Diary of Oberlin Herbert Gray, April 1916 to June 1917

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

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Places	Africa: South Africa, Natal, Durban Europe: France Europe: France, Picardie, Somme, Albert Europe: France, Picardie, Somme, Albert Bapaume Area, Bapaume Europe: France, Picardie, Somme, Albert Bapaume Area, Pozieres Area, Bazentin Europe: France, Picardie, Somme, Albert Bapaume Area, Pozieres Area, Pozieres Europe: France, Picardie, Somme, Albert Bapaume Area, Pozieres Area, Pozieres, 3rd Australian Field Ambulance Europe: France, Picardie, Somme, Baizieux Europe: United Kingdom, England Oceania: Australia, Victoria, Melbourne
Accession Number	AWM2018.785.53
Collection number	AWM2018.666.1
Collection type	Digitised Collection
Record type	File
Item count	1
Object type	Diary
Physical description	90 Image/s captured
Maker	Gray, Oberlin Herbert
Place made	Australia: Victoria, Melbourne, France, United Kingdom: England
Date made	1916-1917
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 12 April 1916 and 29 June 1917. In this diary, Gray recounts his experiences of being invalided to Melbourne for several months where he heard that the Australians were fighting in France, re-embarking with his brother Frederic (‘Oll’) aboard the HMAT Euripides in September 1916, sightseeing and visiting family in England, and arriving in France in January 1917. Gray then describes his impressions of France as he travels to the battlefields of the Somme, living in the trenches (including encounters with rats), evacuating wounded men from the battlefields on stretchers and treating them, and close calls with death. In May 1917, Gray was wounded in the heel by shrapnel. This diary ends with his experiences of being wounded, evacuated, and convalescing in England.