1915

WAR: 1915

The AIF began 1915 camped in Egypt. In Europe a fierce winter was beginning to set in laying England in a blanket of snow. The military authorities had originally planned to base the Australians in camps on the Salisbury Plain in the south of England however the cold climate had quickly turned that area into a series of quagmires that was seriously effecting the morale of the Canadian troops already there. As no proper accommodation could be assured in England and France for such a large body of men, it was decided to send them to Egypt where they could complete their training in a healthier climate.

At the same the Ottoman’s in Turkey had decided to enter the war on Germany’s side, which caused some concern to the British troops garrisoned to the west of the Suez Canal. So by sending the Australians to Egypt, this would also mean they could help strengthen British defences there and contribute to the security of the country.

So while they were here the Australians undertook further training, interspersed with leave to see the ancient sights of Cairo and the Pyramids. They found the Middle East an exotic environment whose people had peculiar customs and habits and who they looked down upon as being dirty, distasteful and dishonest. They sent home postcards and letters telling stories of what they saw and experienced and fairly soon people at home came to know more about Egypt than they knew about the Northern Territory.

January 1^st, 1915 –
Albert Clegg (Wandin): Leaves his family’s property in Wandin and enlists in the Royal Australian Navy for a period of five years, he is 18 years old.

January 2^nd, 1915 –
Pte Donald Fergus Scott (Mt Evelyn), 6^th Battalion: At Mena Camp, Cairo. In a letter to his family – ‘As a camp it is miles ahead of Broadmeadows. We don’t have to eat our meals out in the open they have built mess rooms for each company where you can buy a good cup of coffee or cocoa for half piaster also cakes and soft drinks at the same price. To each brigade there is a dry and wet canteen and cook houses, ice cream shops, laundries, fancy goods, shops, tailors, boot shops, a place where you can get a hot bath for four piasters, watchmakers, two picture theatres, one variety show, five or six extra restaurants – all exclusively for the benefit of the soldier. So we have not much to grumble about’.

January 3^rd, 1915 –
Pte Horace Allen (Mt Evelyn), 6^th Battalion: Is admitted to hospital in Egypt suffering from synovitis of the right knee.

January 4^th, 1915 –
William Long (Silvan): Leaves his job as a chainman and enlists in the AIF, he is 20 years old.

January 5^th, 1915 –
Thomas Ogilvy (Seville): Leaves his brother David’s property in Seville where he works and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, he is 20 years old. His brother David would follow him four months later and enlist in the AIF.

January 6^th, 1915 –
Leslie Jack (Seville): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 23 years old.

Harry Dawson (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a carpenter and enlists in the AIF, he is 23 years old.

Ern Mason (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 25 years old.

Albert Walker (Montrose): Leaves his job as a carpenter and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, he is 20 years old.

January 7^th, 1915 –
Arthur Rouget (Wandin): Leaves his family’s property in Wandin and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, he is 25 years old.

Reginald Farndon (Mt Dandenong): Leaves his job as a clerk and enlists in the AIF, he is 21 years old. His younger brother Leslie would follow him and enlist in a few months’ time.

January 10^th, 1915 –
Pte Archie ‘Smiler’ Williams (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: In camp at Mena, Cairo, Egypt. In a letter to a friend in Lilydale – ‘The training here is far more advanced than in Australia and marches of 12 or 15 miles, or bivouacs and night attacks in the desert are not novelties to us now. The weather has become much hotter and a big percentage of our work is carried out at night. We are supposed to have finished our training and only (!) work 10 hours a week (5 days) and counting Sunday, when we have church parade. The other day we have a holiday from 10am till 11.30pm and can go where we like’.

January 11^th, 1915 –
Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: At Mena Camp, Cairo. From his diary –‘Went to Mena House. Our deepest thanks we owe to our people at home for the books they have given us. We have a library in camp and we are able to pass many weary hours at night reading. Visited the zoo, reckon Melbourne zoo not to be compared with this one’.

January 12^th, 1915 –
Leslie Gamble (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a salesman and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, he is 26 years old.

January 13^th, 1915 –
Norman Stewart (Wandin): Is working as a carpenter in New Zealand when he decides to enlist in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, he is 34 years old.

Ernest Williams (Lilydale): Leaves his job at a saw mill and enlists in the AIF, he is 22 years old.

January 15^th, 1915 –
David Mitchell (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a pastry cook and enlists in the AIF at the recruiting office in Lilydale, he is 18 years old.

Frederick Randolph (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a waiter and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, he is 26 years old.

January 17^th, 1915 –
Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: At Mena Camp, Cairo. From his diary –‘Played football against the Light Horse this afternoon, lost by two points. This was the first Australian game played in Egypt’.

January 20^th, 1915 –
Dvr Donald Lord (Mt Evelyn), Australian Army Service Corps: Is admitted to hospital in Egypt suffering from rheumatism. He is later sent to England for further treatment. In a letter to his wife –‘I have been nearly crippled with rheumatism since leaving Australia. They are sending me to hospital as soon as possible for treatment but I am afraid they will send me back. I hope to enlist again as soon as I am better’.

Vincent Lawlor (Gruyere): Leaves his job as a metal worker to enlist in the AIF, he is 21 years old.

January 25^th, 1915 –
Thomas Eales (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a law clerk and enlists at the AIF at the recruiting office in Lilydale, it is his 19^th birthday.

Rae Lucke (Montrose): Leaves his job as a coach builder and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, he is 18 years old. His older brother John would follow him in a few months and also enlist.

January 27^th, 1915 –
Pte John Mounsey (Seville), 9^th Light Horse Regiment: Is discharged from the military for refusing to be inoculated.

January 28^th, 1915 –
Dvr Charles Clarke (Mt Dandenong), 2^nd Field Artillery Brigade: Is admitted to hospital in Egypt suffering from measles.

Edward Buck (Wandin): Leaves his job as a farm worker in Wandin to enlist in the AIF, he is 21 years old.

January 29^th, 1915 –
Pte Frank Kingsley-Norris (Lilydale), 1^st Light Horse Field Ambulance: In an excerpt from his auto-biography ‘No Memories for Pain’: ‘Up I swayed along the curving road that leads to the first pyramid of Cheops. Only when I was right against this huge structure did I appreciate the enormity of its construction, the effort and the cruelty that must have gone into the production and placing of those huge blocks of stone. Then of course I had to climb to the top of the pyramid. It really was not climbing but clambering, shoved and hoistered from behind by Abdul, and the view from the top was worthwhile’.

February 1^st, 1915 –
Trp Albert Briers (Lilydale), 4^th Light Horse Regiment: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Katuna.

Pte Felix Hargrave (Lilydale), 7^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Gasson.

February 2^nd, 1915 –
Pte Duncan Campbell (Seville), 5^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Clan Macgillivray.

Pte Richard Glass (Lilydale), 5^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Clan Macgillivray.

Pte James Mackie (Seville), 6^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Clan Macgillivray.

Pte Ernest Clow (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Clan Macgillivray.

Pte Walter Staff (Wandin), 14^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Clan Macgillivray.

James Drummond Burns (Lilydale): Having just finished his schooling at Scotch College, he holds off his scholarship to Ormond College to enlist in the AIF at the recruiting office in Lilydale, he is 18 years old and the son of the local Presbyterian Minister.

February 3^rd, 1915 –
Dvr Alfred Parish (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Artillery Brigade: Is ordered to be sent back to Australia from Egypt on the HT Kyarra to be discharged as medically unfit. While at Broadmeadows he was kicked by a horse in the left upper abdomen and then on the ship was hit in the same place during a boxing match. Afterwards he becomes melancholic in his attitude and according to a report ‘fought and bit at everybody and tried to stab himself in the abdomen. Was sent to the 2^nd Field Ambulance where he did not speak for three days and was found wandering around in an irresponsible state. Speech suddenly returned and his mind was blank as to what happened in the previous six days’.

George Brown (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a fitter and turner to enlist in the AIF, he is 32 years old.

February 4^th, 1915 –
Ordinary Seaman Nolan Footit (Gruyere): Is transferred to HMAS Fantome, a Cadmus class sloop, but would only spend the next few weeks on the ship before being transferred back to the base at HMAS Cerberus.

February 5^th, 1915 –
Harry Moore (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a mill hand to enlist in the AIF, he is 23 years old.

February 6^th, 1915 –
Pte Archie ‘Smiler’ Williams (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: In camp at Ismailia, Egypt, on the Suez Canal. In a letter to a friend in Lilydale –‘The 7^th and 8^th went to Ismailia, on the Suez, when the Turks attacked, but the Turks were beaten before we got there and we only saw the end of the scrap. There’s not much doing here now and it’s a brute of a day – I’m sure its 130 degree’.

In another letter – ‘When the great scare of the Turkish invasion of Egypt came at the beginning of February, our (the 8^th) and the 7^th Battalions were sent to Ismailia on the Suez Canal but we got there at the tag end of the scrap and though we occupied the trenches for a while, we did not have any fighting. We spent a week at Ismailia and then came back to Mena’.

February 7^th, 1915 –
Pte Frank Kingsley-Norris (Lilydale), 1^st Light Horse Field Ambulance: In an excerpt from his auto-biography ‘No Memories for Pain’: ‘Along the pavements in Cairo were small tables and chairs, but no sooner would one sit down and order a drink than an endless stream of fly specked touts would gather and, before our ordered drinks arrived, press sherbet and gazooza upon us. Others brought food, fruit, carpets, antikers, chairs, couches, fly whisks, rhinoceros hide whips, jewellery and dirty postcards. There leering pests were the worst of the lot and the hardest to get rid of, except the baksheesh boys holding out their filthy hands’.

February 8^th, 1915 –
Dvr Donald Lord (Mt Evelyn), Australian Army Service Corps: Arrives in England from Egypt to undergo further treatment for his rheumatism. In a letter to his wife: ‘Well, we are in England at last. Things here are on the go just the same except that everywhere you go there are soldiers, the streets are full of them. At the depots one sees wicked looking guns, innumerable horses, stacks of forage cases of bully beef and tins of biscuits until you wonder where the stuff comes from. It’s done nothing else but rain since we have been here’.

February 9^th, 1915 –
Trp Albert Briers (Lilydale), 4^th Light Horse Regiment: On board the HMAT Katuna. In a letter to his sister in Lilydale – ‘The boat left Port Melbourne pier at 5 o’clock on 3^rd February and we had a good trip down the bay. We got outside the Heads about dark then we got into ‘The Rip’ and every one of us was sick as it was so rough. The steamer rolled and pitched terribly. It was the toughest part all the way over. We got to Newcastle on the 8^th of February where we had to load 500 horses, coal, feed for the horses, and different other things. We did not call at any port of Australia again. It was rough all the way from Newcastle till we left the Australian coast then the sea was as calm as a piece of wood all the way. One night a steamer was sighted on the port side about 20 miles off, and all lights were put out, everyone on board was afraid it was a German cruiser because they could not get anything from her wireless, but nothing happened’.

February 10^th, 1915 –
Walter Summers (Seville): Leaves his family’s property at Seville and his job at the State Savings Bank in Fitzroy to enlist in the AIF, he is 25 years old. His younger brother Reginald would also enlist in the AIF in August 1915.

Harry Boxall (Silvan): Leaves his job as a farm hand around Silvan and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, he is 29 years old.

February 11^th, 1915 –
Trp Walter Dawson (Lilydale), 9^th Light Horse: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Karroo.

February 12^th, 1915 –
Ordinary Seaman Samuel Rouget (Wandin): Is transferred to HMAS Una, a sloop that was a former German motor launch, and would spend the next year patrolling the Pacific, especially round the New Guinea and New Britain area.

Trp Gilbert Mounsey (Seville), 9^th Light Horse Regiment: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Armadale.

Trp Robert Purves (Lilydale), 9^th Light Horse Regiment: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Armadale.

February 19^th, 1915 –
Pte Frederick Crooks (Wandin), 6^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Runic.

Pte Leonard Giddins (Olinda), 7^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Runic.

Pte William Long (Silvan), 8^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Runic.

Spr Michael McCristal (Lilydale), 3^rd Light Horse: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Runic.

February 21^st, 1915 –
Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: At Mena Camp, Cairo. From his diary –‘Held quite a reception of Lilydale boys. ‘Smiler’, C Noden, Bert Reid, Lawlor, A Bedbrook, Billy Mac, Harry Hunt and self – all met’.

February 22^nd, 1915 –
Pte George Ingram (Seville), Tropical Force: Leaves Australia bound for Rabaul on the HMAT Eastern.

Albert Douglas (Seville): Leaves his parent’s property at Seville and enlists in the AIF, he is 21 years old.

William English (Mt Evelyn): Leaves his job as a woodworker and enlists in the AIF, he is 21 years old.

Cyril Gregan (Olinda): Leaves his job as a railway porter and enlists in the AIF, he is 19 years old.

February 24^th, 1915 –
Richard Robertson (Mt Evelyn): Leaves his job as a wire netter and enlists in the AIF, he is 31 years old.

Henry Warwick (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a baker and enlists in the AIF, he is 22 years old.

February 25^th, 1915 –
Trp Albert Walker (Montrose), 8^th Light Horse Regiment: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Star of Victoria.

Trp Iver Hamilton (Mt Evelyn), 8^th Light Horse Regiment: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Star of Victoria.

February 27^th, 1915 –
Clyde Richardson (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a hairdresser and enlists in the AIF, he is 26 years old.

Harry Stevens (Seville): Leaves his parent’s property on Warburton Hwy, Seville and enlists in the AIF at the recruiting office at Lilydale, he is 19 years old.

March 2^nd, 1915 –
Charles Cox (Gruyere): Leaves his job as a carpenter and enlists in the AIF, he is 19 years old.

March 3^rd, 1915 –
Pte Archie ‘Smiler’ Williams (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: In camp at Mena, Cairo, Egypt. In a letter to a friend in Lilydale – ‘Ismailia is a pretty place on Lake Timsah, through which the boats using the canal pass. In contrast to Cairo, its houses are more like the high-class residential ones in Australia – Toorak, and not like magnificent hotels. There are very pretty public gardens all round the place – in fact, the town seems like one big garden, even the houses being covered with flowering creepers. The natives too seem of a better class than at Cairo, and you are not pestered with hundreds of boot blacks, orange sellers, donkey men, and others after the eternal backsish.

On our whole holidays most of us go to Cairo by the electric trams or motors cars, and generally manage to have a pretty good time. The buildings of the city are very elaborate and look like huge hotels. Drinking saloons abound in the city and the standard of morality is very low. In the streets you are pestered with bootblacks, guides and hawkers, who want to sell you anything from a walking stick to a camel at four times their value, and if you happen to buy anything you have to haggle with the vendors to get the article at near its real value. The slums are low and most filthy; indeed, the main streets are narrow and none to clean, but the minor streets are absolutely fever stricken, and you never see a native child without its eyes being full of flies, which no doubt accounts for the large number of natives with diseases of the eyes.

The eating houses are dearer than in Australia, and you can’t get a decent meal under 12 piastres (2s 6d). There are many places of interest in and around Cairo – the Citadel, part of which is now a hospital, native mosques, the Egyptian Museum, which contains a lot of ancient and surprising things, and the Zoo at Gizeh, which is every bit as good as the Melbourne ones’.

March 4^th, 1915 –
Pte Charles Willimott (Lilydale), Mechanical Transport Division: Arrives in the United Kingdom from Egypt. He is with a group assigned to assist the British Transport Service on the Western Front and as a result is one of the first AIF men to arrive for service in Europe. In a letter to a friend in Lilydale – ‘We had a good trip over. We were in Egypt only five days and left all the other troops there. It took us just two months to get here’.

March 5^th, 1915 –
William Parker (Silvan): Leaves his job as a tree feller around the district and enlists to serve in the AIF, he is 24 years old and married.

March 6^th, 1915 –
Claude Atkinson (Lilydale): Leaves his job with the Victorian Railways and enlists in the AIF, he is 18 years old.

March 8^th, 1915 –
Trp Albert Briers (Lilydale), 4^th Light Horse Regiment: At Mena Camp, Egypt. In a letter to his sister in Lilydale – ‘We are camped about four miles from Cairo City on a sandy desert and I can tell you it is rather cold at night and fairly warm in the day. Cairo is a very big place and it is pretty easy to lose yourself there. There are millions of people and the streets are about a chain wide. I have heard a lot about the slums of London but I don’t think they could be any worse than here. About 20 of us went through the slums one night. You can see fowls, dogs, cats people etc all living together’.

March 9^th, 1915 –
Henry Maidment (Lilydale): Leaves his job with the railways and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, he is 23 years old.

March 10^th, 1915 –
Dvr Arthur Bedbrook (Mt Evelyn), Australian Army Service Corps: Is admitted to hospital in Egypt after being kicked in the head by a horse which results in some loss of hearing.

March 11^th, 1915 –
Pte Horace Allen (Mt Evelyn), 6^th Battalion: Arrives back in Australia on the HT Kyarra to be discharged as medically unfit as a result of developing synovitis of the right knee.

March 12^th, 1915 –
Leslie Farndon (Mt Dandenong): Leaves his job as a farm hand in the Yarra Valley and enlists in the AIF, he is 19 years old.

March 13^th, 1915 –
Frank Foster (Montrose): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 24 years old.

March 14^th, 1915 –
Pte Norman Stewart (Wandin), New Zealand Samoan Relief Force: In August 1914 New Zealand forces invaded and took over the German Colony of Samoa in the Pacific. Norman arrived on this day with a Relief Force of New Zealand troops to help garrison the islands.

March 15^th, 1915 –
Richard Plummer (Olinda): Leaves his job as a boilermaker and enlists in the AIF, he is 20 years old.

March 16^th, 1915 –
Pte Charles Willimott (Lilydale), Mechanical Transport Division: In England. In a letter to a friend in Lilydale – ‘We are present billeted in Romsey, in the south of England, but are under orders to clear – I don’t know where. England is just one huge camp – troops everywhere. They all live in huts. Some of the camps are almost as large as Melbourne. We are engaged in carting stores and road material in one of the camps about 30 miles out. If it were not that one sees so many troops about one would never realise that he is within about 100 miles of the firing line, as business goes on just as usual. The only difference is that all the towns are in semi-darkness at night, London was not like the same place at night with all the lights lowered. I was granted five days’ leave, so I looked up my old Dad but found that almost all my old friends were at the front or training in Kitchener’s army’.

March 20^th, 1915 –
Pte Fred Whiteside (Lilydale), 14^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Shropshire.

March 21^st, 1915 –
Tpr Albert Briers (Lilydale), 4^th Light Horse Regiment: At Mena Camp, Cairo, Egypt. In a letter to his mother – ‘The Egyptian men are very small and the Australians look very fine soldiers alongside them. The coming of the Australian Army was a godsend to Cairo, as there are not many tourists here this season. Cairo was a great surprise to us all. It is a bigger place than Melbourne and roaming about on your own is not safe as one does not know when he might get a knife between the ribs. But as for the slums, they are simply awful, and the filth and dirt seem to be enjoyed by the queer mixture lolling about.

There are lots of things of interest to see over here – museum, skating rink, racecourse, theatres, picture shows and other places where one can enjoy himself. But all these sweet things will be knocked on the head now as we expect to be called away any minute. I suppose to have a piece of Turkey for dinner’.

March 22^nd, 1915 –
Ebenezer Gray (Seville): Leaves his job as a gardener on his family’s orchard ‘Theodore’ and enlists in the AIF at the recruiting office at Lilydale, he is 28 years old.

John Irwin (Mooroolbark): Leaves his job as a linesman in Sydney and enlists in the AIF, he is 22 years old.

March 24^th, 1915 –
Levi Trayford (Lilydale): Leaves his job as farmer and enlists in the AIF, he is 18 years old.

Peter Brander (Lilydale): Leaves his job as labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 27 years old. However after this date no further word is heard from the authorities about him, he fails to report for duty, and he is eventually discharged.

March 26^th, 1915 –
Rupert Bloom (Lilydale): Leaves his job as farmer and enlists in the AIF, he is 21 years old.

David Lohman (Lilydale): Leaves his job as manager of Cave Hill’s bacon curing and enlists in the AIF, he is 25 years old and married.

March 27^th, 1915 –
Harold Manders (Wandin): Leaves his job as a marine engineer and enlists in the AIF, he is 25 years old.

March 28^th, 1915 –
Cpl William Aicher (Mt Evelyn), 6^th Battalion: At Mena Camp. In a letter to a friend in Mt Evelyn – ‘There was a bit of a fight here in Cairo between the natives and the soldiers on Thursday, and myself and four others just escaped serious damage. Five of us were having a look at the native quarters when the blacks suddenly attacked us and drove us into a blind alley and then attacked us with chairs, sticks, stones and various other articles. They got very savage and I thought it was all up with us, so we got right into them knocking many about. Mr Scott’s son Fergus and I stuck well together and came out of the fray with minor bruises. There must have been nearly 100 of the black rascals but they all showed the white feather when we knocked a dozen or so of them about’.

March 29^th, 1915 –
Harry Black (Coldstream): Leaves his family’s property at Coldstream and enlists in the AIF, he is 26 years old.

Harold Clark (Gruyere): Leaves his job as a bank manager in Norwood, SA, where he had been working, and enlists in the AIF, he is 31 years old.

Ernest Commerford (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 34 years old.

George Joy (Mt Evelyn): Leaves his job as a plumber and enlists in the AIF, he is 19 years old.

Michael Upton (Yering): Leaves his family’s property ‘Valley View’ in Yering and enlists in the AIF, he is 22 years old.

March 30^th, 1915 –
Ray Tregear (Mt Evelyn): Leaves his job with the Commercial Bank in Christchurch, New Zealand, where he had been working, and enlists in the New Zealand Military Forces, he is 23 years old.

April 2^nd, 1915 –
THE BATTLE OF THE WASSIR, CAIRO, EGYPT
For the Australians in Egypt, life soon became both monotonous and impatient as they waited to go into action. Fairly soon some of the more boisterous and high spirited young soldiers began to run wild. Discipline deteriorated, military offences increased and the incidents of venereal disease rose. This all culminated with a large riot in the red light district of Cairo called the Wassir where they went as far as to burn buildings and destroy shops.

Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: At Mena Camp, Cairo. From his diary – ‘Big riot in Cairo this evening’.

Pte Frank Kingsley-Norris (Lilydale), 1^st Light Horse Field Ambulance: In an excerpt from his auto-biography ‘No Memories for Pain’ –‘The fun began on our way back; our route lay through the least reputable street in the disreputable portion of the city – the Wassir, the red light area. As we turned into this narrow way, I had a front seat view of a most remarkable sight. From an upstairs balcony came sailing an iron bedstead complete with its streaming mosquito net canopy, crash on to the roadway and then pandemonium. For a few moments we watched while smoke began to curl from the buildings and girls in various dress and undress rushed out, shouting, to join the clamorous, congealing crowd. We had just room to turn and retreat as the shouting and yelling rose to a roar. We turned down another street as the smoke was billowing. We had witnessed the opening shot of the famous Battle of the Wassir.

A band of Australian soldiers, according to the New Zealanders (or a band of New Zealand soldiers, according to the Australians), had counter-attacked this brothel area in reparation for their disabilities. We learnt later that the battle went on for hours; as often as the fire hoses were adjusted they were slashed by the troops and it was the end of the day before the fires could be controlled and order restored. After that, the area was out of bounds for all troops’.

April 3^rd, 1915 –
George Davies (Kilsyth): Leaves his orchard in Kilsyth and enlists in the AIF, he is 30 years old.

April 5^th, 1915 –
Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: From his diary – ‘Embarked on SS Mashobra’.

April 7^th, 1915 –
Henry Hogan (Olinda): Leaves his job as a butcher and enlists in the AIF, he is 18 years old.

