Transcribing the First World War diaries of an Aberdonian Sapper

 A recent volunteer project has been the transcription of a set of three diaries kept by Aberdonian Sapper (later Lance Corporal) Robert Stephen from September 1916 until March 1919. These pocket notebooks were found in a skip in Kent after a house clearance, alongside a few photographs and postcards belonging to Robert. Robert ultimately died in 1980 in Hythe, Kent where his daughter Ruth lived, which explains why the diaries were found so far from his hometown. Eventually, they found their way to Aberdeen and were kindly deposited to the Archive.

Robert Stephen was born in 1894 in Peterhead, but his family had moved and were living at 44 Esslemont Avenue, Aberdeen by the time of the 1901 census. He is shown aged 6, living with father Robert (53), mother Jessie (33) and siblings Alexander (4), Alfred J (2) and Christina S (6 months).

1901 Scotland Census (Scotland's People)

Robert served as a sapper in the Royal Engineers during the First World War, serving with the 51^st (Highland) Division in Northern France and Belgium.

Plaque for the 51st Highland Division, located in Aberdeen City Town House

His two younger brothers Alexander and Alfred also served in the First World War, with the Royal Engineers in the 48^th Highland Division and the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders respectively. Alfred was killed in Belgium on 25 April 1918 aged only 19.

The first entry of Robert's1916 diary comes on 15^th September 1916 when he was drafted for service in France. 

DD2759/1 - Diary covering 15 Sept 1916 - August 1917

After a short period of leave with his family in Aberdeen, he left his hometown, family, and girlfriend (later wife) Barbara ‘Bee’ Abernethy behind him on 27^th September. 

“After dinner I got ready to go, […and…] we started for the station, where there were many friends to see us off. Then good bye to all my friends (It tells on a fellow to shake hands and leave all that is dear to him behind) 3:40 the Green Flag is waved and the train moved slowly out of the station and as I watched my Friends, Beautiful Aberdeen, & Home getting faint in the distance a lump grows in my throat which I tried hard to swallow but it was no use the last of Home for some time But God leads right.”

On 2^nd October, Robert and his comrades crossed from Southampton on the ship ‘Connaught of Dublin’, arriving at Le Havre in the early hours of the 3^rd, where they waited for the tide to take them up the River Seine to Rouen. Robert’s Christian faith is clear in his diaries with Bible verses and encouraging phrases scattered throughout. He also frequently mentions attending Gospel meetings while serving.

“As I watched the lights of England disappear in the darkness all kinds of thoughts passed through my mind. The folks at home up as I stood alone on that stern of the ship with the rain coming fairly heavy, and the ship dipping bonny, and my eyes homeward turned I asked God to bring me safe back to all. He is able.  I went Below to look for a place to have a sleep but there were men on the corridors, stairs and every place you could look were men sleeping in every hole so at last I lay down, just as I was, with coat on and cap comforter well down over my eyes.”

Once settled into his war service, many of the diary entries are brief and much less poetic, especially in 1918 and 1919 where he moves from using a small, lined notebook to purpose-made diaries with limited lines per day. He often mentions his regular correspondence with his family and his girlfriend Bee and makes a note of when he receives letters and parcels. He also frequently describes the weather he and his comrades are faced with, particularly significant when they are sleeping in tents: “Very cold weather and it is rotten under canvas in snow”.  He details spending the night in a huge range of billets from tents (in all weather), Nissen huts, barns, and, best of all, in “civie houses” where he and his comrades were often treated to homecooked meals by their local hosts and had the luxury of sleeping on real mattresses.

In 1916 and 1917, much of his work involved building dugouts and bridges, repairing roads and digging trenches, but his duties evolved through 1918.  Early that year, he was responsible for collecting and distributing post, which he completed on a bicycle. Based on his descriptions of the weather and road conditions, this cannot have been a simple job. From March 1918, Robert took up duties under the Quartermaster and continued working in that capacity, making up rations and distributing them to the advanced lines, until the end of his army service in 1919. Many of these deliveries were made by Robert riding a horse named Doll (photograph below) - he never mentions any other horse and seems very fond of her.

DD2759/11

Robert was nearing the top of the list for those due home leave when Armistice Day came around in 1918, so he arrived in Britain for the first time in over a year just a week afterwards on 16^th November 1918.

DD2759/3: 1919 Diary

“Hostilities cease to-day at 11AM great rejoicing all over. Heard the bells as I was going over open country on Doll's back stopped to make sure it was right.

HAPPY DAY. THANK GOD.”

Robert returned to France on 1^st December 1918 after visiting his family in Aberdeen and Bee in Glasgow. From then, he continued his duties in France and later in Belgium until finally being demobilised in early February 1919. He seems to have forged close friendships with the Belgian families with whom he was billeted in those final weeks of his army service, and their photographs, names and addresses are included in the collection along with the diaries. After a series of trains, a delousing treatment, a cross Channel boat journey, and even more trains, Robert arrived home in Aberdeen at 2.45am on 7^th February 1919.  Robert started work on 27^th February at John Alexander & Co (cabinetmakers, upholsterers, carpet warehousemen, and funeral undertakers at 257 Union Street, Aberdeen):

Image from Aberdeen City Council Planning Department panorama of Union Street, 1937

He went on to marry Bee in 1920, with whom he had a daughter named Ruth in 1921.

DD2759/13 - Image of Bea

These diaries give a fascinating glimpse into life on the Western Front, especially for those military personnel in non-combatant roles, which do not feature a great deal in popular culture or the wider modern public perception of the First World War. This transcription was not always easy. As one might expect, Robert’s handwriting and quality of writing implement was variable, reflecting the difficult situation around him and whether he had the time or means to write neatly.  Another interesting factor was World War One slang, which thanks to many online glossaries was mostly simple to decode.  The most common word was, of course, “Fritz” (German). Another nickname for a German, of which I was not previously aware was “Alleyman”, which appeared with several spellings, an anglicisation of the French Allemagne (Germany) or Allemand (German). The final feature of the diaries which took quite a lot of work was deciphering the French place names that Robert attempts (with varying degrees of success) to spell. I spent quite some time with online maps, scouring them for the little villages mentioned. At times I was forced into making calculated guesses based on his spelling and the village’s proximity to others he mentions in the same period. 

DD2759/18 -  XVIII Corps Card c. 1918

Mangled spellings or not, Robert maintained a clear curiosity and liking for the people and places he visited during his war service. It has been a real privilege to get to know him and, in a small way, to share in his experience of those difficult few years.

Olivia Buchan, Volunteer

The transcriptions Olivia created are available on our website: Other Indexes and Transcriptions.

If you would like to visit us to see these records, they are held at our Old Aberdeen House site under reference DD2759.