Diary of Oberlin Herbert Gray, January to August 1918

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

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Places	Europe: Belgium Europe: Belgium, Flanders, West-Vlaanderen, Heuvelland, Kemmel Europe: Belgium, Flanders, West-Vlaanderen, Heuvelland, Locre Europe: Belgium, Flanders, West-Vlaanderen, Heuvelland, Wytschaete Europe: France Europe: France, Nord Pas de Calais, Nord, Caestre Europe: France, Nord Pas de Calais, Nord, Hazebrouck Europe: France, Nord Pas de Calais, Nord, Vieux Berquin Europe: France, Picardie, Somme, Amiens Europe: France, Picardie, Somme, Daours
Accession Number	AWM2018.785.55
Collection number	AWM2018.666.1
Collection type	Digitised Collection
Record type	File
Item count	1
Object type	Diary
Physical description	140 Image/s captured
Maker	Gray, Oberlin Herbert
Place made	Belgium, France
Date made	1918
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 1 January and 22 August 1918. In his diary, Gray records his activities and what he sees as part of the 3rd Australian Field Ambulance in Belgium and France. He writes about attending to sick and wounded soldiers, prisoners of war and civilians, building a dug out, treating patients for trench foot, playing chess, being gassed in a dugout in the middle of the night, the funeral of his good friend Harry Reynolds, and seeing many observation balloons and aircraft battles. He also tells of seeing many cases of shell shock and gas poisoning, tending to very large numbers of wounded soldiers, seeng civilian refugees, his own close call with death, a sports day, and a literary club that he formed with several of his friends.
The final entry in the diary was written by Oberlin’s brother, Frederic Oliver Gray. Frederic records that he was only a few feet away from Oberlin when a shell burst and Oberlin was severely wounded in the head and side. Frederic was the first to respond, and stayed with Oberlin until he died in the early hours of 24 August 1918. Frederic wrote “Oberlin passed away without regaining consciousness. He suffered no pain whatsoever. I have never seen a more peaceful expression as was his when I saw him last.”