April 8^th, 1915 –
Cpl William Aicher (Mt Evelyn), 6^th Battalion: At Mena Camp. In a letter to a friend in Mt Evelyn –‘We are still in Egypt and are greatly disappointed to be left here for a longer period. I don’t know what the people will think of us. Judging from the Australian papers we receive here, they must think we are all downright rotters of the very lowest degree. Well, there are some bad ones, indeed, but the majority are all of excellent character’.

April 9^th, 1915 –
Pte Archie ‘Smiler’ Williams (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: At Mena Camp. In a letter to a friend in Lilydale – ‘I suppose everyone has seen the letters in the papers written by Captain Bean. Well, though to a certain extent he was right, he exaggerated things very much, and was practically forced by the authorities here to contradict his statements in future letters. With about 40,000 or more men camped together, when they have a holiday and get a little drink into them they are apt to kick over the traces a bit. There are very few ‘wasters’ as they are now being weeded out and sent home in disgrace. I hope this will correct Captain Bean’s statement and Lilydale people will not be under the misconception that their representatives in Egypt are a disgrace to Lilydale and Australia. We expect to move at any time to anywhere, and we won’t be sorry, as we expected to be at the front long before this’.

Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: In his diary – ‘Dropped anchor off Lemnos. Troopships arriving by dozens. We practice disembarking. A most wonderful sight we are in a natural harbour completely hidden from the outside sea, the entrance protected by mines etc. Every protection taken against hostile aircraft, no lights at night’.

April 10^th, 1915 –
Alicia Kelly (Mt Dandenong): Leaves her job as a nurse at a private hospital in Melbourne and enlists in the Australian Army Nursing Service, she is 29 years old.

April 11^th, 1915 –
Pte Felix Hargrave (Lilydale), 7^th Battalion: In a letter to his sister in Lilydale – ‘There are a lot of French and Greeks here in Cairo which is a big place about twice as big as Melbourne but not half as well laid out, most of the streets are narrow, choked and smell somewhat. There are thousands of black faces thronging the streets, the men and women dressing alike. One is reminded much of the Bible here, by the markets and the people riding about on asses, men carting water on their backs in goat skins and camels and hump back oxen doing all the heavy work.

This is a remount depot for the Light Horse. There are about 5000 horses here so you may imagine the work they make. This is what we have been doing since we landed – trucking and shifting them about, up all night unloading chaff and fodder. There are a lot of English soldiers here but they don’t compare with our chaps, some of them being mere schoolboys.

We have received word that all our company except 50 have to move to Mena. I am one of the 50 left – just my rotten luck if there is any fighting. I am just longing to have a cut in at some of them. I often think of the quiet little town of Lilydale. You ought to be thankful it is peaceful over there. By the time you receive these letters I hope to be nearer the fighting and get a crack at some of those big ugly Germans’.

April 12^th, 1915 –
Alfred Leonard (Olinda): Leaves his job as a railway porter and enlists in the AIF, he is 38 years old and married.

Wilson Evans (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a flour miller and enlists in the AIF, he is 22 years old.

April 15^th, 1915 –
John Lucke (Montrose): Leaves his job as a carpenter and enlists in the AIF, he is 20 years old. His brother Rae had enlisted earlier in January.

April 17^th, 1915 –
Alfred Parish (Lilydale): After returning from Egypt to Melbourne, he is discharged from the AIF as medically unfit, he then moves to Sydney and enlists again there.

Pte Vincent Lawlor (Gruyere), 5^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Hororata.

Pte Charles Cox (Gruyere), 6^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Hororata.

Pte David Mitchell (Lilydale), 14^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Hororata.

Pte Ray Tregear (Mt Evelyn), New Zealand Veterinary Corps: Leaves New Zealand bound for Egypt on the HMNZT Waitamo.

Stanley Mounsey (Seville): Leaves his job as a labourer in South Australia to enlist in the Australian Light Horse, he is 19 years old and married with one child. Three of his brothers had already enlisted.

April 19^th, 1915 –
Charles Osborne (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a labourer to enlist in the AIF, he is 23 years old.

April 22^nd, 1915 –
Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: In his diary – ‘Can’t say I’ve enjoyed these 3 weeks on this boat, there is no sleeping accommodation, I have slept under the mess table these last 21 days’.

Dvr William Lysaght (Lilydale), 9^th Light Horse Regiment: Leaves Australian bound for Egypt on the HMAT Wiltshire.

April 23^rd, 1915 –
Cpl James Drummond Burns (Lilydale), 21^st Battalion: While stationed at Broadmeadows Military Camp he writes the following poem to be published in his old school newspaper at Scotch College. It sums up how he felt about the conflict and about imperial identity as he saw it. Once published the poem hits a nerve with the general public and goes on to become the most well received and widely read piece of Australian war verse ever.

For England

The bugles of England were blowing o’er the sea,
As they had called a thousand years, calling now to me;
They wake me from dreaming in the dawning of the day,
The bugles of England – and how could I stay?

The banners of England, unfurled across the sea,
Floating out upon the wind, were beckoning to me;
Storm-rent and battle-torn, smoke-stained and grey,
The banners of England, and how could I stay?

O England, I heard the cry of those that died for thee,
Sounding like an organ voice across the winter sea;
They lived and died for England, and gladly went their way –
England, O England, how could I stay.

April 24^th, 1915 –
Pte George Williams (Lilydale), Canadian Army Medical Corps: Arrives in France and is seconded to duties with the 3^rd Canadian Field Ambulance. He serves with this unit in France until December 1918.

Pte Norman Stewart (Wandin), New Zealand Samoan Relief Force: Returns to New Zealand from Samoa suffering from malaria and is soon discharged from the military as medically unfit.

Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: In his diary – ‘Weighed anchor 5.30 this morning for the Dardanelles’.

THE LANDING AT GALLIPOLI, DARDENELLES, TURKEY

April 25^th, 1915 –
THE FIRST WAVE
Around 4.20am the 9^th, 10^th and 11^th Battalions (3^rd Brigade) landed at what became known as Anzac Cove and began making their way up the cliffs and ridges in front of them. Locals amongst that first wave were:

Pte Harold Ritchie (Kilsyth), 9^th Battalion

Pte Alexander Bonney (Lilydale), 11^th Battalion

Pte Walter Clegg (Wandin), 11^th Battalion

Sgt Thomas Williams (Lilydale), 11^th Battalion

THE THIRD WAVE

Around 5.00am the first units of the main Anzac Force (the 1^st and 2^nd Brigades) began landing at Anzac Cove and also began making their way up the cliffs and ridges in front of them, they would continue to be landed at different times for most of the day. Locals amongst the third wave (2^nd Brigade) were:

Pte Duncan Campbell (Wandin), 5^th Battalion

Pte Richard Glass (Lilydale), 5^th Battalion

Dvr Harry Hoadley (Olinda), 5^th Battalion

Sgt William McLeod (Lilydale), 5^th Battalion

Pte James Metcalf (Mooroolbark), 5^th Battalion: Is killed in action in the cliffs just above the beach. One witness, L/Cpl S Kirkwood, later stated: ‘Metcalf was killed on the day of the landing. I was near him at the time and word was passed along that Metcalf had gone. This occurred at the top of Monash Gully in the advance. At the Roll Call a few days later various men made statements to the effect that they had seen Metcalf killed’. His body was buried at the beach that day and it wasn’t until 1922 that the War Graves Commission found his body again and reburied it in the Lone Pine Cemetery at Gallipoli. He is the first from Mooroolbark to die in the war.

Pte Arthur Newman (Yering), 5^th Battalion: Is awarded the Military Medal for his actions on this day. His recommendation states: ‘As a company stretcher bearer, was conspicuous for his devotion to duty during the operations on Gallipoli Peninsula, on many occasions carrying out his work under shell fire with the utmost coolness and bravery’. He is the first local to be awarded a medal in the war.

Pte Frank Nicholls (Wandin), 5^th Battalion

Sgt Frank Olle (Gruyere), 5^th Battalion: Is wounded in action, gunshot wound to right knee, and is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in Egypt.

Cpl William Aicher (Mt Evelyn), 6^th Battalion

Pte Henry Hunt (Lilydale), 6^th Battalion

Pte Leonard Lawlor (Coldstream), 6^th Battalion: Is killed in action not long after landing on the beach, he is 21 years old. His body was buried at the beach that day and it wasn’t until 1922 that the War Graves Commission found his body again and reburied it in the Lone Pine Cemetery at Gallipoli. He is the first from Coldstream to die in the war.

Pte James Mackie (Seville), 6^th Battalion

Pte Harry McCormack (Wandin), 6^th Battalion: For some reason he is reported as being ‘missing in action’ on this day although the records were later corrected.

Pte Herbert Read (Seville), 6^th Battalion

Pte Donald Fergus Scott (Mt Evelyn), 6^th Battalion: Is wounded in action, gunshot wound to the knee, and is evacuated to hospital in Egypt. In a letter to his father in Mt Evelyn – ‘Kitchener promised that we would see fighting, and we’ve seen it and got it right in the neck! The third Brigade made the first landing on Sunday morning at daylight, covered by the fire of HMS Queen, London and Inflexible. Our brigade was next; I think ours was the first battalion but I am not sure. I was the first man ashore out of my company, not because I wanted the honor, but because I was in the first boat and a stationary boat 10ft from the shore was too good a mark for the guns in the fort.

So as soon as the boat grounded I hopped out into the water, collected my gear from the sailor in the bows and went like blazes for cover. We formed up and waited for the rest of the company and it was then that I got my first experience of shrapnel! Someone said ‘LOOK OUT!’ and we could hear a humming noise like the scraping of a badly tuned bass violin. Fortunately, it burst about 20 yds in front of us, and I don’t think it did any damage but it was a nasty jar all the same.

Then we started to advance up the hill – steeper and rougher than Mt Dandenong – with an occasional shell and a good number of bullets to keep us on the move. By the time we hurried into the firing line I had thrown away everything except my rifle, bayonet and ammunition as the weight was too much for me.

To cut a long story short I was working my way back from a message to where my own company was passing through an empty Turkish trench. I was just going to make a rush out of the other end in order to rejoin my company when bang!

I remembered no more for about an hour or so, when I woke up half buried in earth and feeling more dead than alive and for the moment utterly demoralised. I was scratched and bruised all over and when I tried to stand I found that my left leg was done for, some part of my knee was broken. So I crawled down the hill until I was picked up by the stretcher bearers, taken to the beach and thence per lighter to the hospital ship and then, worst of luck, back to Egypt’.

Pte Lyndon Watt (Lilydale), 6^th Battalion: In a letter to his friends in Lilydale – ‘We landed early on Sunday morning 25^th April and after a stubborn fight drove the Turks back three or four miles. We then entrenched and held the position; did not advance any further’.

Pte Richard Grossman (Mt Dandenong), 7^th Battalion

Pte Felix Hargrave (Lilydale), 7^th Battalion

Pte Clyde Hoffman (Montrose), 7^th Battalion: Is wounded in action, gunshot wound to the thigh, and is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in Malta.

Pte Walter Hoffman (Montrose), 7^th Battalion: Is wounded in action, gunshot wound to the upper body, and is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in Egypt. He is wounded on the same day as his twin brother Clyde.

Pte Henry Lalor (Montrose), 7^th Battalion

Pte John Rose (Lilydale), 7^th Battalion

Pte Fremont Tabbut (Lilydale), 7^th Battalion: Is killed in action not long after landing on the beach, he is 23 years old and he is buried at the Lone Pine Cemetery at Gallipoli. Originally from Minnesota, USA, he may have been the only American to be killed in action at the landing. He is the first from Lilydale to die in the war.

Pte William Tucker (Mt Dandenong), 7^th Battalion

Pte Horace Turner (Mt Dandenong), 7^th Battalion

Pte Adrian Camp (Wandin), 8^th Battalion: Is wounded in action, gunshot wound, and is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in England.

Pte Charles Campbell (Kilsyth), 8^th Battalion: Is wounded in action, gunshot wound to his feet, and evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in England. In a letter to his family – ‘We were transhipped into destroyers and then into cutters. The first party was received by the Turks right at the water’s edge but our boys sprang out through the water and charged them straight away. The shore was exactly like Mornington – a short beach with a rough high ridge at the back which we had to face. A Turkish battery was situated on a point nearby and we landed amid machine gun fire as well as shrapnel. Still we drove the beggars in with the bayonet, and after winning the first ridge had to hold it all day under heavy fire. I got hit in the feet during the first night. A bullet went out through the top of the right foot making a nice hole and pieces of the bullet flew through the left foot’.

Pte Ernest Clow (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: Is wounded in action, shrapnel wound to shoulder, and is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in Egypt. In a letter to his uncle in Lilydale – ‘It was a hard job when we were forcing a landing at the Dardanelles. We got there although we got badly knocked about. We landed about 3 o’clock on the morning of April 25^th and the Turks had machine guns waiting along the beach about 20 yds from the water’s edge and about 50 yds further away the Turks were firing from the cliffs. The Turks lost far more than we did. We just shot them down as they showed their heads, they are a lot of cowards as they won’t wait for the bayonet. I got hit at 3.30pm in the afternoon while digging trenches. We suffered pretty heavily for the first three days and after that it was not so bad for the fellows for they had trenches to get into’.

Pte Frederick Davies (Kilsyth), 8^th Battalion

Private Henry Holbrook (Montrose), 8^th Battalion

Pte Jack Lester (Yering), 8^th Battalion: Is wounded in action, gunshot wound to the knee, and is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in Egypt.

Pte Thomas Mackay (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion

Pte Lance Matthews (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion

Private Edwin Meade (Mooroolbark), 8^th Battalion

Private Herbert Meade (Mooroolbark), 8^th Battalion

Pte John Rose (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion

Pte Archie ‘Smiler’ Williams (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: In a letter to a friend in Lilydale – ‘We left Lemnos Island and steamed to the side of an island near the Dardanelles and waited a few hours. About 3am we were aroused and found we were near the place selected for the landing and the war ships were bombarding the hills, which were to be taken that day. The last meal aboard was served and after final orders and prayers all stood ready. We knew what was expected of us, and to the last man we wanted to be in it.

At about 4.30am the 3^rd Brigade landed and charged right up the heights. At 5.30am we were put into row boats, destroyers, etc and rushed with all speed to shore. We jumped out into water above our waists and scrambled through the holes, spikes, wire and all sorts of obstacles somehow to the beach, all carrying picks and shovels besides rifles and ordinary kit. The bullets were falling like a hail storm. We rushed away to the right over two or three ridges to where the 3^rd Brigade were supposed to have formed the firing line. Another battalion were supposed to be two ridges still further on, and were a bit astray, so 150 of us were ordered to go and reinforce them. It was pretty light now so with officers we pushed on.

The fire was hellish, shrapnel bursting all over and around us, and Turks sniping from every bush, and try as we would, we could not locate them. Things got too hot for us, and we had to retire, so we came back to the ridge in front of which the main body were entrenching – 100 of us. Lieut Barrett was killed and Lieut Bennett wounded, and of the 100 men who returned many were wounded. It was now 7.30pm. We entrenched as best we could and acted as screen for the firing line till 9pm. When night came we retired back to the firing line. At 11pm the Turks charged our trenches yelling ‘Allah, Allah’. We waited till they got about 50 yds from us, then out and let them have it. They got for their lives, so we had no more trouble that night beyond hunger and thirst. In the morning the sight of dead Turks was sickening’.

Pte Harry Allen (Mt Evelyn), 2^nd Field Ambulance

Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: In a letter sent to his mother in Lilydale – ‘Our corps landed on this beach an hour and a half after the first Australian put his foot ashore. We were the third party to land, before our own brigade (2^nd) was on shore, and didn’t we get a hot time after we left the destroyer and got into rowing boats. Bullets and shrapnel were heaving up the water all round. As soon as the boats touched bottom we sprang out into the water up to our waists and waded out. Wonderful to relate we never lost a man while we were landing.

In his diary –‘The fun begins. Landed under fire, our boys routed the Turks out with the bayonet but lost heavily. Have had all the excitement I want. I was hit twice by shrapnel, a scratch on the cheek and a spent one in my clothes, which I shall keep. The enemy shelled us unmercifully with shrapnel and me not having guns to reply. But I fancy our warships shut them up a bit. A bullet went through a tin I was filling my water bottle out of. Our casualties are heavy, mostly legs and arms through shrapnel, but reckon when we get our artillery going we’ll give them what they gave us – hell’.

Pte William Johnson (Mt Evelyn), 2^nd Field Ambulance

Pte Harry Matthews (Seville), 2^nd Field Ambulance

Dvr Richard Pendlebury (Seville), 2^nd Field Artillery Brigade: Letter written to his brother George from Gallipoli – ‘We left on April 24 for Turkey. On arrival we were to have our kits packed and be ready to disembark at 3am. We woke up a bit sooner than that as the warships were opening fire on the fort, to silence it and enable the infantry to land. There is a fort just along the beach called Gaba Tepe – a pretty strong ‘joint’, but the warships blew it completely off the top of the hill. They are doing great work. The Turks were bringing up a big howitzer to bear on the beach, and if they could have got it in position, it would have cleaned the issue right up. However, a warship spotted it, two shells were fired – one to get the range and the other one blew the gun of the skyline.

The first party landed about 4 am. They were in the warships boats towed by picket boats. Everything looked quiet until they got about 30 yards from the shore, and then the Turks let go with rifles and machine guns. The Australians approached as near as the boats would go, and then jumped overboard and waded ashore. They made a rush up the hill with the bayonet and cleared all the Turks off it in 20 minutes, chasing them over the next hill. It beats everyone how it was done. If you could only see the country, you would wonder too. I guess if it had been us holding it, the Turks would never have got near.

They cannot use the horses in the guns here so they put 40 of us into a beach party. A destroyer came along to take us off and while we were getting aboard about ten big shells came over from the forts and went all around us but everything went smoothly until we got into the small boats to row ashore. Then the shrapnel started bursting all around. You should have seen the chaps row. By gad they did row – two on an oar! It gives you a funny feeling when under fire for the first time.

The boats grounded some distance from the shore, so we had to hop out into the water. Some of us got into holes and sank over our heads, but we all landed safely. The first thing we did was to dig ourselves in on the side of a hill. We have some horribly narrow escapes, the country being so rough’.

Spr Charles Noden (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Company Engineers

Spr Joseph Sies (Wandin), 2^nd Field Company Engineers

LAST WAVE

At 6.00pm the 4^th Brigade were landed at Anzac Cove and quickly moved up to help fill in the gaps in the line where needed. Locals landed at this time include:

Pte Walter Staff (Wandin), 14^th Battalion

Pte George Vale (Lilydale), 8^th Field Ambulance

April 26^th, 1915 –
Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Anzac Cove. In his diary –‘The mighty ‘Queen Elizabeth’ speaks this morning. The earth fairly trembles when she fires. Oh how we duck when the ‘shrap’ flies. 5.30pm – I am writing this under a rain of shells, the noise is terrific, about eight warships and twenty guns we got into position today are belching forth to the return of Turkish shrapnel. Had a bit chipped out of my cap today, the snipers do tickle us up’.

Pte Frank Nicholls (Wandin), 5^th Battalion: Is killed in action in the cliffs above the beach on the day after the landing. He is 23 years old and is buried at the Lone Pine Cemetery on Gallipoli. He is the first from Wandin to die in the war.

Pte John Rose (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: Is firstly reported missing but is then later found wounded, gunshot wound to lower extremities, and evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in Egypt.

April 27^th, 1915 –
Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Anzac Cove. In his diary – ‘We have been shelled unmercifully today but worse at night. The valley we were carrying the wounded down was like an inferno, they dropped shells at the rate of six a minute on us. Thank God I got through without a scratch’.

Spr Joseph Sies (Wandin), 2^nd Field Company Engineers: Is wounded in action, gunshot wound to the chest and neck, and is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital on Lemnos Island.

April 28^th, 1915 –
Dvr Richard Pendlebury (Seville), 2^nd Field Artillery Brigade: On Anzac Cove. Letter written to his brother George from Gallipoli – ‘From the time of landing until Tuesday night we did not get any sleep but things are going more smoothly now. Our job consists of dragging guns up into position carrying shells to the guns, unloading barges of rations, digging pits for the guns and for the first few days carrying water and ammunition to the firing line. All these jobs are done under fire.

We used to duck whenever we heard a shell but have found since that it is no use ducking. The Turks start firing about 6am; we called it ‘Reveille’. They keep it going on and off all the morning and generally put a bit in for luck at dinner time and a big issue before dark, but they never fire their guns after dark, because it gives the positions away’.

April 29^th, 1915 –
Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Anzac Cove. In his diary –‘Our boys are well dug in now, casualties very small today. I went to the trenches tonight but no wounded men, not much shrapnel today. The snipers are very bad, one beggar fired ten shots at me today, they lobed all round but none hit me. The infantry say we are all heroes, nobody can imagine the work we have done, I’ve never worked so hard in my life. No tracks down the hills, many times we had to carry men on our backs, could not get stretchers up, and all this under heavy fire. The Turks are using some explosive bullets, they make awful wounds, the courage of our wounded boys is magnificent, never a word except their bad luck. I picked up one man with eight bullets holes in him; his one trouble was how soon he could get back to the trenches’.

April 30^th, 1915 –
Pte Archie ‘Smiler’ Williams (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: On Anzac Cove. In a letter to a friend in Lilydale – ‘We stopped in the trenches till Friday morning, 30^th, getting very little sleep, when we were relieved by the 9^th Battalion. We went back to the beach and dug like rabbits into a big hole in the side of the cliff. Then we had a bathe in the sea, with bullets falling too near to be pleasant, but were so worn out that a good sleep in the burrow was just the thing’.

Pte Leonard Giddins (Olinda), 7^th Battalion: Is landed at Anzac Cove with his regiment and moved up into the front line trenches.

May 1^st, 1915 –
Sgt William McLeod (Lilydale), 5^th Battalion: He and another Sergeant rescue a detachment of marines who were trapped in battle outposts at Wire Gully and were completely covered by Turkish fire.

Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Anzac Cove. In his diary – ‘I am sitting in my dug out and its death to poke your head out. We are on a hill about one hundred yards from the sea, the engineers have built a landing and the Army Service Corps are unloading stores. The Turkish gunners have got our range lovely and are dropping shells on us about six a minute, Scotty Robinson just got hit. It’s quite exciting and have got quite used to it now. The Turks have tried time after time to mount guns on two points of land jutting out to the sea, one on our left and the other on our right. But thanks to our Navy (with their powerful searchlights) they have never been able to fire a shot, they let them get the guns up and then blow them up’.

Frank Dixon (Wandin): Leaves his job as a clerk and enlists in the AIF, he is 21 years old.

May 2^nd, 1915 –
Pte Duncan Campbell (Wandin), 5^th Battalion: Is wounded in action, injury to right thumb, and is eventually evacuated to hospital in Malta.

Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Anzac Cove. In his diary – ‘6pm: Our usual evening reception is now on. Have just counted about fifty shells which landed in the water one hundred yards from the shore, the Turks do make some holes there. About a mile to our right the shore is pretty flat and here the Turks expected us to land. They have the beach covered with wire entanglements and I suppose mines but our heads knew a thing or two and landed us at the cliffs, altho the Turks were in large numbers there, they had no entanglements. The naval men who landed us say it was the most brilliant bayonet charge ever made, if you could see what our boys had to face you would understand’.

