26 May-1 June 1915:
No entries made by Louis except for letter to Raymond on 30 May. During this time the battalion were not engaged in action. The battalion diary records little activity except for inspection of the whole Division by General Joffre on 27 May. 3 Brigades were inspected with the 20th Brigade on the right and the 2nd battalion Scots Guards drawn up behind the Grenadier Guards.
With the assistance of the History of Ceylon Tea website and Louis's diaries from 1912 and 1913, more light can be shed on those to whom Louis was writing other than his brothers and other relatives. He wrote to a 'Smeaton' earlier in May.
Louis's diaries from before the war show what life in Ceylon was like as en ex-pat planter. Weekdays are spent walking the estate checking the tea and rubber plants/trees, arranging the pay for the workers, or being confined to the state bungalow during bad weather. At the weekend there was a community of fellow ex-pats who would get together to play tennis , occasionally travel down to Colombo or just meet up for breakfast or dinner. In these diaries Louis refers to the following (always just by surname).
Smeaton, Footner, Brown, McMullin, Cooper, Morland, Harris, Gourlay, Marriott, Huntly, Upshaw, Pole, and Duncan.
Walter, his brother, also features in these earlier diary entries.
The following is an extract from the History of Ceylon tea site , relating to the management team who worked at the Sapumalkande Group estate in the Kelwani valley in Dehiowatta in the years around WW1. The full site can be found at http://www.historyofceylontea.com.
Most of the names above appear below. Smeaton being the Manager of the Estate and all the others being Asst. managers. It is noticeable how many ended their service with Sapumalkande in 1914, no doubt returning to Europe to sign up. At least two would not survive the war.
Blog note:
If you have any connection with Louis Harley or any of the men listed in his diaries, or if you have found this useful please add a comment.
No entries made by Louis except for letter to Raymond on 30 May. During this time the battalion were not engaged in action. The battalion diary records little activity except for inspection of the whole Division by General Joffre on 27 May. 3 Brigades were inspected with the 20th Brigade on the right and the 2nd battalion Scots Guards drawn up behind the Grenadier Guards.
With the assistance of the History of Ceylon Tea website and Louis's diaries from 1912 and 1913, more light can be shed on those to whom Louis was writing other than his brothers and other relatives. He wrote to a 'Smeaton' earlier in May.
Louis's diaries from before the war show what life in Ceylon was like as en ex-pat planter. Weekdays are spent walking the estate checking the tea and rubber plants/trees, arranging the pay for the workers, or being confined to the state bungalow during bad weather. At the weekend there was a community of fellow ex-pats who would get together to play tennis , occasionally travel down to Colombo or just meet up for breakfast or dinner. In these diaries Louis refers to the following (always just by surname).
Smeaton, Footner, Brown, McMullin, Cooper, Morland, Harris, Gourlay, Marriott, Huntly, Upshaw, Pole, and Duncan.
Walter, his brother, also features in these earlier diary entries.
The following is an extract from the History of Ceylon tea site , relating to the management team who worked at the Sapumalkande Group estate in the Kelwani valley in Dehiowatta in the years around WW1. The full site can be found at http://www.historyofceylontea.com.
Most of the names above appear below. Smeaton being the Manager of the Estate and all the others being Asst. managers. It is noticeable how many ended their service with Sapumalkande in 1914, no doubt returning to Europe to sign up. At least two would not survive the war.
Blog note:
If you have any connection with Louis Harley or any of the men listed in his diaries, or if you have found this useful please add a comment.
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