Dominion Day. Celebrated by washing dishes. - George came over + lured me into town despite my resolutions of last night. - Ham + Sammy went in too but Sam had a date + left early. - Met Monty's brother + went around to the Pier about 8. - Sammy + Marie were there but Sammy felt ill + went home early so we had to go out to the Junction with the girls.
Due at the dentist but got put on guard so wrote letters. - Had 2nd relief. - Great excitement on discovery of mysterious signalling from building across the valley. Cooper (corpl of Guard) went scouting but found nothing. - Orderly officer failed to make rounds all day.
Slept all morning. - Put in for pass to Dover so escaped afternoon stables (B-sub.) Got paid £3-0-0. Geo. went over to Dover with me. Found it slower than Folkestone. Came back on 10.30
Hot. Went over to St. Martin's + saw the fellows in the 42nd. - Jim came back with me + we went in town after. - Met Bobs + took a stroll over to the Warren. - It's a great place - Funny I never struck it before. Pleasant surprise. - I was getting sick of this town.
Drawing rations. Q.M.S. fatigue (all day job). Went in town early - Had to go to Wheeler's for snaps. Took a walk around by Central Stn + out to the Junction for a bus.
Warm. - Battery manoeuvres all day back in the hills. - A corking fine day - The first real work we've had. - Got back about 6. Stayed in all eve. - Mail from home.
Nothing particular doing all day. - Went in town with George after supper. - Couldn't get a bus so walked in by Sandgate. - Fooled around the Leas & lost George. - Met some of the others with Bobs.
Showery. - 2nd Battery out on manoeuvres with guns so we had nothing to do but stables at 5P.M. Sammy feeling sick so stayed in to look after him. - Geo was over. - Rotten wet evening. Went out to P.O about 8.30 + down to Papillon to feed.
Took Sam over to the Hospital in Ambulance. Harness cleaning all aft. - Penny down from London - Bert, Walter, Gordon + I had dinner with him at central - Met Percy + Bobs on the Leas.
Blanket exercise - Had the big gray out. - Clumsy as the mischief. - Thought I was going off several times. - Went down with Tommy Lennon to meet Marie who wanted to visit Sam in the hospital. - Sam had been moved to Folkestone Isolation Hosp. Think he has dip ov [sic] Scarlet. Came back to bks. 7P.M. - Reinforcing draft arrived. - 300 of them. - Bob Fraser + Bill McLean are with them.
Fine day. Was slated for picnic in the Warren but had a row with Sgt. Lee in the cookhouse + got shoved in the clink. - Considered the best joke of the season. - Rather stuffy + boards are hard. - 1st Baty. guard. - No drunks in. Letter from Uncle Geo.
Mess orderly.
Rather stiff this A.M. but otherwise O.K. - Up for office at 5 A.M. + got all that was coming. - 4 dys. C.B. + pass stopped for two weeks. I should worry Ham + I are to be quarantined anyway + I can get along as well now as I did when I had no pass.
A row with Sergeant Lee in the cookhouse earns Robertson a spell in the guardroom ("considered the best joke of the season," by his own account) followed by a formal sentence the next morning: four days Confined to Barracks (C.B.), a standard minor punishment restricting a soldier to camp and stripping his normal privileges, on top of a two-week suspension of his pass. He treats the whole thing with total unconcern ("I should worry"), not least because a quarantine over suspected illness in his hut would have kept him in camp anyway.
1st day quarantine. Breakfast in bed. - Slept, read, wrote + played cards. - Was going in town but decided not to take a chance till C.B. is up. Don't have to answer defaulters.
2nd day. - Wenham sent down under suspicion. Taylor (mess orderly) stopped in for a little game. - Dr. came in & made him stay. - Getting monotonous. Just my luck to miss the operas this week. Rain.
3rd Day - Wenham sent to hospital with Tonsilitis.
C.B. up to-day. 4th day - Release, this AM but waited till 2.30 P.M. before showing up. - Saw parade for inspection by Steele. - Beat it to town. - Saw Bobs but there is trouble there too. Rained like fury + got soaked, so came back early.
Back to duty again. - Inspection by Sam Hughes, R.L. Borden etc. - so of course more rain. Ham + I went in to see the last of the operas. - "Yeomen of the Guard." - Not much. - Met craig. Got out about 10.15.