May 3^rd, 1915 –
Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Anzac Cove. In his diary –‘I’ve been through hell and out again. Last night the New Zealanders took a hill and got terribly cut up, had to leave the new position. Our chaps also took a hill and I think still hold it. Our section got called out at 9pm and I got in for a spell at midday today. Some of the wounds are awful, I saw some of our chaps getting up to the trenches, the Turks had a machine gun trained on them, not a man escaped. Today was the heaviest casualties since last Sunday, we worked fifty-five hours without a spell, the snipers were very bad today, bullets chipping up the ground all round us but none of our chaps hit’.

Pte James Mackie (Seville), 6^th Battalion: Is wounded in action, severe gunshot wounds to his chest, and he dies soon after. He is 20 years old and would be buried at the Beach Cemetery at Gallipoli. He is the first from Seville to die in the war. In The Age newspaper his parents placed the following words in his memory:

He rose, responsive, to his country’s call,
And gave his best – his life – his all.

May 4^th, 1915 –
Gnr Howard Guttmann (Olinda), 2^nd Field Artillery Brigade: Is wounded in action, shrapnel wound, and is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital on Mudros Island.

May 5^th, 1915 –
Pte Lyndon Watt (Lilydale), 6^th Battalion: At Cape Helles. In a letter to his friends in Lilydale – ‘On 5^th May our brigade re-embarked and sailed down the end of the Peninsula and landed at Fort Ledd et Bahr, where British and French troops had already driven the Turks back about three miles’.

Edith Yeaman (Montrose): Leaves her position as a nurse at the Melbourne Hospital and joins the Australian Army Nursing Service, she is 30 years of age.

May 6^th, 1915 –
Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: At Cape Helles. In his diary – ‘At 1am this morning we were called out to prepare to embark (2^nd Brigade). At 4am we boarded lighters and were towed out to a mine sweeper and embarked on her (Folkestone) after 1½ hours sail we disembarked at Cape Helles, at the place where the British and French landed and marched inland to about 1½ miles. We are behind the firing line where we are camped in a gully in the middle of a vineyard. Our guns, British and French, are giving the Turks a fearful bombardment. The shells are shrieking over my head something awful’.

Pte Archie ‘Smiler’ Williams (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: At Cape Helles. In a letter to a friend in Lilydale – ‘We were relieved on May 6^th with orders that the 2^nd Brigade were to go to Cape Helles at the end of the Peninsula to assist there. We were shipped on mine sweepers at 3am on Friday and reached the Cape at 8 o’clock, landed and marched two miles inland, passing a fort with big 9 inch guns that had been destroyed by the Queen Elizabeth in the bombardment. We bivouacked about two miles from the firing line’.

James Reade (Yering): Leaves his family’s farm at Yering and enlists in the AIF, he is 24 years old.

May 7^th, 1915 –
Pte Frederick Crooks (Wandin), 6^th Battalion: Is landed at Anzac Cove with his regiment and moved up into the front line trenches.

Trp Kavan Lawlor (Coldstream), 8^th Light Horse Regiment: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Palermo.

Alfred Eades (Montrose): Leaves his job as a clerk and enlists in the AIF, he is 19 years old.

THE BATTLE OF KRITHIA, CAPES HELLES, DARDANELLES, GALLIPOLI

May 8^th, 1915 –
Pte Richard Glass (Lilydale), 5^th Battalion: Is wounded in action, gunshot wound to the thigh, and is evacuated from Cape Helles to hospital in Malta. In a letter to friends in Lilydale – ‘Our brigade left ten days after we landed to go to Gallipoli to assist the French and British troops there. We were told by our CO that on account of our good work at the first place we were given the honor of the centre attack in the general advance. I will not trouble you with the horrors of that advance. We started at about 10 o’clock in the morning; we got behind the last line of reserves early in the afternoon and entrenched ourselves. We thought that we must be going to act as reserves but about 4 or 5 o’clock we got the order to advance. We crossed three lines of reserve trenches full of men. I do not know why we advanced before them as they were in front of us. We suffered horribly in that advance. I got stopped about dusk and was carried back after dark to the marines’ trenches and from there to the first dressing station’.

Pte Lyndon Watt (Lilydale), 6^th Battalion: Is wounded in action, gunshot wound to left arm and forearm, and is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in England. In a letter to his friends in Lilydale – ‘On the 8^th May we were told that our job was to take Krithia that night, at any cost. We moved off at 4pm and advanced nearly a mile under heavy fire. I had previously been in two glorious bayonet charges and was looking forward to a third. On, on, we went, rush after rush, till at last I could see our objective – a Turkish trench and Krithia. By this time, we had worked up to a high fever of madness. The fire through which we forced our way was terrific, not only coming from the front but the left also, and comrades were dropping all around us. We were just about to make another rush – it would have been the last – when my left arm got in the road of a Turkish bullet. I was never so wild in my life after getting so far and then to be put out of action without having a shot at the beggars’.

Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: At Cape Helles. In his diary – ‘Moved up near the firing line. Our brigade went into the trenches this afternoon at 5.30pm, they charged the Turks, gained one thousand yards, but what slaughter. Goodness knows how many of our boys are left; we had to carry the wounded four miles during the night’.

Pte Felix Hargrave (Lilydale), 7^th Battalion:  At Cape Helles. In a letter to his sister in Lilydale – ‘I was in the bayonet charge at Cape Helles. A bullet bent and twisted the badge on my hat and another went through the crown of it; on another occasion I got one through the pocket of my tunic, clean through a packet of cigarettes. My poor old rifle which I brought from Australia was knocked out of my hand by a piece of shrapnel, which bent the barrel into the shape of the letter S. Talk about close calls – I could write a book about them’.

Pte Archie ‘Smiler’ Williams (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: At Cape Helles. In a letter to a friend in Lilydale – ‘On Saturday 8^th May at 4.30am we moved forward to the attack passing over the firing line, occupied by the Naval Division. They cheered us till they were hoarse, for they had been hung up without relief for a week.

We then charged about 500 yds in face of a deadly hail of shrapnel, machine gun and rifle fire. One of my comrades remarked ‘will we ever get out of this! Hell is turned inside out!’ We formed a new firing line 500 yards further on and dug in there. We were in the trenches we formed till Tuesday, May 11, and had a hard time for two days through scarcity of food and water and very little sleep, until supplies could be brought to us at midnight on Tuesday, when we were relieved by the Manchesters’.

Dvr Richard Pendlebury (Seville), 2^nd Field Artillery Brigade: Letter written to his brother George from Gallipoli – ‘My mate Billy Jew is missing. He was in a charge down at Cape Helles, and is posted as missing in the camp. His battalion, the 5th, gave the Turksa horrible scare. They charged right over the English and Indian trenches, then dug themselves in 600 yds further on but Billy did not come back’.

Lt William McLeod (Lilydale), 5^th Battalion: Is killed in action in the attack on the village of Krithia. He is 30 years old and is buried at the British Commonwealth War Cemetery at Cape Helles.

Cpl William Aicher (Mt Evelyn), 6^th Battalion: Is killed in action in the attack on the village of Krithia. He is 23 years old and is buried at the British Commonwealth War Cemetery at Cape Helles. He is the first from Mt Evelyn to die in the war.

Pte Herbert Read (Seville), 6^th Battalion: Is wounded in action, bullet wound to his left eye and ear, and is evacuated to hospital in England where he would lose the sight in his left eye. In a letter written to his sister Florence: ‘I had a fortnight at it hot and strong, and pitched over a few…It is wonderful how we shifted the Turks out of the rough area, nothing but hills and gullies…I suppose that you have heard by this that I got cracked on the 8 of May. The bullet cut my eyebrow and went into the corner of my eye and came out just above my ear, the left eye and ear. All of us that got hit was dressed, put on a boat and brought here’.

Pte Richard Grossman (Mt Dandenong), 7^th Battalion: Is wounded in action, bullet wound to the right foot, and is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital on Cyprus.

Pte William Long (Silvan), 8^th Battalion: Is landed at Anzac Cove with his regiment and moved up into the front line trenches.

May 9^th, 1915 –
Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: At Cape Helles. In his diary – ‘At dawn this morning we went up to the trenches and just as we left the Turks opened hell on us. I gave myself up; I never thought we had a chance of getting through as we had no cover. So we gripped the stretchers and stooping low made a run for it. The bullets showered the air over us but providence was with us and we got through without a scratch. We moved five hundred wounded men in twenty-four hours. We were helped by the British Army Medical Corps today who put their wagons at our disposal which made things much easier for us only having to carry about one mile. Two Lilydale boys wounded – Len Watt & Bert Read’.

The following locals leave Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Euripides:

Pte Harry Boxall (Silvan), 23^rd Battalion

Pte Ernest Commerford (Lilydale), 23^rd Battalion: On Board HMAT Euripides. In a letter to friends in Lilydale – ‘We left Melbourne on 8^th May and Albany was our last port of call but we didn’t draw near enough to go ashore as we anchored out in the harbor. The entrance to the harbor was a pretty sight, being surrounded by very high red cliffs. We then sailed towards the Indian Ocean where we got a reminder of what heat we would have to go through. Heavy garments were soon discarded and singlets and knickers were the drill order, boots and socks being also dispensed with for the time being’.

Pte William English (Mt Evelyn), 23^rd Battalion

Pte Leslie Farndon (Mt Dandenong), 23^rd Battalion

Pte Cyril Gregan (Olinda), 23^rd Battalion

Pte Richard Robertson (Mt Evelyn), 23^rd Battalion

Pte Clyde Richardson (Lilydale), 23^rd Battalion

Pte Walter Summers (Seville), 23^rd Battalion

L/Cpl Michael Upton (Yering), 23^rd Battalion

Pte Claude Atkinson (Lilydale), 24^th Battalion

Pte Frank Foster (Montrose), 24^th Battalion

Pte Ebenezer Gray (Seville), 24^th Battalion

Pte George Joy (Mt Evelyn), 24^th Battalion

Pte David Lohman (Lilydale), 24^th Battalion

Sgt Harold Manders (Wandin), 24^th Battalion

Pte Levi Trayford (Lilydale), 24^th Battalion

Pte Harry Black (Coldstream), 8^th Australian Machine Gun Battalion

The following locals leave Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Ulysses:

Cpl Rupert Bloom (Lilydale), 21^st Battalion

Pte George Brown (Lilydale), 21^st Battalion

Cpl James Drummond Burns (Lilydale), 21^st Battalion

Pte Harry Dawson (Lilydale), 21^st Battalion

Pte Thomas Eales (Lilydale), 21^st Battalion

Pte Wilson Evans (Lilydale), 2^nd Machine Gun Battalion

Pte Leslie Jack (Lilydale), 21^st Battalion

Pte Ern Mason (Lilydale), 21^st Battalion

Pte Richard Plummer (Olinda), 21^st Battalion

Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Themistocles:

Pte Michael Griffin (Lilydale), 17^th Battalion

THE BATTLE OF NEUVE CHAPELLE – FRANCE (MAY 10^th – 13^th)

May 10^th, 1915 –
Gnr Alfred Niblett (Lilydale), 19^th Battery, Royal Field Artillery: In France. Writing to a friend in Lilydale –‘The bombardment of Neuve Chappelle was a hell of its own. We have had several similar ones since. We gave them a proper shaking up too. We will give them ‘baby killers’ before we have done with them. One thing, you are fairly safe from air raids out here. I see by the papers that the Australians and New Zealanders are doing fine work at the Dardanelles. I hope there are a lot more of the boys from Lilydale gone to help keep the good name up. I hope one day, if I am spared through this war, to return to Australia and renew old acquaintances. I have no more time to write; we are just going to pepper the Huns again’.

David Ogilvy (Seville): Leaves the property he runs with his brother at Seville and enlists in the AIF, he is 30 years old and married.

George Harrison (Wandin): Leaves his job as a clerk and enlists in the AIF, he is 25 years old.

May 11^th, 1915 –
Pte Walter Staff (Wandin), 14^th Battalion: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in Egypt suffering from influenza.

May 12^th, 1915 –
Pte John Irwin (Mooroolbark), 17^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on HMAT Themistocles.

Pte Alfred Parish (Lilydale), 13^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt for a second time on HMAT Themistocles.

May 13^th, 1915 –
Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: At Cape Helles. In his diary –‘The enemy got a big gun in position today. Have made it very uncomfortable for us, it sends a nasty feeling through you to hear the shells coming. You wait to see it burst, not knowing if it’s going to blow you up, you breathe a sigh of relief when you see it’s missed and you wait for the next’.

May 14^th, 1915 –
Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: At Cape Helles. In his diary –‘I had a miraculous escape from being blown to pieces today. I was standing talking to Capt Chambers alongside of his dugout, which he had just come out of, when a shell dropped right in to it. We were showered with dirt and debris but got off without a scratch. From then on for an hour we were shelled unmercifully, seven shells at a time, and we counted one hundred and twenty-seven shells burst in a radius of one hundred yards of our camp, four or five were hit but nothing serious. Went to find Billy McLeod today and learned he was reported missing, but found ‘Smiler’ who is all right’.

Pte Frederick Crooks (Wandin), 6^th Battalion: Is wounded in action, bullet wound to the shoulder, and is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital on Malta.

May 15^th, 1915 –
Dvr Richard Pendlebury (Seville), 2^nd Field Artillery Brigade: On Anzac Cove. Letter written to his brother George from Gallipoli – ‘Our boys are giving the Turks a terrible caning. The Australian have got a great name here. They call the Australians the ‘White faced Gurkhas’. The rifle fire on both sides keeps going all night. The Turks use explosive bullets which make a terrible row when they hit anything. My dug-out is on the side of the hill facing the water and I have a lovely view of all the sights. The Geeben used to send over a few shells every day trying to hit some of the ships but never succeeded and has knocked off lately. They generally give us some fancy shooting of a day; they hit one barge out of 50 shots.

We don’t work in the daytime now; nearly everything is done at night. It puts me in mind of a rabbit warren. Everyone is working and moving about; a shell comes and there is a general scatter and not a soul is in sight except when a shell case falls near, then there is a rush for it. When it gets quiet again you see them coming out of holes in the ground, from behind stacks of rations in fact from everywhere. This is a worse job than being up in the trenches as there you are under cover but you can never tell when a shell is going to burst here and stray bullets are flying everywhere’.

May 16^th, 1915 –
Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: At Cape Helles. In a letter to his mother –‘I’ve been in two engagements so far, and thank God came out safely. I’ve had so many narrow squeaks that I hardly take any notice of the bullets now. I’ve had a bullet through my cap, one through my puttee and was struck on the shoulder by a shrapnel bullet, which, lucky for me, was nearly spent and only bruised me. I’ve got that bullet in my pocket and I’m going to bring it home with me. Another shrapnel bullet grazed my cheek and just chipped a bit of skin off; it’s quite better now. It’s more exciting ducking from shrapnel than playing football’.

Trp Gilbert Mounsey (Seville), 9^th Light Horse Regiment: Is landed at Anzac Cove with his regiment and moved up into the frontline trenches.

Trp Iver Hamilton (Mt Evelyn), 8^th Light Horse Regiment: Is landed at Anzac Cove with his regiment and moved up into the frontline trenches.

Capt Harold Hughes (Montrose), Royal Warwickshire Regiment: Is killed in action by shrapnel from a shell blast while at La Bassee, France. He is 19 years old and is remembered on the memorial at Le Touret in France. He is the first volunteer from the Shire of Lillydale to die in Europe and the first man from Montrose to die in the war.

May 17^th, 1915 –
Dvr Harry Hoadley (Olinda), 5^th Battalion: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in Egypt suffering varicose veins and hernia.

Ordinary Seaman Nolan Footit (Gruyere), HMAS Cerberus: While stationed at the naval base, HMAS Cerberus, he deserts from the Royal Australian Navy. The following year he enlists in the AIF under the name John Willis.

May 18^th, 1915 –
Sr Edith Yeaman (Montrose), Australian Army Nursing Service: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the RMS Mooltan.

May 20^th, 1915 –
Pte Ormond Footit (Lilydale), 2^nd ANZAC Light Horse: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on board the HMAT Caledonia.

Harold Bartram (Olinda): Leaves his job as a merchant and enlists in the AIF, he is 34 years old.

May 21^st, 1915 –
Pte George Vale (Lilydale), 8^th Field Ambulance: Is landed at Anzac Cove and reports for duty.

May 22^nd, 1915 –
Pte Ormond Footit (Lilydale), Tpr John Taggart (Wandin) & Trp Albert Briers (Lilydale), all 4^th Light Horse Regiment: Are landed at Anzac Cove with the regiment and moved up into the trenches at Ryrie’s Post.

Dvr Richard Pendlebury (Seville), 2^nd Field Artillery Brigade: On Anzac Cove. Letter written to his brother George from Gallipoli –‘The Light Horse have arrived without their horses and will have to go into the trenches’.

May 23^rd, 1915 –
Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Anzac Cove. In a letter to his mother –‘Our ships bombarded the Turkish position on our right very heavy this morning. Most of our Light Horse are here now, turned into infantry. A German Taube flew over this morning and dropped a couple of bombs, one dropped quite close to us. They cause a fearful explosion when they burst, more than shells’.

Dvr Richard Pendlebury (Seville), 2^nd Field Artillery Brigade: On Anzac Cove. Letter written to his brother George from Gallipoli – ‘We have plenty to eat and got tobacco and rum served. It is horribly rough country. All the transporting is done with mules belonging to the Indians. The worst part of this game was the snipers but they have been cleared out now. They were dug into the hill and covered with bushes. One fellow the boys caught hiding in a big hole, the opening covered by a trap door; he used to shoot anyone that passed. They generally have enough rations and ammunition for a month or so. Quite a number have been caught.

We have got all the places named: there is ‘Death Trap Corner’, ‘Suicide Valley’, ‘Hurry Up Point’, ‘Shrapnel Corner’ etc. We usually have a swim every day – that is when the Turks let us. It won’t be long before we are in Constantinople. I am getting tired of the ‘get out and get under’ business and it is a bit crook crawling into a hole in the ground to sleep’.

May 24^th, 1915 –
Dvr Richard Pendlebury (Seville), 2^nd Field Artillery Brigade: On Anzac Cove. Letter written to his brother George from Gallipoli –‘Things are a bit quiet lately. The Turks asked for an armistice last week to enable them to bury their dead;there were thousands of them and the armistice lasted from 7.30 amto 4.30 pm. Our burial parties and theirs were talking and exchanging smokes. It was just like a holiday for the rest of us but things got busy again when the time expired. Although it has been quieter here this week there is more doing down at Cape Helles: we can see the fighting at night-time’.

Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Anzac Cove. In his diary –‘Today we have had nine hours without a shot being fired from either side; both our men and the Turks are outside the trenches burying the dead, which must number thousands. About nine tenths are Turks, the stench is awful, these dead Turks have been lying, some of them only a few feet from our trenches, for five days. That was when they made a vicious attack but were horribly cut up. It is the first time for thirty days that we’ve known what it’s like not to hear bullets and shells whistling overhead, it seems like, well I can’t describe what it’s like to walk about and know you’re not likely to be shot’.

Pte Lance Matthews (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital on Mudros Island suffering from influenza.

Pte Harry Moore (Lilydale), 26^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on board the HMAT Ascanius.

James Fraser (Yering): Leaves his family’s vineyard at Yering and enlists in the AIF, he is 29 years old.

May 25^th, 1915 –
Sgt Noel Syme (Gruyere), 1^st Australian Clearing Hospital: Lands at Anzac Cove and reports for duty.

Dvr Richard Pendlebury (Seville), 2^nd Field Artillery Brigade: On Anzac Cove. Letter written to his brother George from Gallipoli: ‘I saw the Triumph torpedoed on Monday. It happened at 12.30 pm. A wall of water went over the ship and when it cleared the Triumph had a big list. It took twenty minutes for her to turn over, but a bit longer to sink. Almost the whole of the crew was rescued, and it was a grand sight to seethe pick-up boats, trawlers and destroyers racing up to the crew. The destroyers charged the submarines, and I believe they got two. It knocked us a bit to see the old Triumph go. She has been with us all the time and had given the Turks some bother’.

Pte Ernest Commerford (Lilydale), 23^rd Battalion: On the HMAT Euripides travelling to Egypt. In a letter to friends in Lilydale – ‘On the 20^th we crossed the line. We arrived at Colombo on the 25^th but no leave was granted and we were very disappointed. Many of the fellows took French leave but on their return paid the penalty by drilling a couple of hours extra each day for four or five days. The natives swarmed round the ship in large numbers in their boats and did a great trade with the troops. They are great crooks and ask about three times the value of their goods. Colombo has a wonderful break water; some say it is the best in the world. After taking in coal and water we left Colombo the next day’.

May 26^th, 1915 –
Pte Fred Whiteside (Lilydale), 14^th Battalion: Is landed at Anzac Cove and moved up into the frontline trenches.

Trp Allen Mounsey (Seville), 9^th Light Horse Regiment: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on HMAT Afric.

May 27^th, 1915 –
Cpl Arthur Chapman (Wandin), 13th Field Artillery Brigade: Is landed at Anzac Cove and reports for duty.

Leonard Walters (Wandin): Leaves his property ‘Cleveland’ at Wandin and enlists in the AIF, he is 24 years old.

May 28^th, 1915 –
Trp Rae Lucke (Montrose), 13^th Light Horse Regiment: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Persic.

Trp Henry Maidment (Lilydale), 13^th Light Horse Regiment: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Persic.

Trp George Lysaght (Lilydale), 13^th Light Horse Regiment: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Persic.

Trp Arthur Rouget (Wandin), 13^th Light Horse Regiment: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Persic. From his diary –‘2.00am – Roll Call, 4.00am – issue of prunes, 5.30am – get out of bed, great commotion in the camp till 8.30am saddle up. 9.00am we move off, leading our horses as they are a bit fresh. Quarter mile from camp we mount up, a few get spills, no bones broken, arriving at the pier about noon. Put the horses on board and wait on the pier to receive the colours, the latter presented by Governor Stanley. We go aboard ourselves. The people then allowed on the pier, very soon we are away’.

May 29^th, 1915 –
Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Anzac Cove. In his diary –‘Except for a bit of shelling, things rather quiet today. Altho at 3am this morning the Turks blew up some of our trenches and then charged with hand grenades but we gave it to them hot. Our losses; one hundred killed and wounded, and theirs; three hundred and eighteen prisoners’.

May 30^th, 1915 –
Dvr Richard Pendlebury (Seville), 2^nd Field Artillery Brigade: On Anzac Cove. Letter written to his brother George from Gallipoli – ‘Some of us went round one of the gullies the other evening to see some mates. We were sitting in a dugout talking to them. Three of the boys had legs sticking out, and a sniper wounded them all through the legs with one bullet. A Red Cross man was fixing them up, and the sniper got him too. I am darned if we could see where the bullet came from. Four men with two shots is not bad going.

The Turks stopped and mined one of our trenches. It was a (race) but they beat us by ahead. When it exploded they got in. Our boys chased them out again, and captured their trenches also. The Turks lost a lot of men, and I guess they will want another armistice soon. They say the Turks are treating their prisoners well. Some of my mates have been missing since the first Sunday we landed.

The Turks are putting all sorts of rubbish in their shells. One chap got wounded with a safety razor blade the other day. They will be shoving Turkish Delight in them next. The lowest estimate of the Turkish losses on the Peninsula is between 55,000 and 60,000, and that was before the charge the other night. There will be a lot more now.

There are some narrow escapes here. An empty shell case landed in a chap’s dugout and knocked his hat off. The shrapnel comes down like rain, but two-thirds of it landed in the sea. The boys often get hit with spent bullets from it, but it only stings for a time. I am feeling great: this is a good country only the people are not civilized. I must knock off now, as I have just got orders to take some hand grenades to the trenches. There is going to be some dirty work tonight’.

Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Anzac Cove. In his diary –‘One good thing is that we have got rid of the snipers, the amount of damage they did was enormous. With their faces and rifles painted green and with their bodies covered with bushes, it was impossible to find them, being so well hidden in the scrub. Some were dug in the ground with just their rifle and head out, others were in natural cover, it was only by diligent searching by parties specially told off for this work that we have got rid of them. You must know that they were in our lines, when the Turks retreated, these snipers who were told off, stopped behind and so got us between two fires. They made a speciality of officers and non-coms, we had to take our Red Cross brassard off our arms as they made too good a target’.

May 31^st, 1915 –
Pte Harry Allen (Mt Evelyn), 2^nd Field Ambulance: Is wounded in action, six gunshot wounds to the chest and arms, while carrying a wounded soldier to safety and is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in Egypt.

Sgt Frank Olle (Gruyere), 5^th Battalion: Dies in hospital in Egypt after the wounds he’d received at the landing on April 25^th become septic. He is 28 years old and is buried at the Cairo War Cemetery, Egypt. He is the first man from Gruyere to die in the war.

Sgt Harold Clark (Gruyere), 27^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Geelong.

June 1^st, 1915 –
Andrew Ragartz (Seville): Leaves his family’s property in Seville and enlists in the AIF, he is 25 years old. His older brother Albert enlists a month later.

Bruce Timms (Yering): Working in Adelaide at the time, he leaves his job as a clerk and enlists in the AIF, he is 19 years old.

June 2^nd, 1915 –
Trp James Rushton (Lilydale), 9^th Light Horse Regiment: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on HMAT Botanist.

Harry Linacre (Seville): Born in Liverpool, England he had come out to Australia a few years earlier and at the time of enlisting in the AIF he was working for Mr Murray of Seville as a carpenter. He was 23 years old and engaged to a local girl, Elsie Mitchell. He had already served four years with the 9^th Kings Liverpool Regiment and had been rejected once by the AIF on account of his teeth.

June 3^rd, 1915 –
Pte Ernest Commerford (Lilydale), 23^rd Battalion: On the HMAT Euripides travelling to Egypt. In a letter to friends in Lilydale – ‘We reached the Red Sea on June 3^rd, when the weather became stifling and no matter what part of the ship you went to, one could not get cool; the sea was dead calm being just like a huge sheet of glass’.

Walter Horne (Wandin): Leaves his job as a horse driver and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, he is 25 years old and married.

June 4^th, 1915 –
Pte Albert Douglas (Seville), 6^th Field Ambulance: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on HMAT Ajana.

Pte Ernest Williams (Lilydale), 6^th Field Ambulance: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on HMAT Ajana.

AB Spr John Lucke (Montrose), 1^st Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on HT Port Macquarie.

June 5^th, 1915 –
Pte Frank Kingsley-Norris (Lilydale), 1^st Light Horse Field Ambulance: Is sent to England to work as a medical orderly. In an excerpt from his auto-biography ‘No Memories for Pain’ –‘I was posted as medical orderly to No 1 Australian Hospital at Harefield Park in Middlesex, the private home of a patriotic Australian, set in acres of beautiful parkland with age-old oaks, elms and chestnuts. There I met up with two other medical students from Melbourne, also orderlies, and on our off duty time we wandered over the lovely countryside.

One Saturday night there was a zeppelin raid, a mild affair compared with the blitz twenty-five years later, but some damage was done. On the Sunday afternoon we all went out to have a look and came to a large hole just off Oxford Street’.

June 6^th, 1915 –
Dvr Richard Pendlebury (Seville), 2^nd Field Artillery Brigade: On Anzac Cove. Letter written to his brother George from Gallipoli – ‘I am still in the same place and things are fairly quiet, if you can call it so. Our boys hit up a bit the other night and made a charge and took some trenches. I think the Turks are short of ammunition: they do not fire so many shells now. The war ships were bombarding down at Cape Helles, the heaviest I have heard so far. I guess they tickled the Turks up. After the charge a lot of wounded were brought in, also some prisoners, who seemed very glad to get out of it and looked bottle green.

The troops are very healthy and have plenty of swimming, when the Turks let them. They do not like to see us in the sea and send a few shells over: just as well to get out then, for they might fluke a hit. I don’t think the Turks will hold out much longer. It is only the German officers that keep them at it now. We have plenty to eat. Cigarette paper is a bit scarce, so when you write to any of us – please use the best quality note paper’.

Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Anzac Cove. In his diary –‘During the day we suffer fearfully from heat and flies. The sun is very fierce and the flies worse than I’ve known anywhere I have stopped’.

Pte Ernest Commerford (Lilydale), 23^rd Battalion: On the HMAT Euripides travelling to Egypt. In a letter to friends in Lilydale – ‘On June 6^th land was sighted; it was the high rocky coastline of Arabia and the following day we arrived at Suez. This place is much the same as Colombo natives swarming around on all sides, and a busy shipping port, being at the entrance to the canal. The canal was guarded by a French cruiser at the entrance and a general salute was made, we all standing at attention at the time.

The canal is about 30 or 40 yards wide, and all along the banks were many Territorials and Ghurkas encamped, also trenches ready for occupation in case of attack by the Turks. On either side is a barren waste of sand as far as the eye can reach. The length of the canal is 90 odd miles, and occupies between 14 and 15 hours streaming to reach Port Said, it being unsafe to travel at a fast rate. Port Said was our next port of call and many fine buildings were to be seen but of course we were not allowed to land (another disappointment)’.

June 8^th, 1915 –
Pte Herbert Read (Seville), 6^th Battalion: In hospital on Malta. In a letter written to his sister Florence: ‘I am getting on well, I can see a little bit out of my left eye now and the treatment we get is lovely; it’s quite a good holiday to get away from the front. …I suppose by the time I get back home, nearly all the fighting will be done there… So when we get back, if I can’t afford to build a house to live in, I can build a trench and when I get married I can live in that’.

Francis Hughes (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a driver and enlists in the AIF, he is 26 years old.

June 9^th, 1915 –
Dvr Leo Maxwell (Wandin), 1^st Field Artillery Brigade: Is admitted to hospital while stationed in Egypt suffering from gastritis and conjunctivitis. He is later evacuated to England for further medical treatment.

June 10^th, 1915 –
Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Anzac Cove. In his diary –‘Water is pretty scarce. The wells the engineers sunk have all dried up and it is a crime for any man to wash himself or his clothes or dishes in fresh water. After being on night duty we try to sleep during the day but it’s impossible because of the heat and flies, we could stand the heat but the flies beat the band. Plenty of shrapnel this morning but very little damage’.

June 11^th, 1915 –
Pte Arthur ‘Smiler’ Williams (Lilydale), 5^th Battalion: On Anzac Cove. In a letter to friends in Lilydale – ‘On June 11 we went into the firing line again. We had to climb up the hill we were on by means of rope. Horses cannot be used here and all the guns are hauled up the steep cliffs and hills by the infantry. The place is all hills. Roads have been cut lately in some places and there are better facilities for provisions, so life is a pleasure to what it has been. Our mail, too, arrives in good order and the weather is pleasant; also our health is tip-top, and we are as happy as Larry.

If ever I get back to Australia, I’ll be able to live in anything – a burrow or a fowl yard. At time of writing I am in my burrow looking out over the sea. The burrows are well under cover, so when a hail of shrapnel comes screeching along we make for our holes like a lot of rabbits. On a still calm day the bushes change their position and move, and our chief pleasure is to observe this and fire at them; in most instances they turn upside down, with Turkish snipers grafted into their branches. If we show an eyelid above the parapet the air becomes thick with bullets in an instant.

I would like people to know that we Lilydaleites are giving a good account of ourselves and are not downhearted. I’d like to tell a lot more but the censor says casualties etc are not to be recorded. If I get out of this my 20^th birthday will be a memorable one’.

Trp John Taggart (Wandin), 4^th Light Horse Regiment: Is evacuated from the trenches to a Casualty Clearing Station on Anzac Cove suffering from a hernia. He is later sent to hospitals on Malta and then England.

Pte Ernest Commerford (Lilydale), 23^rd Battalion: On the HMAT Euripides travelling to Egypt. In a letter to friends in Lilydale – ‘Our next calling place was Alexandria at which place we arrived on June 11^th, and disembarked the following morning, taking train for Cairo, nearly 100 miles away. One would expect to travel through desert but we were surprised to find the land all under cultivation, irrigation being supplied by the Nile. We arrived at Cairo about 3pm and marched to our camp at Heliopolis, a fine town about four miles from Cairo, where we were not sorry to halt, as we were on the move from 4am the same day. Mena Camp is now closed and this is the main camp. I don’t know when we will be going to the front but by the way our battalion is shaping. I don’t think it will be very long before we go’.

Trp Arthur Rouget (Wandin), 13^th Light Horse Regiment: On board the HMAT Persic. From his diary –‘From Port Melbourne we get small pay going down the bay, after that nothing much happened till we got in the Bight where she shipped a sea and breaking some of the horse boxes on top deck, one man receiving a fractured leg. By this time plenty of seasickness on board, but soon getting alright. We had a quiet time from then on till we got out in mid ocean when a wave broke over the stern and breaking the horse boxes on that part. From then on we started to feel the heat and had to take to sleeping on deck, another inconvenience coming into the warm climate the horses required exercising and in some cases had to be brought up out of the hot holds onto the top deck and the horses on the top go below’.

Alfred Sutherland (Wandin): Leaves his job as an electrician and enlists in the AIF, he is 28 years old.

June 15^th, 1915 –
Pte Felix Hargrave (Lilydale), 7^th Battalion: On Anzac Cove. In a letter to his Aunty in Lilydale – ‘I am still in the land of the living. I have been in the thick of it from the first – April 25 – I’ve had close on three months’ hard fighting battles and have been lucky. I have seen some awful sights at the front. We have had to endure some hardships – days and nights digging trenches without sleep or water, only bully and biscuits – we used to boil the biscuits for half an hour before we could eat them.

Where we are fighting is pretty rough country – short, sharp hills and deep gullies, rising to a good height from the sea, with fairly thick scrub about 2ft high – no trees at all. We have a network of trenches dug round the mountainside, and the gullies sandbagged. A German aeroplane came over and dropped bombs on us once or twice without doing much damage. Our aeroplane soon put it to flight and returned the compliment.

We have got the Turks fairly bluffed. We have only to wave our bayonets above the trench and give a few wild, up-country yells and the Turks will fire like mad. They think we are going to charge. They are in mortal dread of the bayonet. In some places our trenches and theirs are only 15 yards apart and we exchange brotherly love per medium of hand grenades and bombs. The Navy gives us good help. The ‘Lizzie’ has done some great work’.

June 16^th, 1915 –
Gnr Alfred Niblett (Lilydale), 19^th Battery, Royal Field Artillery: In France. Writing to a friend in Lilydale: ‘I have been in the firing line in France about five months now, and by the look of things appear like being here a few more months yet. This is a war, and no mistake the Huns are a dirty lot of fighters. No doubt you have read about their inhuman methods of trying to beat us. They even set fire to our wounded men if they see them move between the trenches. There are plenty of horrible things they do, but we will pay them back at their own game yet. What you see in the papers about them and their tricks is quite true, because I have seen them with my own eyes, and I have had some narrow squeaks myself, but am still smiling, and hope to continue so’.

Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Anzac Cove. In his diary –‘Was doing twelve hours at trenches today and got a very hot time from shells, the Turks bombarded us for about two hours. We got safely through that, got back to camp 7pm, and while getting our tea ‘bang’ comes a shell right among us. Poor ‘Curley’ Densley was the only one hit and he got it through the head very bad’.

Cpl Stanley Nicholas (Lilydale), 5^th Light Horse Regiment: On the ship over to Gallipoli from Egypt he becomes ill, diagnosed with trichromat marlow, and is evacuated to hospital on Lemnos Island.

June 17^th, 1915 –
Stoker Charles Ebeling (Wandin): After finishing his training at HMAS Cerberus, he is posted to HMAS Encounter, a challenger class cruiser. He would spend the next three years as part of the crew, mainly patrolling the Fiji – Samoa area of the Pacific and off the Malayan coast.

Pte Charles Cox (Gruyere), 6^th Battalion: Arrives at Anzac Cove and is moved up into the front line trenches.

Pte Richard Robertson (Mt Evelyn), 23^rd Battalion: Is admitted to hospital in Egypt suffering from dysentery.

Pte Harry Stevens (Seville), 8^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on HMAT Wandilla.

Pte Charles Osborne (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on HMAT Wandilla.

Theodore Lowe (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a clerk and enlists in the AIF, he is 25 years old.

June 18^th, 1915 –
Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Anzac Cove. In his diary –‘A couple of nights ago, just about 5pm, two or three barrels were washed ashore. A crowd soon collected and many were the tips made after smelling them as to what they contained, some said beer, others vinegar, wine etc. They soon knocked a hole in the end and out poured wine (claret). The news spread like a bush fire – buckets, biscuit tins anything that would hold it. But a lot drank not wisely but too well, I never saw such a lot of drunks in my life, but all the same it was dead funny. The Turks opened fire with shrapnel on them while they were filling up their tins but not a man would move, shrapnel or no shrapnel, fortunately nobody was hit’.

Norman Avard (Olinda): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 20 years old.

June 19^th, 1915 –
Pte Donald Fergus Scott (Mt Evelyn), 6^th Battalion: In hospital in Egypt. In a letter to his father in Mt Evelyn – ‘I was in hospital for a fortnight after being wounded at the landing, and then detailed for duty in the 1^st Australian General Hospital until I am fit to go back to the front and the sooner the more agreeable to me, I had quite enough of the ‘six bob a day tourist’ business in Egypt and want to see the thing through. I am attached to the 1^st Australian Medical Corps and after fighting at the Dardanelles it is a bit of a novelty. Since I have come back from the front I have also been a cook in the No 1 Detail Camp. They’ll have to find me something to do till I’m fit, for I’m not going back till I’ve had a decent show at the Turks’.

June 20^th, 1915 –
Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Anzac Cove. In his diary –‘Eight weeks today since we landed, eight weeks and never knowing what minute you are going to get bowled over. It’s a bit trying on the nerves, a lot of chaps are getting the jumps, I am beginning to feel it a bit myself’.

June 21^st, 1915 –
Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Anzac Cove. In his diary –‘We’ve got another trouble on us now, a sniper has got the track in front of our camp picked off, the only track we can use, he got six chaps in two days. Every time we go along we wonder if we’ll get past and just as we get on the track we get zip, ping, past your ear. You just mutter ‘missed, you swine’ and hurry on’.

Harold Dozell (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a farm hand at ‘Marra View’, Lilydale and enlists in the AIF, he is 22 years old.

June 22^nd, 1915 –
Spr Charles Noden (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Engineers: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital on Mudros Island suffering from lumbago.

Walter Thompson (Wandin): Leaves his property at Wandin in the care of his wife and enlists in the AIF, he is forty-four years old. This is his second attempt to enlist, he had tried in 1914 but was rejected on account of his height. His 19 year old son William would enlist in 1917.

June 23^rd, 1915 –
Trp Gilbert Mounsey (Seville), 9^th Light Horse Regiment: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove suffering from influenza and sent to hospital on Lemnos Island.

Thomas Strachan (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a bookbinder and enlists in the AIF, he is 20 years old.

June 25^th, 1915 –
Pte Wilfred Tucker (Mt Dandenong), 7^th Battalion:  Arrives at Anzac Cove and is moved to the frontline trenches.

Trp Thomas Ogilvy (Seville), 13^th Light Horse Regiment: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on HMAT Royal George.

Trp Leslie Gamble (Lilydale), 13^th Light Horse Regiment: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on HMAT Ceramic.

Sr Alicia Kelly (Mt Dandenong), Australian Army Nursing Service: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on HMAT Wandilla.

Edward Hitchings (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a farm hand and enlists in the AIF, he is 22 years old.

June 28^th, 1915 –
Pte Archie ‘Smiler’ Williams (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: On Anzac Cove. In his diary – ‘The Turks threw over a note, in which they asked us to surrender, and told us that our warships had deserted us and that our stores would soon run out and we would starve. ‘At any rate’, went on this highly humorous episode, ‘we were only fulfilling a contract for greedy England and she had now deserted us. They had plenty of food and would treat us well’. The Turks were so angry at our non-compliance with their last request that they attacked in force at Quinn’s Post the following night but were beaten off with heavy losses’.

Pte Alfred Leonard (Olinda), 21^st Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on board the HMAT Berrima.

Mort Tait (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a carpenter and enlists in the AIF, he is 20 years old.

Joseph Kay (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a painter and enlists in the AIF, he is 29 years old.

June 29^th, 1915 –
Trp Arthur Rouget (Wandin), 13^th Light Horse Regiment: In camp in Egypt. From his diary – ‘We eventually arrived at Suez on June 29^th, losing on the voyage one man and thirty horses. We were very glad to get off the boat and the horses were I am sure. Not greatly impressed with the niggers, they seemed to be very lazy and had to be driven to work, also being knocked about by the water police.

We unshipped the horses and put them on the train for Abbassich, one horse pulling away and jumping into the sea but was caught by a motor boat and saved. We buy a lot of watermelons from the natives and pelt the skins back at them. We arrive at our destination in the wee hours of the morning, tired and hungry and out of sorts. We stay at Abbassich for a few days. It is very hot for us and the horses which are out in the open’.

June 30^th, 1915 –
Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Anzac Cove. In a letter to his mother –‘Wonderful to relate we never lost a man while we were landing. I wish I could say the same now. The casualties in our own corps have been heavy, I can’t tell you the number, I’m not allowed, but I have lost some of my best pals, the last one a few evenings ago. He was in my squad and had been up at the trenches all day, having brought men down under heavy shell fire and not one of us was touched. We were relieved at 7pm and about 7.30pm we were sitting outside the dug-out cooking our tea when a shell burst right on top of us and a bullet from it got my mate in the head. He died a few hours afterwards, nobody else was touched. Now all the boys in my tent at Broadmeadows are hurt’.

Trp Iver Hamilton (Mt Evelyn), 8^th Light Horse Regiment: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in England suffering from diarrhoea.

Alfred Blanksby (Wandin): Leaves his family’s property at Wandin North to enlist in the AIF, he is 23 years old.

Ted Duncan (Lilydale): Leaving behind his role as the proprietor of the Lilydale Hotel in the hands of his wife, he enlists in the AIF, he is 38 years old and married with four children. In his younger years he had pursued gold in the wilds of New Guinea and in the Yukon in Canada. He had also served in the Anglo-Boer with the 4^th Victorian Imperial Bushmen’s Contingent and was awarded a medal for distinguished service for his efforts in the Battle of Klerksdorp.

Henry Lord (Wandin): Leaves his family’s property at Wandin and enlists in the AIF, he is 23 years old.

Arthur Orenshaw (Seville): Leaves his family’s property in Seville to enlist in the AIF, he is 22 years old.

July 1^st, 1915 –
Stoker Albert Clegg (Wandin): After finishing his training at HMAS Cerberus he is assigned to HMAS Psyche, a Pelorus third-class protected cruiser, and for the next six months the ship would be on patrol in the Bay of Bengal and off the coast of Burma.

Thomas Butcher (Yering): Leaves his job working as a farm hand around Yering and enlists in the AIF, he is 18 years old. As he has come out by himself from England and is just 18 years old, he needed special permission from his commanding officer, Colonel Hawkes, in order to go overseas.

Frank Poyner (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a carpenter and enlists in the AIF, he is 21 years old. He is the first of three Poyner brothers to enlist in the AIF that month.

July 2^nd, 1915 –
Pte Felix Hargrave (Lilydale), 7^th Battalion: On Anzac Cove. In a letter to his sister in Lilydale – ‘The Jack Tars are fine chaps, and they think a lot of us lads. There is every uniform you could think of here – French, Algerian, Cingalese, Highlanders, Irish Fusiliers, Australians, New Zealanders, Tommies, etc besides a lot of different Indian soldiers. I reckon, between the lot of us, we ought to finish the Turks off before long. Once the Dardanelles are forced, it ought to be the turning point of the entire war. I don’t think the Turks can last long now. as they are just about full up of the fighting. They have had very heavy losses, as our navy and field guns have played havoc among them, to say nothing of machine guns, bombs, rifles and bayonets – ‘Turkish rib ticklers’ we call the latter. The slopes and gullies are full of dead Turks: it is something awful. I think Christmas ought to see the end in sight’.

July 3^rd, 1915 –
Pte Archie ‘Smiler’ Williams (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: In his diary – ‘We were relieved from the trenches and half the battalion were put on sapping, and the rest at general fatigues etc’.

Cpl Henry Hunt (Lilydale), 6^th Battalion: Is wounded in action, shrapnel wounds to the legs, and is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in Egypt.

James Clegg (Wandin): Leaves his family’s orchard in Wandin where he works and enlists in the AIF. He is 23 years old and this is his second attempt, the first he was rejected on account of his teeth. His younger brother Paul would enlist in the following year.

William Orenshaw (Seville): A few days after his younger brother Arthur enlists in the AIF, William leaves his family’s property in Seville to also enlist in the AIF, he is 24 years old.

James Wallace (Seville): Leaves his family’s orchard in Seville and enlists in the AIF, he is 24 years old.

July 4^th, 1915 –
Spr Charles Noden (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Engineers: Arrives back with his unit on Anzac Cove after spending time in hospital on Mudros Island.

July 5^th, 1915 –
Pte Archie ‘Smiler’ Williams (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: At Anzac Cove. In his diary – ‘I had rather a narrow escape this evening. While having tea, a big 5.7 armour piece fell about 10ft, behind my dugout, and after burying itself about 4ft in the ground, it exploded and sent pieces of shell and dirt spattering all round me’.

Trp Arthur Rouget (Wandin), 13^th Light Horse Regiment: In camp in Egypt. From his diary – ‘After we had been here for a few days we are given leave to Cairo. It is a wonderful city. We had no idea that there was a city like it in the world, so dirty and a peculiar stench. We also had a trip to the Pyramids and went and seen the tombs in most of them. We also saw the Sphinx. We nearly all get tired of them and go into Cairo and have to toe the carpet the next day for it but get let off. We shift to Oasis camp after a few days which is much better as we have stables for the horses and baths for ourselves. A week after we get there the horses are able to be ridden and we do some mounted drill which is better than hurrying to do it on foot’.

William Hodges (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a gardener and enlists in the AIF, he is 24 years old.

Arthur Overton (Wandin): Leaves his family’s property at Wandin and enlists in the AIF, he is 18 years old.

Richard Poole (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a blacksmith and enlists in the AIF, he is 23 years old.

Eddie Poyner (Lilydale): Leaves his family’s property ‘Willowbank’ and enlists in the AIF, he is 18 years old. One family story has it, that when he had just turned 18 he wanted dearly to enlist however his father stated he couldn’t join unless he received his mother’s consent. He persisted to convince his mother and finally won through and got her permission to which he rode off straight away to his friend Mort Tait, who had enlisted a week earlier, yelling ‘I’m allowed to go!’.

Edmund Rossiter (Silvan): Leaves his orchard at Silvan and enlists in the AIF, he is 20 years old.

Sydney Shore (Mooroolbark): Leaves his job as a driver and enlists in the AIF, he is 19 years old.

Wilmot Stephens (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a clerk at the Colonial Bank in Lilydale and enlists in the AIF, he is 26 years old.

James Tanner (Coldstream): Leaves his job as a bootmaker and enlists in the AIF, he is 19 years old.

James Whelan (Lilydale): Leaves his job with the railways and enlists in the AIF, he is 29 years old.

