Gallipoli war diary of Lieutenant Quartermaster George Claridge

George Claridge first enlisted in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers on the 15th Sept 1884 and served for almost 24 years, he was discharged at his own request on the 15th July 1908. However he applied for the position of quartermaster in the Territorial 5th Battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and was appointed to the post in July 1908. When war was declared in 1914 he volunteered for service overseas and on 14th July 1915 sailed for Gallipoli. George's war diary gives mainly a matter of fact account of each days activities, fighting and the conditions with some exceptions, when he gives far more detail. One particular instance is his diary entry for the 10th of August 1915 describing a march he would never forget, 3.5 miles in dreadful conditions. Through "thick shiny mud" sinking up to their knees, having to rest every 120 yards he wrote that he "nearly cried" at the end of that day, which highlights the severity of the conditions given that George was a professional soldier with considerable service. By the end of November George had contracted conjunctivitus so severely he could not see and was sent on the 30th November via hospital ship (Galeka) to Alexandria. He rejoined his Battalion in February 1916 and in January 1917 was posted to Palastine. During the period 1915 - 17 he was mentioned twice in despatches.