have won one war if no more. They could pull anything at the same game on land or sea. Yesterday they tried pulling 11 men instead of 10 on the opposite side, and our men pulled them twice over the mark before finding them out. They tried to hold on to the rails this morning, but they had to leave go or else they would have been some arms pulled off them. We have just had medical inspection, and all our men passed easily enough, so I think we will do for a bit longer voyage yet if we have to go to Durban. I will be sorry to leave this good ship that has done its passage in less than 19 days. Our tug-of-war team are badly scrubbed with the rope rubbing their arms and sides, and you can tell they had to pull. The average weight is half-a-pound short of 14 stone, and you can see they are not small men.
Tuesday, April 3rd – I got up this morning, as we had to get in full marching order for we will be landing tomorrow, and then we could see as we had lost nothing. We paraded on deck and got dismissed in about half an hour. We are about 350 miles off the Cape, and expect to reach tomorrow at 12.30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 4th – Arrived at the Cape this dinner time, and was surprised at the ships in the bay, some of the finest ships and boats I have seen. We anchored outside in the middle of the bay, as there was no room at the quayside, and we will have to wait until tomorrow for a berth. It is a beautiful bay, and the mountains look well. I hope they will allow us ashore for a night, but I don’t think they will. It is very warm, and there are plenty of sharks and whales swimming around the ship, the first whales I have seen, they are monsters, and they look like boats turned wrong side up when they come to the top to spurt.
Thursday, April 5th – We have just heard that the mail boat with our letters has been run down in the fog. She left here on Wednesday, and they call her the “Mexican.” The boat that ran her down was the “Winkfield,” which was loaded with horses and fodder for the Yeomanry. It is all up with our letters, I think, if it is true. She was built at Barrow, and I worked on her, as she trades between the West Indies and Africa, She is a fine boat, and all the lives were saved, and I hope the mails as well. We are just beginning to know what roughing it is, as we have been given our hammocks in and have to sleep on the tables or deck, in what we wear all day, and it is very hard. I will be glad to lie on the ground when we get ashore. We are going on board the “Nile” today. And they have had four deaths aboard since they set off from Southampton, and they say it is a very bad boat for grub, and I believe it too. It belongs to the same company, and was summoned for poor feeding. I think it has made her worse.
Friday, April 6th – I hope you are all well at home, and got a better bed to sleep on than a hard deck with no clothes to put on, as we are on board the “Nile,” and she is an old boat, and plenty of rats on board, which we never saw on the “Tagus.” We are lying alongside the “Nubia.” She is a fine boat for a hospital, and has a lot of our regiment on board wounded. Our dog’s owner is wounded, and he knew his dog, so we took it on board to see him. There are Colonels and all sorts of regiments on board, and they are nearly all wounded in the limbs. There are 14 of our regiment, and I don’t know how many have been sent home as unfit for further service in the Army. There are thousands of ducks in this dock, and if I had a gun I would have a feed of some sort, as I have forgotten what it is to be satisfied. We got dry bread and tea for breakfast this morning, and it is a shame, as there are a lot of men cannot stand it. It should be looked into, and the owners punished. I can do very well as I am, as I have plenty to do it on, but some of the men have not got a cent to call their own. I have been told off for orderly this voyage, and I will see if I can’t look after number one. I was storing our ammunition last night in the magazine, and was nearly roasted, as it was as dark as pitch. I had to feel where to put it, and each box weighs 80 lb. There were 50 of them, and we had nothing to eat from Wednesday only biscuits and grapes, as they are dirt cheap here. I got 3s. and 3d.worth of chocolate, and the men are catching their food in the shape of young mackerel about as big as small herring. I wish we were off instead of stopping here, as I am wanting to get ashore. They are not allowing us on shore here. We are going to call at Port Elizabeth, and so it will take us about four days. We sail at 3 o’clock this afternoon. We set off at 11.30 instead of 3 this morning and met the boat “Winkfield,” which ran the “Mexican” down, and she had her bows damaged badly. This is a far quicker boat than the “Tagus.” Her speed is 20 knots, but they say she is always breaking down, and broke down twice on her voyage from England. There are some big mountains on this coast, and I would not like to see our ship landed on them. I saw some seals this afternoon, and plenty of all kinds of birds, and they go such a height and then dive straight down. We stop at two places and that is Port Elizabeth and East London, before we get to Durban. Our regiment is at Pietermaritzburg, and they will be glad to see us, as we have hundreds of books and papers on this boat and tobacco for them. I hope they will be well enough to read them, as they are recruiting their health after all their battles. They have been in them all around Ladysmith, and have lost a lot of men, as some told us on the “Nubia.” When some of our men asked for so and so they said he was wounded and stopping at Pietermaritzburg. We are all getting as brown as niggers, and you would think we had been out here six months.
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