July 6^th, 1915 –
Stoker James McClure (Yering), HMAS Pioneer: Is with the British naval force in the attack on the German Cruiser Konigsberg. Back in December the British Admiralty had requested the aid of HMAS Pioneer in the blockade of the Konigsberg off the coast of Africa, it had taken shelter beyond the range of effective fire in the mouth of the Rufigi River south of Zanzibar. They arrived there in February and assisted in patrolling the area to stop supplies reaching the Germans. On this day they were part of the force that was ordered to attack the Konigsberg where it was anchored.

In a letter to a friend in Yering –‘About the 6^th July two monitors, the ‘Mersey’ and ‘Severn’, proceeded up the river to destroy the German cruiser ‘Konigsberg’, which was the same class as the ‘Emden’, while the ‘Pioneer’ and three other warships commenced to bombard the different entrances to the river. They started about five o’clock in the morning. About four in the afternoon the monitors were seen coming out of the river firing all the way. It sounded like thunder. We were then told that on the ‘Mersey’ four men had been killed and three wounded and the ‘Konigsberg’ was knocked about some; so that ended that day’.

George Hannah (Mt Evelyn): Leaves his family property ‘Stud Farm’ and enlists in the AIF, he is 20 years old.

Richard Sharp (Yering): Leaves his job as a tailor and enlists in the AIF, he is 25 years old.

James Strachan (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 19 years old.

July 7^th, 1915 –
Pte Felix Hargrave (Lilydale), 7^th Battalion:  Is wounded in action, shellshock and concussion, and is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital on Malta and then England. In a letter to his sister in Lilydale – ‘I have been lucky up till now, when I got buried alive by a couple of 8-inch shells. Four mates and myself had just come off duty from the firing line and were having our tea in the support trench when we heard the whistle of a shell coming. We ducked to avoid fragments but it hit the ground just in front of our trench. The concussion was awful; I thought my head was off while my ears were ringing for a week. The explosion knocked the front of our trench on top of us, and we were buried alive under four feet of earth. However, after much gasping and struggling I got head and shoulders out, when ‘swish bang!’ and another shell buried us again. This time I could not move but our mates with shovels soon had us out. One poor chap was dead. I was put on the hospital ship and brought to Malta’.

Phillip Lithgow (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a farmer and enlists in the AIF, he is 20 years old.

Francis Lyall (Mt Evelyn): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 24 years old.

Ernest Kerslake (Lilydale): Leaves his job with the Shire of Lillydale and enlists in the AIF, he is 26 years old.

July 8^th, 1915 –
Percy Barratt (Olinda): Leaves his job as a farmer on his father’s property at Olinda and enlists in the AIF, he is 18 years old. His older brother Edward who enlist the following year.

Edmund Boulter (Olinda): Leaves his orchard at Olinda and enlists in the AIF, he is 20 years old. His brother Victor would enlist the following year.

Bert Hutchinson (Lilydale): Leaves his job at his father’s store in Lilydale and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, he is 20 years old. This is his second attempt; the first time he was rejected on account of his teeth.

Archie Kilfoyle (Mooroolbark): Leaves his brother-in-law’s property where he works and enlists in the AIF, he is 22 years old.

July 9^th, 1915 –
Pte Vincent Lawlor (Gruyere), 5^th Battalion: Arrives at Anzac Cove and is moved up into the front line trenches.

Pte Charles Willimott (Lilydale), Mechanical Transport Division: Disembarks from the ship at Southampton, England. He is one of the first local soldiers with the AIF to arrive in Europe for duty.

Reg Charteris (Wandin): Leaves his orchard at Wandin and enlists in the AIF, he is 28 years old.

Leslie Coppin (Kilsyth): Leaves his job as an artist and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, he is 23 years old.

Arthur Newing (Mt Evelyn): Leaves his job as a commercial traveller and enlists in the AIF, he is 22 years old.

Stanley Robinson (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a school teacher at the Lilydale State School to enlist in the AIF, he is 19 years old.

Leslie Tegart (Montrose): Leaves his job as a brickmaker and enlists in the AIF, he is 19 years old. His father John Tegart would volunteer to serve in England as an Australian War Worker in munitions between 1917 and 1919.

July 10^th, 1915 –
Stoker James McClure (Yering), HMAS Pioneer: Sitting off the mouth of the Rufigi River south of Zanzibar. In a letter to a friend in Yering –‘We went back again and this time the ‘Konigsberg’ was destroyed completely but two British aeroplanes had been brought down, the crews of which were picked up by the ‘Mersey’. That ended the battle – a complete victory for us. I hope to have a chance of landing and helping to be a bit of use’.

Percy Clements (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a printer and enlists in the Australian Flying Corps, he is 21 years old.

Alfred Fairbank (Montrose): Leaves his job as manager of the Montrose Fire Brick Company and enlists in the AIF, he is 27 years old.

Marcus Kay (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 25 years old.

Tom Lydster (Seville): Leaves his job as a bricklayer and enlists in the AIF, he is 29 years old.

David Strachan (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a driver and enlists in the AIF, he is 25 years old.

Arthur Street (Gruyere): Leaves his job as a carpenter and enlists in the AIF, he is 18 years old.

William Tait (Mt Dandenong): Leaves his job as a farmer and enlists in the AIF, he is 18 years old.

William Thurrowgood (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a grocer and enlists in the AIF, he is 23 years old.

Cliff Wardell (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a painter and enlists in the AIF, he is 21 years old.

Arthur Watson (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a carpenter and enlists in the AIF, he is 40 years old and married.

July 11^th, 1915 –
Sr Alicia Kelly (Mt Dandenong), Australian Army Nursing Service: Arrives in Egypt and reports for duty at No 1 Australian General Hospital in Cairo, set up to care for casualties from the Gallipoli campaign.

Spr Charles Noden (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Engineers: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital on Malta suffering from influenza.

Pte Archie ‘Smiler’ Williams (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: At Anzac Cove. In his diary – ‘Great was our joy to hear that we were leaving the Peninsula for a spell and at 3am the next morning we embarked on minesweepers and were conveyed to Imbros, a small island about two miles from the Peninsula. While we were there we did not do badly because we got fruit, eggs, chocolate and many other little luxuries we had long been without, besides a swim daily’.

July 12^th, 1915 –
William Bedford (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 28 years old.

Harry Dinsdale (Olinda): Leaves his job as a driver and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, he is 23 years old.

Thomas Harvey (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a clerk and enlists in the AIF, he is 38 years old.

William Jenner (Wandin): Born in Wandin, although living in Burwood at the time, he leaves his job as a bacon curer and enlists in the AIF, he is 28 years old and married.

William McCallum (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a grocer and enlists in the AIF, he is 27 years old. This is his second attempt; the first time he was rejected on account of his chest.

Alan McGuiness (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 22 years old.

Reuben Parry (Wandin): Leaves his job as a labourer working around the Wandin area and enlists in the AIF, he is 21 years old. He enlists with his brother Frederick and both would serve in the same unit together.

Norman Ponton (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 29 years old.

Henry Tudor (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 22 years old.

Henry Woodruff (Seville): Leaves his job as a blacksmith at Seville and enlists in the AIF, he is 20 years old.

July 13^th, 1915 –
George Deacon (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a clerk and enlists in the AIF, he is 21 years old.

William Parkinson (Coldstream): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 36 years old and married.

July 14^th, 1915 –
Richard Hand (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 28 years old.

Robert King (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 30 years old.

George Milne (Lilydale): Leaves his newsagents and stationery supplies store in Lilydale in the hands of his mother and sister and enlists in the AIF, he is 35 years old. Even though he was not in the best of health and heavily committed to his business and his community work, it didn’t stop some mean spirited individuals from sending him white feathers, a symbol in those days of cowardice, and pressuring him to enlist.

Clarence Windsor (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 30 years old and married.

July 15^th, 1915 –
Walter Emery (Seville): Leaves his family’s property at Woori Yallock and his job as a gardener in Seville to enlist in the AIF, he is 18 years old. This is the second time he has tried to enlist; the previous time he had been rejected on account of his teeth.

William Hawkey (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a barman and enlists in the AIF, he is 31 years old. It is his second attempt to enlist, the first time he was rejected on account of his short height.

Albert Rouget (Wandin): Leaves his Aunt’s property in Wandin, where he had been working, and enlists in the AIF, he is 18 years old.

July 16^th, 1915 –
The following local soldiers leave Australia bound for Egypt on HMAT Demosthenes:

Pte Leonard Walters (Wandin), 6^th Battalion

Pte Henry Warwick (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion

Pte James Fraser (Yering), 23^rd Battalion

Pte Harry Linacre (Seville), 24^th Battalion

Pte James Reade (Yering), 24^th Battalion

Richard Goodall (Gruyere): Leaves his job as a painter and enlists in the AIF, he is 24 years old.

Howard Morey (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a draper and enlists in the AIF, he is 25 years old.

James Varty (Mt Evelyn): Leaves his farm and enlists in the AIF, he is 21 years old.

July 17^th, 1915 –
Pte Leonard Giddins (Olinda), 7^th Battalion: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital on Mudros Island suffering from pyrexia.

Pte Barney Gilson (Lilydale), 14^th Battalion: Arrives back in Australia from Egypt on board the HT Kyarra to be discharged as medically unfit as a result of developing a hernia. He would soon be operated on and the following year re-enlist.

Charles Harrison (Wandin): Leaves his job as a grocer and enlists in the AIF, he is 20 years old. It is the second time he has tried to enlist; the first time he was rejected as a result of a chest complaint. His older brother James would also enlist the following month.

Matilda McNeill (Lilydale): Leaves her job as a nurse at the Alfred Hospital and enlists in the Australian Army Nursing Service. She is 46 years old and had previously served at war hospitals in South Africa during the Anglo-Boer War.

Walter Morrison (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a labourer in the district and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, he is 26 years old.

Stan Smith (Lilydale):  Leaves his job as a butcher and enlists in the AIF, he is 23 years old.

Thomas Smith (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a blacksmith and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, he is 18 years old.

William Walker (Montrose): Leaves his job as a labourer in the district and enlists in the AIF, he is 20 years old.

July 18^th, 1915 –
Trp Arthur Rouget (Wandin), 13^th Light Horse Regiment: In camp in Egypt. From his diary – ‘We get up at 5 o’clock, have a cup of tea and drill till 9 o’clock as it is too hot for either man or horses in the middle of the day. We have to take our turn at guarding the Turkish prisoners at Mahdi. It is a bit of a change for us, but plenty of polishing to do. We take them out in the mornings and evening and their work is to extend their own prison. One morning nine men go escorting over one thousand to their work without a cartridge in their rifles, someone forgot to see that they were loaded before they started. We soon got over that, one man sneaking away at a time and loading so as not to let the Turks know that we had not loaded before we started. We had ten days of this and then we go back to camp at Oasis’.

Pte Ernest Clow (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: In hospital in Egypt. In a letter to his uncle in Lilydale – ‘The weather over on this side of the world is terribly hot and dry, and we have had no rain since we landed except one – about five months ago. You can guess what it is like. The heat on the sand is just, and only just, bearable. It was 122 degrees in the shade for three days and I began to think we were coming to a death by scorching’.

July 19^th, 1915 –
Frank Austin (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a factory hand and enlists in the AIF, he is 19 years old.

Ernest Bolitho (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a factory employee and enlists in the AIF, he is 22 years old.

George Evans (Mt Evelyn): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 25 years old.

Charles Fraser (Yering): Leaves his family’s vineyard where he works and enlists in the AIF, he is 19 years old.

Andrew Holland (Yering): Leaves his family’s farm where he works and enlists in the AIF, he is 21 years old.

Stanley Scott (Mt Evelyn): Leaves his job as a motor mechanic and enlists in the AIF, he is 25 years old.

Charles Stanbury (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a Police Constable at the Lilydale Police Station and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, he is 27 years old.

John Taylor (Olinda): Leaves his family’s property and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, he is 19 years old.

July 20^th, 1915 –
Charles Cooper (Wandin): Leaves his farm in Wandin to enlist in the AIF, he is 32 years old and married with two children.

Louis Herry (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a carter to enlist in the AIF, he is 18 years old.

Michael Griffin (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a butcher to enlist in the AIF, he is 21 years old.

William Town (Lilydale): Leaves his farm at Lilydale to enlist in the AIF, he is 26 years old.

Wilfred Yeaman (Montrose): Leaves his farm at Montrose and enlists in the AIF, he is 30 years old. His sister has already enlisted in the Australian Army Nursing Service.

July 21^st, 1915 –
George & Ernest Gilbert (Yering): Together the two brothers leave their family’s property at Yering and enlist. George in the Australian Light Horse, he is 29 years old, and Ernest in the AIF, he is 24 years old. Their younger brother, Gus Gilbert, would follow them and enlist a few days later.

Ernest Dutton (Wandin): Leaves his property in Wandin to enlist in the AIF, he is 29 years old.

Charles McComas (Montrose): Leaves his position as a professional bandmaster and enlists in the AIF, he is 29 years old.

LILYDALE FOOTBALLERS WHO ENLIST TOGETHER ON THIS DAY:

George Allen (Lilydale): Leaves his job at the Cave Hill Quarry and enlists in the AIF, he is 26 years old and captain of the Lilydale Football team.

William Chauvin (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a wagon driver at the Lilydale Cordial Factory to enlist in the AIF, he is 23 years old.

Thomas Goodall (Lilydale): Leaves his job as manager of the property ‘Heatherlie’ and enlists in the AIF, he is 26 years old. He and his brother William enlist together.

William Goodall (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 28 years old.

Francis McLass (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a hairdresser and enlists in the AIF, he is 24 years old and married.

Thomas Morton (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a labourer to enlist in the AIF, he is 32 years old.

Ralph Noden (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a leather dresser at the Lilydale Tannery to enlist in the AIF, he is 24 years old.

Joseph Poyner (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a carrier to enlist in the AIF, he is 32 years old and married. He is the last of the three Poyner brothers to enlist during this month.

July 22^nd, 1915 –
AB Spr John Lucke (Montrose), 1^st Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train: Lands at Anzac Cove and reports for duty.

Pte Charles Willimott (Lilydale), Mechanical Transport Division – attached to 17^th Divisional Supply Column, British Expeditionary Forces: In France. In a letter to Dr Cross in Lilydale – ‘Glad to say I am at last in France, with every prospect of seeing something of this great war. The corps has been attached to a division of the British Army and my corps is now known as the 17^th Divisional Supply Column. I left England about twelve days back and got across the channel without mishap. Extraordinary precautions are taken in transporting troops across to France, all is done with greatest secrecy. We were loaded at Rouen, hence by road to the base of operations (we used our own wagons). I am not allowed to state where we are or anything referring to our operation. We have been fitted out with new wagons, those we brought over being left at Balford camp in England to be used as camp transports.

I am now near the firing line and can hear the sound of guns in the distance. The country around is in a very prosperous state and the inhabitants take no notice of the firing line being so close in front, one would never know war was going on were it not for the troops to be seen everywhere. Our work is to supply food, fodder etc and one is struck by the huge quantities of fodder consumed by the horses, which are kept in first rate condition.

One thing I’ve seen which is very interesting is a fight in the air by aeroplanes. The German machines were attacked by our airman and also from below by anti-aircraft guns. One could see the shells bursting high up in the sky, but it was too far off to see what damage was done.

Our work is fairly hard; we are often out by daybreak till late at night, and of course we have to rough it. We sleep in our wagons which are not exactly like a bed but much better than sleeping on the bare earth. I am fit and well and quite happy, and I like the work. We are well looked after and admirably equipped. The weather here is almost the same as in England, I expect it will be very cold in winter, but hope that the war will be all finished before then’.

Dominico Correicllo (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a stone quarrier to enlist in the AIF, he is 25 years old. He had been born in Chile to Italian parents.

John Fitzgerald (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 27 years old.

Percy Haddon (Seville): Leaves his job as a farm worker in Seville to enlist in the AIF, he is 23 years old.

Fred Town (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a blacksmith and enlists in the AIF, he is 20 years old.

July 24^th, 1915 –
Pte Archie ‘Smiler’ Williams (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: At Anzac Cove. In his diary – ‘We went back to Anzac Cove again and into our old place at Steel’s Post trenches on the 19^th. Here I had another narrow escape, a shrapnel shell burst over the trenches about 30 yards in front of me, and I got a knock on the head with a bit of the shell; it nearly put me to sleep and developed my bump of benevolence a good bit. The same night I was nearly buried alive with a high explosive shell’.

Arthur Anderson (Lilydale): Leaves his job at the Victorian Railways to enlist in the AIF, he is 19 years old.

William Houghton (Mooroolbark): Leaves his job as a farm worker in Mooroolbark to enlist in the AIF, he is 19 years old.

Frederick Bartholomew (Kilsyth): Leaves his job as an architect and enlists in the AIF, he is 30 years old.

Albert Ragartz (Seville): Born in Victoria to Swiss parents, he leaves his job as a farm worker in the Yarra Valley to enlist in the AIF, he is 31 years old.

Edgar Wilson (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a grocer to enlist in the AIF, he is 24 years old. He enlists on the same day as his younger brother Oswald.

Oswald Wilson (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a bank clerk to enlist in the AIF, he is 22 years old. This is his second attempt, he was originally rejected for being physically unfit but then took a course in physical culture in Melbourne and built up his strength and fitness.

July 25^th, 1915 –
Pte Wilfred Tucker (Mt Dandenong), 7^th Battalion: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove to Mudros Island suffering from septic hands. He would later return.

Leopold Muir (Wandin): Having already enlisted in 1914, and then being discharged a few months later as medically unfit because of his teeth, he attempts to enlist again and is successful. He comes from a family with a rich military heritage, his grandfather, James Stowe, had served with the British Army in India during the mutiny, in New Zealand during the Maori Wars and was with the 40th Regiment for the attack on the Eureka Stockade at Ballarat. His grandfather held both long service and good conduct medals and was presented a laurel wreath by Queen Victoria for his service.

Pte Frederick Randolph (Lilydale), 13^th Light Horse Regiment: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Ceramic.

Ernest Wilkin (Wandin): A regular visitor to Wandin where his relatives, the Wilkin and Dixon families, live, he enlists in the AIF, he is 22 years old.

July 26^th, 1915 –
Pte Vincent Lawlor (Gruyere), 5^th Battalion: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove to Egypt as a result of defective teeth.

John Medhurst (Gruyere): Leaves his job as an orchardist in Gruyere and enlists in the AIF, he is 21 years old.

John Purcell (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 25 years old.

John Thomson (Mt Evelyn): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 21 years old.

July 27^th, 1915 –
Gus Gilbert (Yering): Leaves his family’s property at Yering and enlists in the AIF, he is 21 years old. His older brothers, George & Ernest Gilbert, had enlisted a few days before.

Alfred Pomeroy (Wandin): Born in Wandin and living in Sea Lake at the time, he enlists in the AIF, he is 28 years old.

July 28^th, 1915 –
Dvr Adolphus Geiger (Lilydale), 1^st Division Motor Corps: Is admitted to hospital in Egypt suffering from tonsillitis.

Isaac Davies (Kilsyth): Leaves his job as an Engine Driver in Western Australia, where he had been working, and enlists in the AIF, he is 38 years old, married and had previously served in the Anglo-Boer War with the 4^th Australian Commonwealth Horse. Two of his brothers have already enlisted and another two would follow him, making five Davies brothers all up. Another brother, Thomas, tried to enlist but was rejected on medical grounds.

July 29^th, 1915 –
William Marshall (Wandin): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 19 years old.

July 30^th, 1915 –
William Williams (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 26 years old.

July 31^st, 1915 –
Gnr Arthur Fenton (Mt Dandenong), 2^nd Field Artillery Brigade: Is admitted to hospital in Egypt suffering from neuralgia.

Frank Maher (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a wheelwright and enlists in the AIF, he is 19 years old.

Lionel Whisson (Lilydale): Leaves his job and enlists in the AIF, he is 21 years old.

August 2^nd, 1915 –
Pte Walter Emery (Seville): Having enlisted only two weeks before, he was sent to the AIF training camp at Flemington. He wasn’t here long before he became ill and was sent to the Flemington Base Hospital suffering from cerebro spinal meningitis and toxaemia. He died there on this day at 9.00am and was buried at the Coburg Cemetery, he is 20 years old.

Ove Ovesen (Seville): Born in Western Australia to Norwegian parents he leaves his job as a farm worker in the Yarra Valley to enlist in the Australian Light Horse, he is 20 years old.

Ernest Rae (Mooroolbark): Leaves his family’s property at Mooroolbark and enlists in the AIF, he is 25 years old. His older brother would also enlist the following year.

William Reid (Olinda): Leaves his job as a survey draftsman and enlists in the AIF, he is 25 years old and married.

Arthur Thomas (Lilydale): Leaves his job working for the Railways in NSW, where he was living, and enlists in the AIF, he is 25 years old.

August 3^rd, 1915 –
Pte John Rose (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: Re-joins his unit on Anzac Cove after recovering from wounds he had received just after the landing.

Trp Allen Mounsey (Seville) & Dvr William Lysaght (Lilydale), both 9^th Light Horse Regiment: Are landed at Anzac Cove and moved up into the frontline trenches.

Pte Felix Hargrave (Lilydale), 7^th Battalion: In hospital in Malta. In a letter to his sister in Lilydale – ‘Malta is a very nice place. It is an island in the Mediterranean near the coast of Spain. We get good treatment – good food, good nurses, and good English doctors. The Maltese people are very good to the wounded, bringing fruit, books, cigarettes etc to the hospital. The people are of Spanish or Castilian decent and the girls are the prettiest I ever clapped eyes on (with all due respect to the Australian lassies). The kiddies are such affectionate little beggars; they run along and take you by the hand. Goodness help you if you sit down in the parks; they will ‘mobilise’ you shouting ‘Mr Australia! Mr Australia!’. I don’t know how long I will be here but suppose I will be going back to the Dardanelles shortly’.

Gordon Ewart (Montrose): Leaves his job with the railways and enlists in the AIF, he is 18 years old. He was a proud descendent of Ensign Charles Ewart, a Scottish soldier with the Royal North British Dragoons (known as the Scots Greys), who famously captured the Regimental Eagle of the 45^th Regiment of the Line at the Battle of Waterloo.

William Guillerme (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 31 years old. He had been born in Tunis, North Africa to French parents.

August 4^th, 1915 –
John Ellis (Mt Evelyn): Leaves his family’s property ‘Pine Mont’ at Mt Evelyn and enlists in the AIF, he is 22 years old.

August 5^th, 1915 –
Cpl Harold Ritchie (Kilsyth), 49^th Battalion: Is wounded in action, concussion from shell blast, and is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in Egypt.

Sr Edith Yeaman (Montrose), 3^rd Australian General Hospital: Arrives at Mudros Island and serves at the makeshift hospital here until January 1916.

Trp Robert Purves (Lilydale), 3^rd Light Horse Regiment: Is landed at Anzac Cove and moved up into the frontline trenches.

THE BATTLE OF LONE PINE, ANZAC COVE, GALLIPOLI (AUGUST 6^th – 9^th)

August 6^th, 1915 –
Pte Archie ‘Smiler’ Williams (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: At Anzac Cove. In his diary – ‘A heavy bombardment started on Friday 6^th before the landing at Suvla and the Turks gave back as much as we sent, so you can see we had a hot time’.

Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Anzac Cove. In his diary –‘At 3pm this afternoon our guns started a heavy bombardment on the Turk’s trenches and at 5.30pm our boys jumped over our parapets and charged them with the bayonet. We captured four rows of trenches on our right and other parts of the line were partially successful, our casualties heavy’.

Pte John Rose (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: Is wounded in action for a second time at Anzac Cove, gunshot wound to the head as well as shock, and is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital on Mudros Island. While here he also contracts jaundice.

Pte Charles Osborne (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: Is landed at Anzac Cove and moved up into the frontline trenches.