The two men Robertson mentions inspecting his unit today weren't local brass: Sam Hughes was Canada's Minister of Militia and Defence, and R.L. Borden was its sitting Prime Minister, the two people most responsible for raising and equipping Canada's overseas army. By the summer of 1915, with camps like Shorncliffe filling with fresh drafts to replace the losses at Second Ypres that spring, a prime ministerial inspection tour was as much a show of reassurance for families back home as it was for the men themselves. Hughes, already a controversial and increasingly erratic figure, would be dismissed by Borden within about eighteen months. A smaller version of the same pattern repeats on August 4, when Andrew Bonar Law (at this time Britain's Colonial Secretary, and a future Prime Minister himself) inspects Robertson's camp.
I'm a man to-day by heck. - No stables. Fed off birthday cake. - Took a walk over St. Martin + Dibgate with Ham. - Fell in the swamp + spent the aft. on the leas it was slow. Went to methodist church + came home early. Have met Lucy
On parade for the 1st time since the draft got here. - Foot drill. - Beat it. - Went over to Hdqrs. In aft. + saw Morrow - Nothing new. - Went in town. - Came out early. - Took in film for enlarging. - Met Percy. - Came out early, but only because there was nothing else to do. - Paid today. £3.
Signalling. - S.M. put me in the squad but soon skipped that. - Had to take the gun-carriage down to the Hospital at noon + that was enough work for one day. - Out the back window this aft. + over to Papillon home. - Big bunch of mail. - In town 4P.M. - Bath. - Met Percy + went to Central. - Back about 10.45. Jumps?
S.M. put all old gunners on cleaning up the yard. - Beat it at 3.30 met Ham + went in town to see Sammy. - Loafed around for a while in eve. but Ham had a date so I came out early + read. Letters + belt from H.
Gun laying. - Took first lay + beat it over to George's tent + slept till time to go back to bks. Rained this aft so dodged out of the stables + down to C. of E. club till 6.30 - Stayed in all eve. + read + wrote. - Had a letter from Chas Pick
Rain prevented bathing parade so skipped out. To Wesleyan home. Wrote mother. - Skipped with Puss + Ham in the aft. - Went to town 4 P.M. Called for snaps. - Took a stroll down on the beach . - Strong wind + pretty rough. - Went around by the Warren. 3 Transports left.
Rain. House orderly. - B sub for aft. Stables. - Went in town after tea. Nothing doing. - Started to walk home with Hal but the rain came down again so we jumped a bus for the Jet. + went the long way round.
Fair - Thunderstorm. Church parade. Roll-call for 1st time in 3 mos. - Open air service. - Bruce Taylor preaching. - Very good. - Went in with Hame to see Sammy + afterwards over to the Warren. Had tea over there + sat on the cliffs to watch the moon rise. - More troops leaving the Harbor. - Last night of getting in early(?)
Nearly a month after watching "hundreds of transports" pass below him at Cowes, Robertson twice records ships leaving the harbor near camp, three transports on the 23rd, more troops on the 25th. From the Kent coast the war's shipping was a constant sight; Robertson, still in training, was for now only ever watching it leave.
House orderly. Up for the jumps because Ryan reported the house to be in a filthy condition. Dismissed. - Bath parade. Went in town with Bill Mclean + Bill Saunders. - Helped Ham out by taking in a punk show at the Leas Pavillion + walked out after.
Drawing rations - Ham + I beat it at 1.30 + slept over on the Hillside all after noon. Stayed in - wrote letters till 8 + then went over to the Papillon for some grub. - In bed by 9.
Up at 2.30 - Breakfast by moonlight + out to Hythe by sunrise. - Left the rangers 6.30. Puss, Ham + I beat it. - Had breakfast + came in by bus. - Slept all morning. - Kit inspection - Slipped off to town about 2.30 - Saw Sammy at the Hospital + went over to the Warren. Came out about 9.15. Ham went on pass.
Warm - Roped in for foot drill but escaped about 10.30 when they went in for rifles - Went over to Pearce Hall + played checkers with Puss. Muster parade this aft. - Was going to stay in this eve. but Bill Saunders came over so we went in town to the show.
Hot. Had to stick around as a Pay parade was threatened. - Disappointed. - Gundrill until Bert sent Puss + I over to clean up the house. Heavy thunderstorm at noon, with hail. - Medical inspection. - 5th C.M.R.s got in last night. - Went in town early - Met Bills McLean + Saunders later.
Out for an exercise ride. - Sammy out of hospital. - Went in town in aft. + met Jack Magruther. - Awful crown in town. - Was coming out early when I met Percy so came out later.