Diary of Oberlin Herbert Gray, July 1917 to August 1918

Gray, Oberlin Herbert (Private, b.1890 - d.1918)

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Places	Europe: Belgium Europe: Belgium, Flanders, West-Vlaanderen, Heuvelland, Locre Europe: Belgium, Flanders, West-Vlaanderen, Poperinghe Europe: France Europe: France, Nord Pas de Calais, Nord, Hazebrouck Europe: France, Nord Pas de Calais, Pas de Calais, Boulogne Europe: France, Nord Pas de Calais, Pas de Calais, Etaples Europe: France, Nord Pas de Calais, Pas de Calais, St Omer Europe: United Kingdom, England Europe: United Kingdom, Scotland
Accession Number	AWM2018.785.54
Collection number	AWM2018.666.1
Collection type	Digitised Collection
Record type	File
Item count	1
Object type	Diary
Physical description	43 Image/s captured
Maker	Gray, Oberlin Herbert
Place made	Belgium, France, United Kingdom: England, United Kingdom: Scotland
Date made	1917
Conflict	First World War, 1914-1918
Copying Provisions	Digital format and content protected by copyright.
Source credit to	This item has been digitised with funding provided by Commonwealth Government.

Description

Diary relating to the First World War service of 2552 Private Oberlin Herbert Gray, 3rd Australian Field Ambulance. Herbert Oberlin Gray and his brother Frederic chose to join the medical corps, as the family were Quakers, and conscientiously weren’t able to ‘take up arms’. However, they still wanted to serve. This diary has entries written by Oberlin Gray, dated between 7 July 1917 and 22 August 1918. In this diary, Gray writes about travelling and sightseeing in England and Scotland, route marches, seeing women doing men's work, and air raids. He then applied to re-join the 3rd Field Ambulance and travelled back to join them in France in October 1917. Gray describes the muddy roads, meeting local civilians, soldiers’ dissatisfaction about the large amount of work put on Australians, hearing of a referendum for conscription in Australia, leave in the area around Boulogne, and seeing the effects of gas on soldiers. The back of the diary contains poetry and various notes.