Joseph Speakman (Coldstream): Leaves his job as a miner and enlists in the AIF, he is 18 years old.

August 7^th, 1915 –
Pte Archie ‘Smiler’ Williams (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: At Anzac Cove. In his diary – ‘We did not take an active part in the Suvla Bay landing, it was carried out by Territorials and Kitchener’s army troops, who landed early in the morning with little opposition and were about three miles inland before they were opposed. They continued to advance and reached an important hill (971) before they entrenched, and there have been some ding ding goes for the possession of this point ever since, it has been taken and retaken three or four times.

Part of the 1^st Brigade advanced from their position at Lone Pine while the Sulva Bay fight was in progress and captured two lines of trenches. We hung on to the ground we had gained, and things on our flank got back to normal again’.

Pte Charles Cox (Gruyere), 6^th Battalion: Is last seen going over the top of the trenches in a charge from Steele’s Post towards Lone Pine. He is reported missing in action and then the following year pronounced killed in action. He is 19 years old and is remembered on the memorial at Lone Pine.

An article in The Lilydale Express newspaper – ‘Two nephews, Arthur and Percy Binns, of Mr H Binns, our stationmaster at Mt Evelyn, went to the front with the First Expeditionary Forces, and were members of the ‘Glorious Sixth’ which was almost decimated at Gallipoli. The following is the particulars of the engagement –

It appears that the British were landing a new army at Suvla Bay on August 7 and preparations were made along the old front for weeks beforehand to ready up something for the Turks that would keep them from reinforcing the opposition to the new landing. Percy’s battalion – the 6^th – had driven a tunnel 35 yards towards the Turkish trenches bringing them closer. They left the surface standing, dragging all the muck behind to their own trenches and throwing it down the hill. At the furthest end of this tunnel the crust of earth was thinned down to 3 or 4 inches ready to break through; to provide an exit for the troops.

Overnight the battalion was divided into four units. One of 30 men commanded by Percy had a distinct job. They were to capture a sharpshooter’s trench that had been a great annoyance, and having done so, were to fill it in with pick and shovel and blow it up with gun cotton. This was looked upon as the really risky job. Arthur made up one of three lots of 100 men, each stowed away in the trench and trenches. They were all to jump out through an opening to be made at the end of the tunnel, and rush into the Turk’s trench. This from its very suddenness was considered fairly safe. Both attacks were to be made at four o’clock. Percy and Arthur remained with one another till 10.30pm.

Arthur, pleading with his brother to take him on his enterprise and ‘rousing’ him for volunteering for so dangerous a task. He was over anxious about Percy and never thought of himself. But Percy would not take him and as he explains in his letter he expected to fall and did not want both to go down. At 10.30pm they separated and that is the last they saw of each other.

When the time for the attack came, the ground was broken and out jumped the men. Sixty got out and then the Turks spotted the situation and turned their machine guns on the exit with the result that no more got out. As the men attempted to do so they were riddled with bullets and finally the hole was chocked with the killed and wounded and the bulk of the men were helpless in the tunnels.

Those that got out of the course knew nothing of this and raced for the Turkish trenches. Only 20 reached them, and those are the men reported missing. They jumped into the Turkish trench and they died – wondering why their comrades did not come. That is how poor Arthur died. Poor Arthur fell in a mere scrap and his body was not recovered.

Percy succeeded in his job and returned without a scratch. He has had more remarkable escapes since but none to speak of. When he rushed the Turkish trench and was standing over it directing his men, he happened by great good fortune to spot a Turkish sharpshooter crouched taking deliberate aim at him, the muzzle of his rifle not 4ft away. He could see it was a question of who was first, so pointing his rifle at the Turk he pulled the trigger and the rifle missed fire – he had failed to load it before leaving the trench. It was then the Turk’s turn but he must have been in a most horrible funk as he missed hitting Percy at 4ft distance who whipped a cartridge into the magazine and shot the Turk dead. Percy was twice in one day buried pretty deeply in earth’.

August 8^th, 1915 –
Pte David Mitchell (Lilydale), 14^th Battalion: Is landed at Anzac Cove and moved up into the frontline trenches.

Pte Harry Stevens (Seville), 8^th Battalion: Is landed at Anzac Cove and moved up into the frontline trenches.

Dvr Percy Whyte (Olinda) and Dvr James Whyte (Olinda), both 10^th Australian Army Service Corps: Are landed at Anzac Cove and report for duty.

Lindsay Yeaman (Montrose): Leaves he job as a mechanic and enlists in the AIF, he is 25 years old.

August 9^th, 1915 –
Theodore Hand (Mt Dandenong): Leaves his father’s farm at Mt Dandenong and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, he is 20 years old.

George ‘Bung’ Hamilton (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 40 years old and married with two children.

Vivian Grenness (Kilsyth): Leave his studies at Melbourne University to enlist in the AIF, he is 20 years old.

August 10^th, 1915 –
Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Anzac Cove. In his diary –‘Had some narrow escapes from 11 inch shells today. They were bursting right above our dressing station, one buried six infantry chaps standing alongside us, and then when I get back to our camp for a spell I’m blowed if a monitor doesn’t put a shell in our camp’.

Pte George Harrison (Wandin), 14^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Persia.

Pte Joseph Speakman (Coldstream), 14^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Persia.

Gnr Alfred Eades (Montrose), 2^nd Field Artillery Brigade: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Persia.

August 11^th, 1915 –
Sgt Harry Matthews (Seville), 2^nd Field Ambulance: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove suffering from colitis. He would eventually be sent to hospital in Malta and then to England.

Norman Hooke (Kilsyth): Leaves his job as a coach painter and enlists in the AIF, he is 19 years old. His older brother enlists the following year.

Joseph Keeley Snr (Mooroolbark): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 39 years old and married with children. One of his sons, also Joseph Keeley, would enlist the following year.

August 12^th, 1915 –
Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Anzac Cove. In his diary –‘Had a look at Lonesome Pine from Johnston’s Jolly today, think we’ve got old Abdul well stoushed there but reckon he holds us at Chess Board, German Officer’s Trench & Quinn’s Post. The Turk’s trenches are beautifully made, are practically safe from shrapnel. In the Lonesome Pine trenches what a sight at daylight, the dead lying four deep, about three to one of ours. The Turks have been burying their dead in their trenches and it’s like walking on a spring mattress in some parts here. The trenches are only three yards apart, they can’t fire rifles at each other so they throw bombs, rotten things these hand bombs, made of nails, slugs, stones put in a jam tin with a stick of dynamite and a fuse, light the fuse and throw it over. They make a horrific mess of a chap, practically plug him full of holes’.

Leslie Bolitho (Yering): Leaves his job as a bank clerk and enlists in the AIF, he is 23 years old and married.

Cecil Watson (Olinda): Leaves his job as a farm hand in the Horsham area and enlists in the AIF, he is 20 years old.

August 13^th, 1915 –
Pte Wilfred Tucker (Mt Dandenong), 7^th Battalion: Arrives back at Anzac Cove after recovering from septic hands and moves back to the frontline trenches.

August 14^th, 1915 –
Sapper Joseph Sies (Wandin), 2^nd Field Company Engineers: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital on Mudros Island suffering from influenza. At the hospital he would later also contract dysentery.

Sgt Thomas Williams (Lilydale), 11^th Battalion: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in England suffering from gastro enteritis.

August 15^th, 1915 –
Pte William Long (Silvan), 8^th Battalion: Is wounded in action, shattered jaw, and is evacuated from Anzac Cove and eventually sent to a hospital on Malta.

Pte David Mitchell (Lilydale), 14^th Battalion: Is officially reported missing but later found in hospital on Mudros Island suffering from enteritis.

August 16^th, 1915 –
Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Anzac Cove. In his diary – ‘Sixteen weeks we’ve been in the firing line without relief. It’s cruel, the heads must be mad not to give us a spell, its breaking our spirit, hundreds of men are being sent away every week utterly run down. We are nearly all suffering from diarrhoea and dysentery and hundreds of men are suffering fearfully from Barcoo Rot, every scratch we get, if not seen to immediately, turns septic. The flies are so bad’.

August 17^th, 1915 –
Pte Alfred Leonard (Olinda), 21^st Battalion: Is landed at Anzac Cove and joins his unit in the front line trenches.

August 18^th, 1915 –
Pte Archie ‘Smiler’ Williams (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: At Anzac Cove. In his diary – ‘I had another close shave here. We used to have a lot of trouble with Turkish snipers. At the point where we were, their trenches were only about 200 yards away, and early in the morning when the sun was behind them we used to snipe them through their loopholes. One morning I started to plant a few in the Turks’ loop holes and must have ‘rang a bell’ for about a dozen started to use me for a target. One shot landed just in front of my loop hole, and bent down to pick up another rifle when a bullet came right clean through the loophole into the parapet behind me, so I concluded it was time to shut up shop.

Some of the Royal Irish Rifles were sent into the trenches with us here to get into the way of trench-fighting and bring us up more to our strength, and soon after this we were reinforced by the 24^th Battalion, just arrived from Australia’.

August 20^th, 1915 –
Pte Archie ‘Smiler’ Williams (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in Egypt suffering from dysentery and gastritis.

Pte Walter Horne (Wandin), 8^th Light Horse Regiment: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Kyarra.

Leslie Sessions (Silvan): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, he is 18 years old. His older brother Benjamin would enlist in two months’ time.

August 21^st, 1915 –
Trp Arthur Rouget (Wandin), 13^th Light Horse Regiment: In camp in Egypt. From his diary –‘We are told that we are going to Gallipoli as infantry and exchange our equipment for web. We dump all our saddles and leather equipment in a bag and put our names on it. We eventually get our web equipment together and our packs filled with the things we think we will need most and are ready for the fray, marching to Zeitoun station to entrain for Alexandria, getting aboard the Megantic. We have a good trip across as we are in cabins and have a dining room to have our meals in.

Reaching Lemnos, they issue us with fly veils, ammunition and our rations and then are transferred to a smaller boat, the Prince Abyaos. We give three cheers for the captain and crew of Megantic’.

August 22^nd, 1915 –
Pte Felix Hargrave (Lilydale), 7^th Battalion:  At St David’s Hospital on Malta. In a letter to his sister in Lilydale – ‘Since I last wrote I have been moved to this hospital. There are about 100 big marquee tents, all lined with yellow calico; there are 12 beds in each tent, with good horsehair mattresses. I expect I will be going to the convalescent camp in a few days, and after a week or two there I will he sent back to the base at Alexandria for a few weeks’ training, to fit me for the front again. It is grand climate here; the days are bright and warm with cold nights, and as I gaze out I look over the blue waters of the Mediterranean.

Valetta is the capital of this island. It is a rummy old place; a lot of the roads are cut underground and it is very hilly, the streets being mostly steps. It would tire a man going out for his daily pound of steak. Of course, there are some very nice streets. The people are all very religious; out of a population of about 200,000 there are some 5000 priests or monks, who wear little skull caps and a brown robe, with a rope girdle and bare feet thrust into sandals.

There are a lot of troops here, wounded or garrisoned. There are a lot of wounded coming in lately from the Dardanelles. You will see, we have made a big advance at Anzac, which is our name for Sari Bahr. Once the Turks lose Achi Baba, it won’t be long before ‘Turkey finish’, as the Indians say. There are a lot of Gurkhas fighting on the Peninsulaalso Sikhs and Punjabies. They are a fine lot of men, and very brave. The Gurkhas are very like the Japanese. They sneak out of the trenches at night and cut off the Turks heads. There are only a few of the 7^th left; they are out of the firing line and are on the beach as a working party, I am very lucky to be here alive and well, but I am not out of the wood yet. I may go back at any time now: I would not care to come away without finishing my little bit’.

August 23^rd, 1915 –
Pte Henry Holbrook (Montrose), 8^th Battalion: Is admitted to hospital on Anzac Cove suffering from febrile and is evacuated to hospital in Egypt.

Cpl Rupert Bloom (Lilydale), 21^st Battalion: Is admitted to hospital in Egypt suffering from enteric fever.

Pte James Fraser (Yering), 23^rd Battalion: Is admitted to hospital in Egypt suffering from kidney stones.

Ralph Garth (Wandin): Leaves his father’s property in Wandin and enlists in the AIF, he is 26 years old.

August 25^th, 1915 –
Reginald Summers (Seville): A regular visitor to Seville where he often helped his brother Walter on his property ‘Mt Marion’, he enlisted in the AIF at the age of 21. He had served for two years with the Trinity Grammar Cadets.

August 26^th, 1915 –
The following locals leave Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Anchises:

Pte Norman Avard (Olinda), 6^th Battalion

Pte Frank Dixon (Wandin), 7^th Battalion

Pte Alfred Fairbank (Montrose), 7^th Battalion

Pte Alfred Sutherland (Wandin), 22^nd Battalion

Pte Harold Dozell (Lilydale), 24^th Battalion

August 27^th, 1915 –
Sgt Noel Syme (Gruyere), 1^st Australian Clearing Hospital: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove suffering from influenza. He is eventually sent to hospital in England.

August 28^th, 1915 –
Trp Walter Dawson (Lilydale), 9^th Light Horse: Is killed in action at Lone Pine. He is 19 years old and as he has no known grave he is remembered on the memorial at Lone Pine.

Dvr William Lysaght (Lilydale), 9^th Light Horse Regiment: Is wounded in action at Lone Pine, gunshot wound to foot, and is evacuated from the peninsula to hospital in England.

Pte Thomas Mackay (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: Is wounded in action at Lone Pine, gunshot wound to thigh, and is evacuated from the peninsula to hospital in England.

Pte William Long (Silvan), 8^th Battalion: While in hospital on Malta, having treatment for a wounded jaw that he received on Gallipoli, he contracts typhoid fever and dies. He is 21 years old and is buried at the Pieta Military Cemetery on Malta. He the first man from Silvan to die in the war.

August 29^th, 1915 –
Sr Alicia Kelly (Mt Dandenong), Australian Army Nursing Service: Leaves Egypt bound for Australia on board the HT Euripides. Her role on board is to care for the sick and wounded returning home from the Gallipoli campaign. She would return to Egypt in December 1915.

Pte Richard Grossman (Mt Dandenong), 7^th Battalion: Is returned home to Australia on the HMAT Euripides as a result of the wound he received in action on Gallipoli.

August 30^th, 1915 –
L/Cpl Walter Summers (Seville), Pte Harry Boxall (Silvan) & Pte Leslie Farndon (Mt Dandenong), all 23^rd Battalion: Land at Anzac Cove and move up into the front line trenches.

Pte David Lohman (Lilydale), Pte Levi Trayford (Lilydale) & Pte Claude Atkinson (Lilydale), all 24^th Battalion: Land at Anzac Cove and move up into the front line trenches.

Pte Michael Griffin (Lilydale), 17^th Battalion: Lands at Anzac Cove and moves up into the front line trenches.

Pte Ernest Williams (Lilydale) & Pte Albert Douglas (Seville), both 6^th Field Ambulance: Land at Anzac Cove and report for duty.

August 31^st, 1915 –
Pte Alfred Parish (Lilydale), 13^th Battalion: Land at Anzac Cove and move up into the front line trenches.

September 1^st, 1915 –
Trp Gilbert Mounsey (Seville), 9^th Light Horse Regiment: Is wounded in action, gunshot wound to the right hand, and is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in Egypt.

Percy Johnston (Olinda): Leaves his job as a draftsman and enlists in the AIF, he is 23 years old.

THE SINKING OF THE TROOPSHIP ‘SOUTHLAND’

September 2^nd, 1915 –
The following locals are on board the ‘Southland’ when it is torpedoed.

Pte Thomas Eales (Olinda), 21^st Battalion

Pte Harry Dawson (Lilydale), 21^st Battalion

Pte Leslie Jack (Lilydale), 21^st Battalion

Pte Richard Plummer (Olinda), 21^st Battalion

Cpl James Drummond Burns (Lilydale), 21^st Battalion: In a letter to his father he writes – ‘I wonder if you have heard yet of the torpedoing of our transport. If the news has reached Australia I do hope that they have added that the number of casualties is very small. Up to now about twenty-five bodies have been found, and I believe about ten more are missing. All my friends are safe except Charlie Gunn, of whom we have not heard anything yet, but I am hoping that he may be on one of the other boats. At present I am writing in the dispensary of the torpedoed boat, but I must run through the events of the last twenty-four hours and tell you what has happened.

At a quarter to ten on the morning of the day before yesterday (September 2^nd, 1915) we were on guard on the poop deck aft. I was just preparing to take round a relief when I heard a thundering crash, and saw a dense cloud of black smoke rise up from forward. At the same time there was a quivering shock, and the engines stopped. Just for a moment there was a tense pause, and I could literally feel the blood leaving my face. Then there was a confused rush for lifeboats, and some began lowering away the boats.

Somehow I never doubted from the first that we had been torpedoed. I suppose because the possibility of it had been brought home to us all by the preparations and safeguards viz, sentries and machine guns posted along the ship’s railings. None of these, I think, saw anything of the submarine, although some of the guards saw the torpedo coming. We had a gun and she fired once, but without hitting the submarine, and I doubt even whether the gunner really saw her, although he said he only missed her by a yard.

At the moment we were struck I had no lifebelt on, and the first thing I did was give a hurried glance round to find one. Fortunately I discovered a spare one, and felt a lot safer with one around me. Most of our fellows were quite cool, and when I tried to get them to fall in they did so quite readily. Unfortunately, however, there was no officer present to take charge, and they were soon piling into the boats, though in a fairly orderly way. There were four lifeboats on our deck, and these were quickly lowered away, full to overflowing.

The ship had sunk a bit, and was on a list to starboard, but she seemed fairly steady, and I was inclined to think that she would not sink. However, everyone seemed to be doing his best to get away as quickly as possible, and in the water I could see swimming about a number of those who had decided to jump for it. It struck me that I would have to do the same thing if she showed signs of sinking suddenly, so I took off my putties, and loosened my boots.

On the starboard side, and some miles distant, there was a high, rocky island, and it seemed to me that it might be possible to reach this by swimming, although half an hour later, in the boat, I had quite altered my opinion on that point. At this time I had lost sight of all my friends. Most of them, I think, had gone in the lifeboats, except Mr Whitehead.

The two of us now climbed to the deck above where there were eight collapsible boats, and worked at the launching of these. They were frightfully unwieldy things and had to be practically lifted off their frames. This was most difficult, as it was only safe to work on them from one side, because once lifted they swing outwards, and would have swept anyone right off the deck. It was in this way a very pitiful accident occurred.

I had helped to launch a couple of boats, working under the direction of others, as I had very little notion of what it was best to do, and we were getting a third away, under the direction of Lieut-Colonel Hutchinson and Lieut Macneil who were working themselves as hard as any. I, with three or four others, was pulling on one of the davit ropes from below, and as it was getting jammed in the pulley block an old sailor – one of the crew – went over to put it right. He was warned, and I think he knew the danger, but was willing to risk it. All at once the boat was raised clear, and swung heavily and strongly outwards, crushing his ribs against the davit. He fell unconscious, and I could see that he was terribly injured. I helped to lift him aboard the boat, and then half a dozen of us got in and raised the canvas sides.

Another man, who had been badly injured by the explosion, was lifted in too, and then she was lowered down into the water, and the others came down by the ropes. Lieut Macneil, who was in charge of the boat, called to Colonel Hutchinson to come down first, and as he slid down I caught him. He seemed very exhausted, and said to me, ‘We are all right now, old fellow,’ or something to that effect. It wasn’t long before we had enough on the boat, and we began to push off.

One of the last to come was Whitehead. He dropped into the water and swam a few strokes to the boat, and was pulled in. We took one on board after him. This was one of the ship’s boys, who got halfway down the rope, the end of which was still in the boat, when we were already a little way out. He thought that we were going without him, and began to weep, but it wasn’t long before we had him on board. After that we pushed off, and cruised about the ship for a while, taking two or three men out of the water, as we were not overcrowded.

There were still a few left on board, but only a couple more boats put off after us, and the remainder, except a few officers and the men who stayed to work the ship, were taken off by a hospital ship which came to the scene an hour or two after. At that time the ship did not look to me at all like sinking, as a matter of fact she steered into this harbour that evening, and has been around here ever since.

However, concerning ourselves. It was a fine afternoon, and the sea had not appeared rough from the deck of the steamer. From our little boat, however, the aspect differed considerably, and all we could do was to keep her head on to the wind. I took an oar as long as I could, but it wasn’t long before I got miserably seasick, and I am afraid I was helpless from then on until we were picked up…..

We were in the collapsible boat for about three hours, and were then picked up by the Hunnie (note the spelling), a German prize steamer, on the way from Alexandria to here (Mudros Harbor). She was a beautiful little craft, as clean as a new pin, and I remember vividly what a joy it was to be on her clean steady deck after tossing about in the crowded boat.

One boat load has already been picked up and amongst these I was glad to find my friend Montgomery. The sixty or seventy who came in these two boats were all that were taken on board, so we had plenty of room. The dead man in our boat was sown up in canvas and put overboard with a few verses of the New Testament said over him. Poor fellow, I won’t forget his white drawn face as I lifted him into the boat.

We sailed into Mudros Harbor about sunset that evening. It is a fine large harbor, full of ships, both naval and mercantile. There is no town, but two or three villages round the bare hilly shore. The next morning we sailed up the harbor and soon after we were transferred to the Southland, which had come in the previous evening under her own steam, and was aground in a little bay, where, in fact, she still is. We were there that night and all the next day, and came over here where we have been since….

Charlie Gunn was missing up to this morning, but a couple of hours ago I heard that his body had been found in the hold of the Southland. Everybody is terribly sorry about it. He was a splendid chap, and so fond of his mother and the girl he was engaged to. It will be an awful blow to them. You will have heard of course, that Colonel Linton was drowned. His boat was overturned, and he did not survive the shock, as he was unconscious after being in the water more than half an hour….

Lindsay Adams, my friend at Scotch, who was also on board, is still missing. His brother is here, and had not given up hope, but I am afraid he has gone too. As a matter of fact, most of them here thought for a day or two I was drowned, and when our party did turn up we got quite an enthusiastic welcome’.

Pte George Brown (Lilydale), 21^st Battalion: Is on board the ‘Southland’ when it is torpedoed and everyone evacuated. After a number of hours though, the ship still hadn’t sunk and a skeleton crew was able to get the engines going again. A call was then made for volunteers to man the ship and to stoke the engine to get her into the harbour at Mudros Island. George Brown was one of a handful of soldiers who volunteered to do this and was later mentioned in a special order by the Commander in Chief for doing so.

James Harrison (Wandin): Born at Wandin and then living at Geelong, he leaves his job as a law clerk and enlists in the AIF, he is 22 years old.

Francis Johnson (Seville): Leaves his job as the manager of Killara Station and enlists in the AIF, he is 32 years old.

Ern Morey (Lilydale): Born at Lilydale and then living at Yarra Junction, he leaves his job as a law clerk and enlists in the AIF, he is 23 years old.

September 4^th, 1915 –
Pte Ernest Clow (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: After recovering from the wounds he received at the landing he is sent back to Anzac Cove and is moved up into the front line trenches with his unit.

Sgt Harold Clark (Gruyere), 27^th Battalion: Lands at Anzac Cove and is moved up into the front line trenches.

September 5^th, 1915 –
Pte Henry Lalor (Montrose), 7^th Battalion: He is wounded by shrapnel in the right hand while on board the hospital ship HMHS Salta off the coast of Gallipoli.

