6 August 1915:
Louis records the death of his friend, Footner. The entry appears to have been made at the same time as the note 'Passed out in bomb throwing'. Louis would not have known about Footner's death immediately yet the date is the exact date he was killed, suggesting this whole entry was recorded subsequent to 6 August. It has been possible to find out more about Footner and this is set out below.
The entry relating to bomb throwing is ambiguous. Was Louis on the receiving or throwing end? And did he pass out as in fainting or succeeding?
Louis's diaries from 1912 in Ceylon show that of all the other ex-pats working on the Estates he saw Footner the most. A typical Saturday entry from 1912 :
'Finished up work & over to Footner's for dinner and night'
Or a Sunday entry:
''Over to Harris's with Footner. Met McMullin & Upshaw. Johnny's for billiards in afternoon'
I am grateful to The History of Ceylon Tea website for identifying that Louis and Footner worked together on the same estate and that Footner's initials are AH.
Searching for AH Footner leads to the following:
The above plaque is in Romsey Abbey. Footner joined the Ceylon Rifles , which became attached to the Anzac forces and he therefore ended up in Gallipoli, as part of the original landings. Subsequently gazetted as a 2nd Lieutenant with The Essex Regiment, he was killed while gallantly leading his men on an attack on the Turkish trenches at Cape Helles. 6 August 1915.
Other searches provide further background . He was born in Croydon and educated at Whitgift , and his medals were auctioned only 2 years ago:
http://www.dnw.co.uk/auction-archive/special-collections/lot.php?specialcollection_id=127&specialcollectionpart_id=61&lot_id=90762
Louis's diary for 1913 is not available, but his last entries in 1912 convey some of the atmosphere that Footner would have enjoyed in Ceylon:
Xmas eve: Dinner at F's (Footner's)with Huntly & Cooper. Morland and Brown came up later.
Xmas day:Breakfast at Coopers and down to Morlands evening, eleven of us there boxing etc. Back to F's to sleep.
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.
The entry relating to bomb throwing is ambiguous. Was Louis on the receiving or throwing end? And did he pass out as in fainting or succeeding?
Louis's diaries from 1912 in Ceylon show that of all the other ex-pats working on the Estates he saw Footner the most. A typical Saturday entry from 1912 :
'Finished up work & over to Footner's for dinner and night'
Or a Sunday entry:
''Over to Harris's with Footner. Met McMullin & Upshaw. Johnny's for billiards in afternoon'
I am grateful to The History of Ceylon Tea website for identifying that Louis and Footner worked together on the same estate and that Footner's initials are AH.
Searching for AH Footner leads to the following:
The above plaque is in Romsey Abbey. Footner joined the Ceylon Rifles , which became attached to the Anzac forces and he therefore ended up in Gallipoli, as part of the original landings. Subsequently gazetted as a 2nd Lieutenant with The Essex Regiment, he was killed while gallantly leading his men on an attack on the Turkish trenches at Cape Helles. 6 August 1915.
Other searches provide further background . He was born in Croydon and educated at Whitgift , and his medals were auctioned only 2 years ago:
http://www.dnw.co.uk/auction-archive/special-collections/lot.php?specialcollection_id=127&specialcollectionpart_id=61&lot_id=90762
Louis's diary for 1913 is not available, but his last entries in 1912 convey some of the atmosphere that Footner would have enjoyed in Ceylon:
Xmas eve: Dinner at F's (Footner's)with Huntly & Cooper. Morland and Brown came up later.
Xmas day:Breakfast at Coopers and down to Morlands evening, eleven of us there boxing etc. Back to F's to sleep.
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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