- Author
- Murmin, Midshipman C.E. NSW Naval Brigade
- Subjects
- 19th century wars
- Tags
- None noted.
- RAN Ships
- None noted.
- Publication
- March 1976 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)
Saturday 13th.
Turned out at 6 a.m. and it was very cold. We found that one of the junks had been stove-in and hence the delay. We left camp at 9 a.m. and marched 9 miles through very good country and saw a lot of tobacco plant and cotton growing and arrived at Nantsaitsun at 1.00 and found a party of Madras Pioneers in camp here. We got plenty of water from a well and the junks arrived at 4.30.
Just near us there were some Japanese soldiers in camp and I went over and had a look at them and they showed me their rifles and ammunition and Japanese books and gave me some Japanese sweetmeat that tasted like a mixture of preserved fruits and sugar.
During the night it came on to blow and rain very hard.
Sunday 14th.
We pitched our tents at 5.30 and remained in camp till next day. I went through two villages in the afternoon to see if I could get some curios but did not get much. There were a lot of temples in them and they were full of images, some about 9 feet high and others about 6 inches, but all the places had been ransacked and there was nothing valuable left. I got some pictures off the walls and some Chinese notebooks and envelopes and a wooden trunk and after having a couple of shots at a dog with my revolver returned to camp. Field Marshal von Waldersee passed us at 12 a.m.
Monday 15th.
I was up at 3.45 a.m. to see my Company’s blankets stowed and tents struck and was then told to go in charge of the Hospital Junk. The junks left camp at 5 a.m. and the Brigade left at 8 a.m. We were passed by the Brigade at 12 and as we had 20 miles to go we had to push on. I got 5 rifles and 200 rounds of ammunition on deck in case of an attack as we never knew when we would meet some Boxers.
I did some signalling for an hour and arrived at No-Su-Wu at 3.30 and found Russians, Americans, Japanese, Germans and English in camps there. I went through the village and bought some eggs, persimmons and pears at a very small cost, and went over to the Japanese camp and had a look around. After I had returned to camp I was standing with Gillam when we saw a Russian knocking a coolie and we found out that the Russian had robbed the coolie, who belonged to one of our junks, of six dollars, so the Captain and Gillam and myself went to British Headquarters to see about it, but the Port Commandant was out and we came back to camp and the Captain gave the coolie six dollars.
Tuesday 16th October 1900.
Struck camp at 5 a.m. and left at 7 a.m. having had to put fresh water on all the junks. We marched all the way alongside the river so as not to lose sight of the junks, and after marching for 12 miles halted for the night at 6 p.m. While on the march, we passed some Russian Artillery and some Americans, but nothing of event happened. We were now camped between Hsiang-Ho- Tsien and Matou.
Wednesday 17th.
Left camp at 7 a.m. We followed the river all the way and marched 12 miles, arriving at Matou at 12.20. Matou is just a Chinese village and there are British, German, French, Russian, American and Japanese posts there. The junks arrived at 4.30 and made fast.