September 6^th, 1915 –
Pte Arthur Mattingley (Wandin), Divisional Ammunition Column: In camp in Egypt. In a letter to a friend in Wandin – ‘We are still camped at Cleopatra near Alexandria. Troops of all descriptions are here – Tommies, Australians, French and Indians with their various arms and armaments. The soldiers daily bathe in Cleopatra’s Pool which is at times very rough, consequently many of the swimmers get into difficulties and it has been my lot to save eight lives since I have been here. On another occasion I found a derelict of a woman being ill-treated by a native policeman so I promptly took her from the bobby and administered a punch or two. As an outcome of this I was invited to a Greek Baptism which is a peculiar affair’.

September 8^th, 1915 –
Pte Richard Plummer (Olinda), Pte Leslie Jack (Seville), Pte Thomas Eales (Lilydale) &Cpl James Drummond Burns (Lilydale), all 21^st Battalion: Land at Anzac Cove and are moved up into the front line trenches at Courtney’s Post.

Pte Archie ‘Smiler’ Williams (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: At Anzac Cove. In a letter to friends in Lilydale – ‘We were finally relieved by the 21^st Battalion and soon after our Battalion left the Peninsula for a good rest at Lemnos Island. I was in hospital with dysentery for a fortnight before we left the peninsula, but am alright again. Ralph Goode wishes to be remembered to all his pals. He and myself are the only ones who have been right through the full issue here; all the others have had extended holidays through sickness etc’.

Trp Robert Purves (Lilydale), 3^rd Light Horse Regiment: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in Egypt suffering from gastro and dysentery.

Daniel Bowen (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a contractor and enlists in the AIF, he is 24 years old.

September 9^th, 1915 –
Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Anzac Cove. In his diary –‘Orders this afternoon to prepare to embark. Boarded barges 8pm, towed to HMS Clacton, arrived Lemnos Island 10am. Marched into camp tired, dirty, ragged, crummy, hungry, but happy. The first time for five months that we have not heard the crack of rifles and scream of shells. So far the 1^st and 2^nd Brigades have been relieved’.

Trp Walter Morrison (Lilydale), 4^th Light Horse Regiment: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HT Star of Victoria.

September 10^th, 1915 –
Pte Clyde Hoffman (Montrose), 7^th Battalion: Lands at Anzac Cove to re-join his unit and is moved up into the front line trenches.

Pte George Hannah (Mt Evelyn), 7^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HT Star of Victoria.

Pte Thomas Butcher (Yering), 5^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HT Star of Victoria.

Sgt Wilmot Stephens (Lilydale), 5^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HT Star of Victoria. In a letter to friends in Lilydale – ‘We had rather an interesting voyage over, except that one night whilst I was Sergeant of the Guard, a prisoner got one ‘home’ on me with a log of wood, succeeding in very nearly putting me out; I lost a couple of teeth. He was mentally deranged and I had to have him put in irons’.

Trp Leslie Coppin (Kilsyth), 13^th Light Horse Regiment: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HT Malakuta.

Dvr George Davies (Kilsyth), Divisional Train Reinforcements: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HT Malakuta.

Thomas Geddes (Wandin): Enlists in the AIF, he is 39 years old, married with five children and has previously served in the Anglo-Boer War with the Commonwealth Horse as well as the 3^rd Dragoon Guards in England. This is his second attempt to enlist in the AIF, on the first occasion he was rejected because of the condition of his teeth.

William Lucas (Silvan) – Leaves his farm in Silvan and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, he is 47 years old and married. One local story has it that he was actually 60 years old at the time and dyed his hair black to try and appear younger.

September 11^th, 1915 –
Trp James Rushton (Lilydale), 9^th Light Horse Regiment: Lands at Anzac Cove and is moved up to the frontline trenches.

Trp Arthur Rouget (Wandin), 13^th Light Horse Regiment: Lands at Anzac Cove and is moved up to the frontline trenches. From his diary (Gallipoli): ‘In the afternoon we leave Lemnos for the Anzacs. Towards midnight we hear for the first time war and see the gun boats using the searchlights and shooting also. As we draw near to land, we are put into lighters and towed alongside the little bit of pier at 1.00am. We go up into Shrapnel Gully and camp till daylight. Next day we shift into Monash Gully and dig in’.

James Donleavy (Gruyere): Leaves his farm at Gruyere and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, he is 50 years old and married. He had previously served in the Anglo-Boer War with the 3^rd Victorian Bushman’s Contingent.

Cecil Farr (Mooroolbark): Leaves his job as a farm labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 21 years old. His older brother William had enlisted the year before in the AIF.

Charles Pazzi (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a cook and enlists in the AIF, he is 32 years old and married with children.

September 13^th, 1915 –
Pte David Lohman (Lilydale), 24^th Battalion: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in Egypt suffering from dysentery.

Hewitt Hussey (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a contractor and enlists in the AIF, he is 18 years old.

Arthur Jeeves (Mt Dandenong): Leaves his job as a carpenter and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, he is 26 years old.

September 14^th, 1915 –
Martin Hatfield (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a cab proprietor and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, he is 48 years old but he tells the authorities he is 44.

Arthur Stallworthy (Lilydale): Leaves his estate agent’s business and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, he is 49 years old.

September 15^th, 1915 –
The following locals leave Australia bound for Egypt on SS Makarini:

Pte Thomas Strachan (Lilydale), 5^th Battalion

Pte Alfred Blanksby (Wandin), 8^th Battalion

Pte Francis Hughes (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion

Pte Henry Lord (Wandin), 8^th Battalion

Pte David Ogilvy (Seville), 8^th Battalion

Pte John Purcell (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion

Pte Andrew Ragartz (Seville), 8^th Battalion

Pte Bruce Timms (Yering), 14^th Battalion

Pte Ernest Kerslake (Lilydale), 26^th Battalion

Pte Harry Moore (Lilydale), 26^th Battalion: Arrives back in Australia from Egypt on the HMAT Wiltshire as a result of having contracted a venereal disease.

John Mounsey (Seville): Enlists in the Australian Light Horse for a second time, he was discharged on the first occasion for refusing to be inoculated.

September 17^th, 1915 –
Trp Kavan Lawlor (Coldstream), 8^th Light Horse Regiment: Arrives at Anzac Cove and is moved up into the front line trenches with his regiment, which has been decimated after the charge at the Nek the month before.

Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Lemnos Island. In his diary –‘Of the original one hundred and eight bearers who landed on the 25^th of April, only thirty of us came off last Friday. We had fifteen killed and fifty-five wounded, remainder sick. We had our sixth reinforcements and came off 60% below strength’.

William Mitchell (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a bushman and enlists in the AIF, he is 44 years old and married.

September 18^th, 1915 –
Cpl James Drummond Burns (Lilydale), 21^st Battalion: He was in the front line at Courtney’s Post when the Turkish forces fired an artillery barrage upon their position. Private Robert Glenister later told a friend –‘There was a Turkish demonstration; Jimmy said ‘Don’t let them have their own way, boys’. He got up and fired four shots. ‘They’re shooting at me! They’re shooting at me!’ he said, and two shots later he got one through the head. He never knew what hit him. He died through being too brave’.

Pte Ernie Mason, who had also enlisted from Lilydale, wrote to another Lilydale soldier telling him –‘Jim got excited and jumped up onto the parapet of the trench and got a bullet through the head’. In later years Pte William Carroll remembered: ‘One of the first men to be killed in our section was my dear friend Jim Burns, a tent mate from Broadmeadows and Mena camp. Poor young Jim, like most of us, was rearing to have a look over the trench. He knew it was dangerous but couldn’t restrain himself. He stuck his head up for only a split second and fell dead into the trench with a bullet hole clear through his forehead’.

Shot in the head by a sniper’s bullet he fell back unconscious and his mates, including Ernie Mason, quickly picked up his limp body and carried him to the nearest regimental aid post but Jim died there soon after, having never regained consciousness. It was exactly three months after his twentieth birthday and only his tenth day on Gallipoli, he was the 21^st Battalion first fatal Gallipoli casualty. He was the author of the famous poem ‘The Bugles of England’. He is buried at the cemetery at Shrapnel Valley, Gallipoli.

Archibald Arnott (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a plasterer and enlists in the AIF, he is 22 years old.

September 19^th, 1915 –
Pte Richard Plummer (Olinda), 21^st Battalion: Is wounded in action, bullet wound to the eye, and is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in Egypt.

Pte Frederick Davies (Kilsyth), 8^th Battalion: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove and eventually to hospital in England suffering from acute gastritis.

Pte Harry Stevens (Seville), 8^th Battalion: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove to Lemnos suffering from dysentery. He would later be sent to hospital in England where he is diagnosed with rheumatism and would return to Australia six months later to be discharged as medically unfit.

Pte James Reade (Yering) & Pte Frank Foster (Montrose), both 24^th Battalion: Land at Anzac Cove and are moved up into the front lines with their regiment.

Cpl Stanley Nicholas (Lilydale), 5^th Light Horse Regiment: Re-joins his unit at Anzac Cove from hospital on Lemnos Island.

September 20^th, 1915 –
Dvr Leo Maxwell (Wandin), 1^st Field Artillery Brigade: While in England for medical treatment, he applies to be transferred from the AIF to the Royal Field Artillery where he is promised a commission as a 2^nd Lieutenant. His application is approved.

September 21^st, 1915 –
Cpl Reg Peisley (Lilydale), 3^rd Field Company Engineers: Is wounded in action, injury to back and shellshock, and is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in Egypt.

Trp Stanley Mounsey (Seville), 9^th Light Horse Regiment: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Star of England.

Frederick Brierty (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a drover and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, is he 40 years old and married.

September 23^rd, 1915 –
Pte Richard Hand (Lilydale): While stationed at Broadmeadows Military Camp, he is admitted to the Alfred Hospital suffering from meningitis.

Henry Cornwall (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 21 years old. This is his second attempt; the first time he was rejected on account of a bone disease he’d had for a time.

September 24^th, 1915 –
Pte Fred Whiteside (Lilydale), 14^th Battalion: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in Malta suffering from jaundice.

September 25^th, 1915 –
Pte Reg Charteris (Wandin), 23^rd Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Hororata.

Pte Thomas Harvey (Lilydale), 23^rd Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Hororata.

Pte Arthur Overton (Wandin), 23^rd Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Hororata.

Thomas Senior (Seville): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, he is 41 years old and married with children.

September 29^th, 1915 –
Pte Harry Linacre (Seville), 24^th Battalion: Is landed at Anzac Cove and moved up into the frontline trenches.

Pte Harry Dawson (Lilydale), 21^st Battalion: Is landed at Anzac Cove and moved up into the frontline trenches.

The following locals leave Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Osterley:

Lt Harold Bartram (Olinda), 5^th Battalion

Pte William Bedford (Lilydale), 5^th Battalion

Pte Percy Barratt (Olinda), 6^th Battalion

Pte Henry Tudor (Lilydale), 23^rd Battalion

Pte Edward Hitchings (Lilydale), 2^nd Veterinary Section

Henry Early (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a farmer and enlists in the AIF, he is 19 years old.

September 30^th, 1915 –
Cpl Stanley Nicholas (Lilydale), 5^th Light Horse Regiment: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in Malta suffering from dysentery. He had also broken he’d artificial teeth trying to eat the biscuits issued at Anzac Cove.

Pte Harry Black (Coldstream), 8^th Australian Machine Gun Battalion: On Anzac Cove. In a letter to his family at Coldstream –‘After many weeks of hard training in Egypt I am at last in the trenches amongst the sound of big guns and swish of shrapnel. I have been here now close on a month and am getting quite used to the scenes of warfare. It is wonderful how accustomed one becomes to the noise of big guns, the continual crack! crack! of the rifles and the bursting of shrapnel overhead. They are swishing and bursting in all directions now as I sit here writing this in my dugout.

What I am experiencing is not as pleasant as the times I have spent in the hunting field. I have not met any of the Lilydale boys here so far. I came across Cav Lawlor, Charlie Ryan and Bert Henry in Egypt, also Jim Fraser and Will Reid from Yering, the last two boys having just arrived in Egypt a few days before we left for the front.

Our trenches are only about 40 or 50 yards and in places within five or six of Abdul’s lines. ‘Abdul’ the name the Turks go under here. He is at present rocking in shrapnel but we always send him back a few headache wafers in return. The enemy always send shells after our aeroplanes as they soar overhead but never seem to get within ‘cooee’ of them. One can see the shells burst in the air, leaving little fleecy clouds of smoke hanging in their train.

The country round here is very hilly, the hills rising almost straight up, two and three hundred feet high. Anyone seeing the place where the Australians landed would think the task a matter of impossibility. Their landing must always rank as one of the greatest in history. Now we are almost out of the hills and will be getting into more level country. We can see the Turks’ shovels show up over the parapet as they are cleaning out their trenches and often have a shot at the shovel; if we miss they will wave a washout back but if we hit he will not mark a bull’s eye as he finds he has urgent business in another part of the trench’.

October 1^st, 1915 –
Pte James Reade (Yering), 24^th Battalion: Is admitted to hospital on Anzac Cove feeling unwell.

Robert Smith (Mt Evelyn): Leaves his job as a road engineer and enlists in the AIF, he is 40 years old and a widower.

October 4^th, 1915 –
Pte Frank Foster (Montrose), 24^th Battalion: Is wounded in action, gunshot wounds to the buttocks and sacrum, and is evacuated from Anzac Cove.

Pte John Irwin (Mooroolbark), 17^th Battalion: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove and sent to hospital in Malta suffering from influenza.

October 5^th, 1915 –
Pte Arthur Thomas (Lilydale), 1^st Machine Gun Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Europe on the HMAT Themistocles.

Arthur Cheep (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a cook and enlists in the AIF, he is 23 years old.

October 6^th, 1915 –
Pte Horace Twiner (Mt Dandenong), 7^th Battalion: Is made the Battalion Driver and is evacuated from Anzac Cove to serve in Egypt.

October 7^th, 1915 –
Robert Jeeves (Montrose): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the AIF, he 22 years old. His older brother Fredrick would follow him and enlist also in a few months’ time.

October 8^th, 1915 –
Sgt Frank Kingsley-Norris (Lilydale), 1^st Light Horse Field Ambulance: Arrives back in Australia from Egypt. He was part of a group of medical students who had enlisted but were then ordered back to Australia to complete their medical studies. He later went on to serve in the Second World War and rose to become the Director of the Australian Medical Services as well as being awarded a knighthood and made Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

October 9^th, 1915 –
Pte Frank Foster (Montrose), 24^th Battalion: Dies on the hospital ship ‘Assay’ off the coast of Gallipoli from wounds he’d received in action a few days before. He is 24 years old and is buried at the Pieta Military Cemetery in Malta.

Pte Albert Douglas (Seville), 6^th Field Ambulance: Is sent to a Casualty Clearing Station at Anzac Cove suffering from shell shock.

Pte Henry Warwick (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove and sent to hospital in Malta suffering from influenza.

Henry Ferguson (Coldstream): Leaves his job working as a farm hand around Coldstream and enlists in the AIF, he is 25 years old. This is his second attempt; the first time he was rejected for being ‘muscle bound’.

Robert Shell (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a horse driver and enlists in the AIF, he is 18 years old. He is the first of four Shell brothers, Charles, George, Robert and William, to enlist.

October 10^th, 1915 –
Dvr Richard Pendlebury (Seville), 2^nd Field Artillery Brigade: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove and sent to hospital in Malta suffering from diarrhoea.

October 11^th, 1915 –
The following locals leave Australia bound for Egypt on HMAT Nestor:

Pte James Wallace (Seville), 6^th Battalion

Pte James Clegg (Wandin), 6^th Battalion

Pte William McCallum (Lilydale), 6^th Battalion

Pte Alan McGuiness (Lilydale), 6^th Battalion

Pte Eddie Poyner (Lilydale), 6^th Battalion

Pte Frank Poyner (Lilydale), 6^th Battalion

Pte Edmund Rossiter (Silvan), 6^th Battalion

Pte Phillip Lithgow (Lilydale), 7^th Battalion

Pte Gordon Ewart (Montrose), 8^th Battalion

Pte Sydney Shore (Mooroolbark), 8^th Battalion

Pte William Hodges (Lilydale), 14^th Battalion

Pte Albert Rouget (Seville), 14^th Battalion

Pte William Jenner (Wandin), 2^nd Field Artillery Brigade

Sr Matilda McNeill (Lilydale), 1^st Australian General Hospital

Henry Kings (Wandin): Born in Wandin, he is working as a coach builder in Richmond when he enlists for the AIF, he is 27 years old. It is the second time he has tried to enlist; the first time he was rejected on account of his height.

October 12^th, 1915 –
Dvr Charles Willimott (Lilydale), Mechanical Transport Division – attached to 17^th Divisional Supply Column, British Expeditionary Forces: In France. In a letter to a friend in Lilydale – ‘We have been hard at it since we first arrived, but for the last few days have been having it a bit easy. I am a few miles at the rear of the trenches. Our usual routine for several weeks past has been: Reveille 2.30am, on the road at 3.15am with provisions etc for the day. They are taken from our wagons on to the horse transport wagons which convey them into the trenches. We then return to the railhead and load up for the next day.

A whole train-load of hay, corn and provisions of every description is transferred from the train to our wagons in just over an hour, and as soon as our column is finished, another column pulls in and empties a second train, which is shunted in; this continues throughout the day. This will give you some idea of the huge quantities of supplies that are consumed every day. After we have loaded up we go back to our camp, which is at the side of one of the main roads; the column is about three quarters of a mile long. We then clean up and get our wagons ready for the road next day.

Up to present there are no casualties amongst us, and I have not yet had the pleasure of getting to grips with the enemy but expect we shall get our turn sooner or later. There have been some terrific bombardments near us lasting for several days and nights; there is just one continual roar of heavy guns firing and at night; the sky is lighted up for miles with the flashes.

I went through a town some days back which had just been shelled; almost every window in the place was shattered and several houses blown to pieces. I saw two shell holes in a 10 foot wall big enough to drive a wagon through. I will not be sorry when I get back; it would be a real pleasure to get into a clean rig-out and a bed.

We are fortunate enough to get a bath every week. It’s fixed up at a brewery (no beer there, worse luck!) and is just a water pipe with two sprays attached. About 50 men pile into this place at a time and as the time for bathing is limited, there is a free fight of naked men to get under the spray’.

October 13^th, 1915 –
Gnr Alfred Eades (Montrose), 2^nd Field Artillery Brigade: Lands at Anzac Cove and reports for duty.

Pte James Fraser (Yering), 23^rd Battalion: Arrives back in Australia from Egypt for further medical treatment for his kidney stones.

Pte Isaac Davies (Kilsyth), 28^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on HMAT Themistocles.

Frederick Hopkins (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a mechanic and enlists in the AIF, he is 21 years old.

October 14^th, 1915 –
Sgt-Maj Kavan Lawlor (Coldstream), 8^th Light Horse Regiment: At Anzac Cove. In a letter to friends in Lilydale – ‘I have been here five weeks now, and am still in good going order. The weather is getting very cold here and some of the boys who have been here for five months are becoming a ‘groggy-lo king’ on it, though I hear that they are to have a spell off the peninsula and it will do them the world of good. The 8^th Light Horse, to which I belong, have had a very severe gruelling and a lot of the best lads fell under very heavy machine-gun fire. Those who are left are in a rest camp but not more than half-a-mile from the trenches and may be wanted at any time in the firing line.

We get on very well for provisions, clothing etc and have with us some very fine officers, each and every one of whom take keen interest in their men and so things bowl along from day to day very smoothly. We received a little news of what is doing in France, Belgium and Russia and so far we have been very pleased with the state of affairs and wish them continued success.

I had a letter from my brother (Will Lawlor) the other day and he told me the boys from Lilydale were enlisting freely. I can say this; they are all wanted if they can possibly get away. Now is the time to come as the winter will be over and fine weather coming on just as they are about to arrive here. I met some of the Lilydale boys – Harry Black, Mick Upton, Ernie Commerford and Arthur Rouget – all of whom were quite well and looking to fight off the Turks.

Most of our work here is preparing for a heavy winter. On one occasion I had a party of men cutting out a terrace for the purpose of storing rations and when I introduced the pick and shovel to one he said ‘Blimey Sergeant, you’re making it hot aint yer? I slung pick and shovel work in Victoria and had nine bob a day for it, and now I’ve got to do it for six bob, and get shot at as well’.

The following locals leave Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Port Lincoln:

Pte Tom Lydster (Wandin) 14^th Battalion

Pte William Parkinson (Coldstream) 14^th Battalion

Pte Norman Pontin (Lilydale) 14^th Battalion

Spr William Reid (Olinda), 2^nd Field Company Engineers

Spr Robert Smith (Mt Evelyn), 2^nd Field Company Engineers

Dvr Walter Thompson (Wandin) 2^nd Field Company Engineers

October 15^th, 1915 –
Norm Reid (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a motor mechanic and enlists in the AIF, he is 24 years old and married with two children. One local story has it, that Dr Syme, the local doctor, arranged to donate his motor ambulance to be used by the Defence Department overseas on the condition that Norm, his chauffeur, accompanies it as driver and mechanic.

October 16^th, 1915 –
Dvr Richard Pendlebury (Seville), 2^nd Field Artillery Brigade: At St David’s Hospital on Malta. In a letter written to his brother George –‘I guess you will be surprised to know I am here: tried to hang out but it was no ‘go’. I was three days on the hospital ship coming over, and a good many of the boys died on board, in fact the ship was continually stopping for a burial. You have no idea how great it is to be in a nice clean bed and in a safe place, with no Taubes to come over dropping bombs and darts while one is trying to get a little sleep, and no guns or anything to worry you, we get well looked after.

I am living on milk at present under the doctor’s orders, but, I feel like a good square feed. The nurses are very kind and attentive. Things were quiet at Gallipoli when I left. It is a wonderful sight to see our airships and warships everywhere, giving us confidence. There are very few of the old boys of our battery left when landed on the first day. By the time you receive this, I expect to be back again at the front. I reckon we have had a good innings. I hope to be about in a few days and to see this beautiful island of Malta. As far as I can see from my bed, it must indeed be a lovely spot’.

October 20^th, 1915 –
Benjamin Sessions (Silvan): Leaves his job as a labourer and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, he is 22 years old. His younger brother Leslie had already enlisted two months before.

October 23^rd, 1915 –
Pte Joseph Speakman (Coldstream), 14^th Battalion: Is landed at Anzac Cove and moved up into the frontline trenches.

Barney Gilson (Lilydale): Enlists in the AIF for a second time, the first time he was discharged medically unfit due to a hernia. He has since had an operation.

October 25^th, 1915 –
Cpl Reginald Farndon (Mt Dandenong), 21^st Battalion: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital on Malta suffering from influenza.

Pte Alfred Sutherland (Wandin), 22^nd Battalion: Is landed at Anzac Cove and moved up into the frontline trenches.

Spr Michael McCristal (Lilydale), 3^rd Light Horse: Is landed at Anzac Cove and moved up into the frontline trenches.

Sgt Harold Manders (Wandin), & Pte George Joy (Mt Evelyn), both 24^th Battalion: Are landed at Anzac Cove and moved up into the frontline trenches.

October 26^th, 1915 –
Pte Herbert Read (Seville), 6^th Battalion:  Wounded in the eye and ear at Krithia, he was eventually evacuated to a hospital in England. In a letter to his father Charles, later published in the Lilydale Express, he states –‘I have practically lost the sight of my left eye, but that doesn’t matter, as it is all in the game. I have been examined by two specialists and a doctor, and have been recommended for discharge. The doctor asked me if I would take a job here if he could find me one so I am going to stop here on home service.  I cannot speak too highly of the treatment I received at all the different places I have been at – Malta, Manchester, Holyhead and here, where I am working, at Woodcote Park, Epsom.

