• General Notes

  Joined Australian Light Horse Regiment in World War 1 Wounded by land mine - lost both legs in Middle East Won DCM at Beersheba
  There was a film made about the charge of Beersheba called The Lighthorsemen with actor Jon Blake playing the role of Sloan.
  
  Elsie put Sloan's diary into a small book "Dreams of the Past" below is a small extract.
  
  I think his "Dream of the Past" gives the best account of his enlistment: - "Sitting in my home at Armadale", he says," my thoughts go back to September 1914.  I was in Geelong with it friend, Jack McCooke.
  I had been out on a chaff cutter and we had pulled in for a week before going on to another place.  Jack and I were walking around the streets, and seeing several fellows in khaki, our thoughts turned to going to the war.
  We went up to the drill hall and looked at a soldier on guard with a fixed bayonet.  We went to pass him, but he pointed the bayonet at us and told us to keep back, which we did without arguing. But when we tried a second time he let us past, and we went in and told an officer we wanted to enlist. He looked at us for a few minutes, and then he took a lot of particulars about us, and told us to go and be medically examined.  Dr. Grimwade examined us, and both passed the test quite easily.
  Next day, September 10th, we reported again at the drill hall and were sworn in, and sent to Melbourne the same day. We were sent to the Sturt Street drill hall, where there were a number of others, all going to make up the 2nd Expeditionary Force. Having spent the night at Sturt Street, we arrived at Broadmeadows about 3 p.m. next day. Broadmeadows Camp lies about 2 miles from Broadmeadows station, on the estate of a Mr. Wilson. We came to camp through the west gate, and as we passed we got several cheers and jeers from the first contingent, who were in camp about 3 weeks. Several of them shouted "Bread and jam", some shouted cheers for the King, and some groans for the Kaiser.
  As I passed by I took notice of the Y.M.C.A., Salvation Army and Church of England tents; all of these came in very useful in after camp life. When we landed at our camping ground we were ordered to sit down and smoke, and we had about a half-hour's "spell".  Then we were ordered to rig our tents.  You can imagine our amazement when they put 10 of us in one tent.  We expected about four.
  After that we were ordered to fall in again to get our blankets - one each.  We didn't sleep much the first night, as I think the ground was rather hard for most of us; however we got used to it after a few days. We were allotted to B Company. Infantry, and went out drilling on the Saturday. Next day ten of us were put on fatigue to carry meat for the soldiers, and the same day Captain Smyth put me on Military Police duty, where I had to stay for l4 weeks. The principal duties of the military police were watching the hotels and keeping soldiers from getting too drunk. I soon tired of that, and tried to get into my old company in the 14th battalion, but it was too late, as they had a new captain; so I applied, and after riding tests got a transfer to B squadron Light Horse.  (Jack went into reinforcements of 8th battalion). (Note - Sloan met him later at Gallipoli.  He was killed before the end of the war.) Fifty per cant of the camp got leave at Xmas, and I went to Geelong, where I spent a very enjoyable time.  I also got leave at the New Year.
  I was transferred to a squadron, in which I stayed about 6 weeks, though I often want round trying to get a transfer to other units that would be sailing before our squadron. About 1st February 1915 our squadron was sent war as reinforcements for the 4th and 8th regiments of the Light Horse. I was among the 52 who were put into the reinforcements for the 4th Light Horse. We were warned to go away several times, but when the time came to go we were always put back for a few days more.
  All of the Camp got 90% leave for a few days at Easter, and when I came back we were warned to sail on Monday April 12th.  I was vaccinated on Thursday April 8th.  The Dr. was like an old bear.  He left four marks on my arm.  I'd been inoculated twice, - first time about a month earlier, and next time about a week after I left Boradmeadows Camp on April 12th 1915.  We got the 9 a.m. train at Boradmeadows and went to Port Melbourne, where we boarded the "Wiltshire", a boat of about 14,000 tons, fitted out for carrying horses.
  When we went on board we had to clean all the places and make it ready for shipping our horses. Not much happened the first day; we went to bad about 9 o'clock, our beds being hammocks swung from the ceiling of our mess room; every man had to sleep over his table. When we got up next morning we carried same chains to tie our horses, then had breakfast at 8.30.
  The first lot of horses Come about 10 o'clock, and we had to put them on board.  My job was standing at the bottom of a long staircase and catching our hands behind horses that would not mount the stairs.  When the second lot of horses came I got the job of leading down, which was much easier.
  We finished shipping about 4 o'clock. About 4:30 the Infantry came on board, and we sailed about 5 o'clock, leaving the Star of England, which was also laden with troops; also leaving many weeping friends behind - Some waving handkerchiefs, others cheering on the Port Melbourne pier. When we were 2 days out from Melbourne a lieutenant of the 4th Reinforcements of the 7th Battalion died very suddenly.  Nothing much happened for about a fortnight, except that a few horses died and were thrown overboard. I spent my birthday in the harbor at Colombo, which we left on May 2nd without getting ashore.  After that the weather was very fine, and we had a very pleasant journey to our next and last port, which was Suez. We landed there on May 15th 1915.
  The Star of England came in next day.  We unshipped our horses and took them to the train for Cairo. As I was leading two around one knocked me down and kicked me on the head.  I was not badly hurt, but had to go to the doctor. We caught the train to Cairo at 7 o'clock and landed at the end of our journey about 4,o'clock on Monday morning.  On Monday we were transferred to the Heliopolis camp, where all the Light Horse were encamped.  I met several Broadmeadows acquaintances.
  On Tuesday we all got leave and went into Cairo.  My friend employed a black guide, and we had a look around.  We also went out to sea the pyramids.  The guide took us through one of them. Cairo is the dirtiest city I've ever been in. The 4th Light Horse, for which our squadron on Wednesday May 17th for the Dardanelles. Their horses at  Heliopolis camp.  The 8th,) went away on the Saturday before we reached was reinforcements, left They want on foot and left 9th and 10th regiments went away on the Saturday before we reached Egypt. Thirty men were called our of the 4th reinforcements of the 8 Light Horse before the regiment was gone a week. I met a lot of wounded Australians, who had just come back from the landing at the Dardanelles.
  Things were very rough according to their stories. We left Heliopolis on May 21st and took the train for Alexandria, and sailed on the "Australind" for Lemnos on the evening of the 21st. We stayed 5 days in Mudros Bay, when we left the Australind - not sorry either -, and went on board a mine sweeper, the "Nawmarket", anchoring off the coast of Gallipoli on June 2nd 1915.
  Sleeping on the boat that morning we could hear the crack of the rifles and the bullets passing over our boat.  No one knew what he had to face, but everyone seamed in good spirits and readiness."

Details of Scotty's family with Elsie Reid