I have been for a fortnight’s furlough to Scotland, and visited Edinburgh, Glasgow and Forth Bridge, and the shipbuilding yards on the Clyde. I came to London for two days and stayed with an English General, who took me to see all the principle places. I managed to get into Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral and now at last I am back at work again’.

October 27^th, 1915 –
Cpl Arthur Chapman (Wandin), 2^nd Field Artillery Brigade: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital on Malta suffering from diphtheria.

Pte Charles Cooper (Wandin), 24^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Ascanius.

The following locals leave Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Ulysses:

Pte Andrew Holland (Yering), 7^th Battalion

Pte George Deacon (Lilydale), 22^nd Battalion

Pte George Evans (Mt Evelyn), 22^nd Battalion

Pte Robert King (Lilydale), 22^nd Battalion

Pte David Strachan (Lilydale), 22^nd Battalion

Dvr Norman Reid (Lilydale), Australian Army Medical Corps

William Stewart (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a horse driver at Cave Hill and enlists in the AIF, he is 28 years old.

October 28^th, 1915 –
Trp George Gilbert (Yering), 9^th Light Horse Regiment: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the SS Hawkes Bay.

October 29^th, 1915 –
The following locals leave Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Palermo:

Trp Harry Dinsdale (Olinda), 4^th Light Horse Regiment

Trp Bert Hutchinson (Lilydale), 4^th Light Horse Regiment

Trp John Taylor (Olinda), 4^th Light Horse Regiment

Dvr Stanley Scott (Mt Evelyn), Motor Transport Corps

Pte Charles Fraser (Yering): Is discharged from the AIF while at Seymour Military Camp for being medically unfit. He was diagnosed with cardiac debility.

October 31^st, 1915 –
Pte Norman Avard (Olinda), 6^th Battalion: Is landed at Anzac Cove and moved up into the frontline trenches.

November 1^st, 1915 –
Samuel Fennell (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a miner in Kalgoorlie, WA, where he is living, and enlists in the AIF, he is 33 years old and married with three children.

November 3^rd, 1915 –
Pte Frederick Randolph (Lilydale), 13^th Light Horse Regiment: Is landed at Anzac Cove and moved up into the frontline trenches.

Pte Henry Maidment (Lilydale), 13^th Light Horse Regiment: Is landed at Anzac Cove and reports for duty with the railway section.

November 5^th, 1915 –
Pte Charles Willimott (Lilydale), Mechanical Transport Division: Is evacuated from the field to hospital in France with a minor wound to his scalp.

November 6^th, 1915 –
L/Cpl Walter Summers (Seville), 23^rd Battalion: Is wounded in action, shrapnel wound to the throat, and is evacuated from Anzac Cove and sent to hospital on Malta.

Pte Albert Douglas (Seville), 6^th Field Ambulance: Reports to a Casualty Clearing Station on Anzac Cove suffering from jaundice.

Pte James Fraser (Yering), 23^rd Battalion: Having returned home from Egypt suffering from kidney stones, he was travelling by train from Lilydale to attend hospital in St Kilda Road. They got out at Flinders Street Station and proceeded to board a cable tram on St Kilda Road near Princes Bridge to take them to the hospital. According to the ‘Lilydale Express’ newspaper – ‘the deceased was boarding a tram towards the hospital, when a tram coming in the opposite direction caught them, Private Fraser being knocked down and badly crushed, sustaining a fractured skull and other injuries’. He was rushed to the hospital but sadly passed away that night. He is 23 years old and is buried at the Lilydale Cemetery, Victoria.

November 7^th, 1915 –
Cpl Walter Henry Clegg (Wandin), 11^th Battalion: Is wounded in action and is evacuated from Anzac Cove and to a hospital on Mudros Island.

Pte Alfred Parish (Lilydale), 13^th Battalion: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in England suffering from enteric fever.

Pte Leslie Jack (Seville), 21^st Battalion: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in Egypt suffering gastro.

November 9^th, 1915 –
Sapper Henry Woodruff (Seville), 2^nd Field Company Engineers: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on HMAT Beltana.

The following locals leave Australia bound for Egypt on HMAT Wandilla:

Pte Archie Kilfoyle (Mooroolbark), 31^st Battalion

Pte Stanley Robinson (Lilydale), 31^st Battalion

Pte Mort Tait (Lilydale), 31^st Battalion

Pte Cliff Wardell (Lilydale), 31^st Battalion

Pte Wilfred Yeaman (Montrose), 31^st Battalion

Cyril Crameri (Montrose): Leaves his job as a motor mechanic and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, he is 22 years old.

November 10^th, 1915 –
Pte Joseph Speakman (Coldstream), 14^th Battalion: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove to Egypt suffering from the mumps.

Cpl Walter Henry Clegg (Wandin), 11^th Battalion: Arrives back at Anzac Cove to re-join his unit after having his wounds dressed on Mudros Island.

The following locals leave Australia bound for Egypt on HMAT Ascanius:

Sgt Leslie Bolitho (Lilydale), 29^th Battalion

Pte Ernest Bolitho (Lilydale), 29^th Battalion

Sgt Charles McComas (Montrose), 29^th Battalion

Pte Reuben Parry (Wandin), 29^th Battalion

Pte William Tait (Mt Dandenong), 29^th Battalion

Pte James Tanner (Yering), 29^th Battalion

Pte William Thurrowgood (Lilydale), 29^th Battalion

Sgt James Whelan (Lilydale), 29^th Battalion

Pte Ernest Wilkin (Wandin), 29^th Battalion

Pte Leslie Sessions (Silvan), 8^th Light Horse Regiment

November 11^th, 1915 –
Pte Clyde Richardson (Lilydale), 23^rd Battalion: Is landed at Anzac Cove and moved up into the frontline trenches.

Pte George Vale (Lilydale), 8^th Field Ambulance: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove to Egypt suffering from the gastro.

Pte Gordon Ewart (Montrose), 8^th Battalion: Is admitted to hospital in Egypt suffering from mumps.

The following locals leave Australia bound for Egypt on board the HMAT Orsova:

Pte James Donleavey (Gruyere), 1st Remount Unit

Pte Thomas Geddes (Wandin), 1st Remount Unit

Pte Martin Hatfield (Lilydale), 1st Remount Unit

Pte William Lucas (Silvan), 1st Remount Unit

Pte Thomas Senior (Seville), 1st Remount Unit

Pte Arthur Stallworthy (Lilydale), 1st Remount Unit

Roy Cahill (Gruyere):  Leaves his job as a draper and his parent’s farm in Coldstream and enlists in the AIF, he is 18 years old.

November 13^th, 1915 –
Pte Bruce Timms (Yering), 14^th Battalion: Lands at Anzac Cove and is moved up into the front line trenches.

Pte Richard Hand (Lilydale): Dies in the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, from meningitis. He is 28 years old and is buried at the Coburg Cemetery.

William Mattingley (Wandin): Leaves his job as a grocer in Warburton and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, he is 19 years old. His older brother Arthur Mattingley had enlisted the previous year.

George Shell (Lilydale):  Leaves his job as a grocer and enlists in the AIF, he is 19 years old.

November 14^th, 1915 –
Private Edwin Meade (Mooroolbark), 8^th Battalion: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove to Malta suffering from enteric fever.

November 15^th, 1915 –
Pte Harry Boxall (Silvan), 23^rd Battalion: Is injured in action, dust in eyes and shock from shell blast, and is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in Egypt.

Sgt Charles Stanbury (Lilydale), 8^th Light Horse Regiment: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HT Clan McCourquodale.

November 16^th, 1915 –
Pte Henry Maidment (Lilydale), 13^th Light Horse Regiment: Is wounded in action, shrapnel wounds to his thigh, and is evacuated to hospital in Egypt.

Pte Fred Town (Lilydale), 2^nd Division Ammunition Column: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Port Macquarie.

Norman Stewart (Wandin): Having already been discharged as being medically unfit for contracting malaria while on active service in Samoa, he recovers and re-enlists once more in the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces.

November 18^th, 1915 –
Gnr Howard Guttmann (Olinda), 2^nd Field Artillery Brigade: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in Egypt suffering from influenza.

Gnr Frederick Bartholomew (Kilsyth), 4^th Field Artillery Brigade: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Wiltshire.

Pte Frank Dixon (Wandin) & Pte Alfred Fairbank (Montrose), both 7^th Battalion: While waiting with their unit to be landed at Anzac Cove, they are admitted to hospital on Mudros Island suffering from mumps. Both would be evacuated to hospital in Egypt and wouldn’t have the opportunity of going to Gallipoli.

The following locals leave Australia bound for Egypt on HMAT Wiltshire:

Pte Arthur Anderson (Lilydale), 21^st Battalion

Pte Charles Harrison (Wandin), 21^st Battalion

Dvr Arthur Street (Gruyere), 4^th Field Artillery Brigade

Gnr Theodore Lowe (Gruyere), 11^th Field Artillery Brigade

November 19^th, 1915 –
Pte Leslie Tegart (Montrose), 31^st Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on HMAT Wandilla.

Pte Duncan Campbell (Wandin), 5^th Battalion: Arrives back in Australia from Europe on board the HT Suevic. He is to be discharged as medically unfit after being wounded on Gallipoli.

Pte John Mounsey (Seville), Remount Unit: Is discharged from the military for a second time, on this occasion he was deemed ‘unlikely to become an efficient soldier’.

November 20^th, 1915 –
The following locals leave Australia bound for Egypt on HMAT Commonwealth:

Pte George Allen (Lilydale), 24^th Battalion

Pte William Chauvin (Lilydale), 24^th Battalion

Pte Thomas Goodall (Lilydale), 24^th Battalion

Pte William Goodall (Lilydale), 24^th Battalion

Pte Ralph Noden (Lilydale), 24^th Battalion

Pte William Town (Lilydale), 24^th Battalion

November 21^st, 1915 –
Spr William Guillerme (Lilydale), 5^th Field Company Engineers: While still stationed at Ascot Vale, he is discharged from the AIF as medically unfit as a result of his poor eyesight.

November 22^nd, 1915 –
The following locals leave Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Persic:

Dvr Edmund Boulter (Olinda), 6^th Field Artillery Brigade

Pte Reginald Summers (Seville), 6^th Field Artillery Brigade

November 23^rd, 1915 –
Pte Albert Douglas (Seville), 6^th Field Ambulance: Is wounded in action at Dawkin Point, Anzac Cove, severe gunshot wound to the shoulder, and is evacuated from the front line and sent to hospital on Malta. Letter written to his parents while in hospital in Malta – ‘I was wounded on 23^rd November, 1915… The bullet that hit me was a chance one, as I was not in a suitable position. I was near our hospital getting some tea from the cooks for our patients, and while bending down was bowled over — the chaps standing near said that the bullet made a loud sound when it hit me. It felt like a hard hit from the right end of an axe… The extraordinary part of the wound was, that so nearly was the force of the bullet spent, that the texture of the shirt and coat sent it back again into the wound’.

The following locals leave Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Ceramic:

Pte Joseph Kay (Lilydale), 5^th Battalion

Pte George Milne (Lilydale), 6^th Battalion

Pte Albert Ragartz (Seville), 6^th Battalion

Pte Arthur Orenshaw (Seville), 7^th Battalion

Pte William Orenshaw (Seville), 7^th Battalion

Pte William Hawkey (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion

Pte Arthur Newing (Mt Evelyn), 8^th Battalion

Pte James Varty (Mt Evelyn), 8^th Battalion

Pte Richard Goodall (Gruyere), 14^th Battalion

Pte Norman Hooke (Kilsyth), 14^th Battalion

Pte Frank Maher (Lilydale), 2^nd Machine Gun Company

November 25^th, 1915 –
Pte Herbert Meade (Mooroolbark), 8^th Battalion: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in Malta suffering from eyetitis.

November 26^th, 1915 –
Sgt Harold Clark (Gruyere), 27^th Battalion: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in Malta suffering from jaundice.

The following locals leave Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Commonwealth:

Pte William Marshall (Wandin), 23^rd Battalion

Pte Clarence Windsor (Lilydale), 23^rd Battalion

Pte Ralph Garth (Wandin), 24^th Battalion

Pte Henry Hogan (Olinda), 24^th Battalion

Pte John Medhurst (Gruyere), 24^th Battalion

Pte Thomas Morton (Lilydale), 24^th Battalion

Pte William Walker (Montrose), 24^th Battalion

November 27^th, 1915 –
Pte Stan Smith (Lilydale), Australian Army Service Corps – Bakery Section: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Suffolk.

November 28^th, 1915 –
Pte Norman Avard (Olinda), 6^th Battalion: Reports to a Casualty Clearing Station on Anzac Cove suffering from jaundice and is evacuated to hospital in Egypt.

November 30^th, 1915 –
Pte Frederick Randolph (Lilydale), 13^th Light Horse Regiment: Is wounded in action, shrapnel wound to the left leg, and is evacuated to hospital in Egypt.

Pte Albert Douglas (Seville), 6^th Field Ambulance: In hospital on Malta. Letter written to his parents– ‘…I am lying on my back with a lung pierced at the top, a hardly noticeable wound on my back, and a wound on the top of the left shoulder, where the bullet made its exit, after fracturing the scapula. The bullet and a few bits of bone were extracted. I was wounded on 23rd November, 1915, and arrived in Malta on 29th November, a quick time!’.

December 2^nd, 1915 –
Pte Harry McCormack (Wandin), 6^th Battalion: Is charged with defecating in a storm water course on Anzac Cove, thereby committing a nuisance and endangering the health of the army. He is fined four days pay.

Percy Hyne (Lilydale): Leaves his job as an engine driver and enlists in the AIF, he is 38 years old.

Richard Moloney (Lilydale): Leaves his job as labourer and enlists in the AIF, he is 41 years old.

December 3^rd, 1915 –
Robert Davies (Kilsyth): Leaves his family’s orchard at Kilsyth and enlists in the AIF, he is 25 years old and this is his second attempt, he was previously rejected on account of his teeth. Three of his brothers have already enlisted.

Leslie Howard (Olinda): Leaves his job as a jockey and enlists in the Australian Light Horse, he is 19 years old.

December 4^th, 1915 –
Pte Charles Osborne (Lilydale), 8^th Battalion: Is wounded in action, gunshot wound to pelvis, and is evacuated from Anzac Cove to hospital in Egypt.

Cpl Rupert Bloom (Lilydale), 21^st Battalion: Arrives back in Australia from Egypt on the HT Karoola for further treatment for enteric fever.

December 6^th, 1915 –
Cpl George Ingram (Seville), Tropical Force: Leaves Rabaul bound for Australia on the SS Te Anui. He has spent the past month in hospital on Rabaul suffering from malaria and is being sent back to Australia for further treatment.

December 7^th, 1915 –
Pte George Hannah (Mt Evelyn), 7^th Battalion: Arrives at Anzac Cove and is moved into the frontline trenches.

December 9^th, 1915 –
Cpl Ernest Kerslake (Lilydale), 26^th Battalion: Arrives at Anzac Cove and is moved into the frontline trenches.

December 10^th, 1915 –
Dvr Ernest Dutton (Wandin), 1^st Divisional Ammunition Column: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Barambah.

Pte Henry Cornwall (Lilydale): While still at Broadmeadows he is discharged from the AIF as being medically unfit as a result of an old injury to his leg from a long term bone disease.

December 11^th, 1915 –
Pte Thomas Eales (Lilydale), 21^st Battalion: Is evacuated from the peninsula to hospital in Egypt suffering from frost bite to the hands and feet as well as contracting jaundice.

Trp Arthur Rouget (Wandin), 13^th Light Horse Regiment: On Anzac Cove. From his diary –‘We go into Lone Pine trenches with 24^th Battalion until Dec 11, the regiment is then shifted to Thompsons Lookout trenches’.

Dvr Frederick Hopkins (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Company Engineers: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HT Mooltan.

December 12^th, 1915 –
Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Lemnos Island. In his diary –‘Something big on, if we only knew what it is. 5^th and 6^th Battalion, 4^th Light Horse, 7^th Brigade all arrived here today, everyone with the same idea that we are going to give up Anzac. Just fancy it, will break our hearts after all we’re done there, to give it back before we’ve finished. But we bow our heads to our Generals, they know best’.

Trp Leslie Coppin (Kilsyth), 13^th Light Horse Regiment: Is admitted to hospital in Egypt suffering from cardiac arrhythmic debility. While here he also contracts jaundice.

December 14^th, 1915 –
Pte George Milne (Lilydale), 6^th Battalion: In camp in Egypt. In a letter to his mother in Lilydale –‘Our trip across was made in record time, and one could liken it to a trip down the Bay, and, of course, the size of ship no doubt contributed to the steadiness, and for the first time in my sea travelling did the voyage without seasickness.

This is not such an out of the way place after all. One week only in this camp, and have seen local boys, although opportunity has not always presented itself to speak, as it was during a march I passed several. Amongst others close handy are Wardell, Bedford, Poyners and others. Also saw the camps where Tait, Whelan, Robinson and others are located, and not envy them their position, and they are certainly in a place where cash will not be of much use to them.

It is dark here at 5.15 p.m., and evenings very long, arid conditions even now are not too comfortable and guess it will be a bit livelier later. Very few English people are here. We have several times conversed with both young and elderly ladies, and they all seemed pleased to tender us any information, and ask us questions about ourselves. We get practically no war news; the Egyptian papers give very little news.

Feeding arrangements at present are particularly good. Stews for breakfast. Midday mostly fruits and rice, or tomato salads, and for tea more stew. Occasionally salmon and tinned goods are obtainable. The only way we get a square meal in Cairo is to order the same meal twice. Fancy six eggs and bacon, bread, and tea, not satisfying one (cost 1/6), but the eggs are the size of pigeons only. We are going to give the premier hotel (Sheppard’s) a call next week, while the boys have money (personally, am broke myself). This is the great hotel for officers, but the privates also help to keep it going. The Y.M.C.A. look after our writing needs in this place’.

December 13^th, 1915 –
David England (Silvan): Leaves his job as a mail coach driver for his father’s coach business and enlists in the AIF, he is 21 years old.

Benjamin Gibson (Kilsyth): Leaves his job as a postman and enlists in the AIF, he is 21 years old. His brother Joseph would also enlist the following year.

December 15^th, 1915 –
Dvr Charles Willimott (Lilydale), Mechanical Transport Division – attached to 17^th Divisional Supply Column, British Expeditionary Forces: In France. In a letter to Alec Williamson in Lilydale – ‘There is not the fierce excitement in the war game that I expected, in fact, it is might monotonous. I think the same can be said with all ranks out here, but more so with transport work, as we don’t get the excitement of an occasional ‘scrap’. In other ways we are much better off than the boys in the trenches. It’s just hell there this weather. Winter has set in, and we have been issued winter clothing, which includes great coats lined with sheepskins, which are very warm.

Most of our work is done early in the morning. We start out at 4am, it’s generally pitch dark until about 7am. If one is lucky one finishes about 4pm, but very often one is kept going until 9pm, sometimes later, taking up coal and wood, which are extra loads, and are not taken up with the provisions. We’ve had one or two fierce snow storms then sharp frosts, for a few days, which finished up the usual infernal rain, gee, I don’t think it ever stops raining in this blighted country. The mud is terrible, two and three feet everywhere, I’m getting web footed wadding around in it. To look at the roads behind the trenches it seems hardly possible to get heavy traffic over them, as we always get them, and very often without a single mishap.

It is wonderful how the artillery move their big guns about, some of them have as many as 12 and 14 powerful horses to drag them. I saw one gun being taken up in sections, seven machines called ‘caterpillars’, each driven with a 150 horse power petrol engine.

I had rather an exciting experience some time back. I was sent with a number of others to a place which no doubt you have heard quite a lot about, and there had an opportunity of seeing just what high explosive shells could do. What was once a fine town is now a colossal heap of ruins, not a building in the place is left alone. Huge buildings, centenaries old, are smashed to pieces. Everything pointed to a hurried exit of the population, everywhere was smashed furniture and shop fittings, and in some dwelling houses I saw the remains of a meal still on the table. While we were there the Germans started to shell the place. Several shells came over but were not near enough to us to cause us any worry, but we got to an exposed part, and a number came over in a bunch and dropped a few yards from us. Then we beat it for cover in record time, luckily no one was hit.

While we were loading at a rail head one morning a number of German aeroplanes came over and attempted to drop bombs. Our airmen went for them like blazes, and for about twenty minutes the fight was fast and furious, in which our anti-aircraft guns joined in. Two of the German machines were brought down, and the remainder made themselves scarce. These scraps in the air are very common’.

December 17^th, 1915 –
Spr Henry Kings (Wandin), 5^th Field Company Engineers: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Berrima.

December 18^th, 1915 –
Pte Levi Trayford (Lilydale), 24^th Battalion: Is evacuated from Anzac Cove to Mudros Island suffering from frost bite.

Pte Richard Moloney (Lilydale), 24^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Warilda.

THE LAST OF THE ANZAC TROOPS ARE EVACUATED FROM GALLIPOLI

December 20^th, 1915 –
Trp Arthur Rouget (Wandin), 13^th Light Horse Regiment: On Anzac Cove. From his diary –‘We help to load the mines that were put in that sector till the evacuation. We are marched down to the pier, this time to go off on a lighter again and towed out to a vessel, the Mars, an old cruiser, then taken to Lemnos Island’.

Pte Lindsay Yeaman (Montrose), 20^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Suevic.

December 21^st, 1915 –
Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Lemnos Island. In his diary –‘At 4am this morning the last of our boys left Anzac. What a wonderful piece of work something like forty thousand Australians and New Zealanders have left Anzac and are safely here, without losing a man. Evidently the Turks know nothing about it, what a shock they will get when they find nobody in our trenches’.

Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Lemnos Island. In a letter to his mother –‘Just think what a fine feat we have accomplished – almost as wonderful as the landing. Thousands of us left Anzac and not a man was lost. It took six nights to get us away. When you think that in some places our trenches were only 15ft away from the Turks, and every man had to make his way to the beach, get in to a barge and be towed out to transports. The second last night of leaving there were not more than 500 men on Anzac. They were all in the trenches and the Turks never dropped to anything.

Everything that could not be got away was burnt or destroyed. All that was left were hospital tents, that was so that the Taubes could see them when they flew over, and on Tuesday 21^st at 4am, the last of the men got away. We never lost a man or a gun. What a shock for Johnny Turk! As soon as daylight appeared the warships fired into the hospital tents we had left standing, and set them on fire, and great stacks of other stuff were piled up on the beach and soaked with kerosene and these the ships set on fire.

Some sailors who were there after we left told me that it wasn’t until the fires were burning that the Turks dropped to anything and by eleven o’clock the same morning Anzac was alive with Turks running about like madmen, absolutely astounded. Then the warships tickled them up and inflicted fearful losses on them. It’s cruel, but war’.

Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Lemnos Island. In his diary – ‘We all feel it very much and are a little downhearted at leaving the place we so dearly won, but we must have confidence in our Generals. If it had been left to the men, not a man would have left. But when one comes to look at it, we were not doing much good there, only keeping a small portion of Turks engaged. It is quite certain that the ‘Dards’ cannot be forced, we did our work when we first landed and smashed up the flower of the Turkish Army. I will now close this book on the day we finished at Anzac and say ‘here endeth the first chapter of the Australian Expeditionary Force’ – I wonder where our next chapter will start?’.

December 22^nd, 1915 –
Sgt John Casson (Kilsyth), Army Veterinary Corps: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Bakara.

December 23^rd, 1915 –
Pte Alfred Parish (Lilydale), 13^th Battalion: Is sent from Egypt to hospital in England suffering from enteric fever.

December 24^th, 1915 –
Pte William Williams (Lilydale): While still stationed in Australia he is discharged as medically unfit as a result of contracting rheumatism.

December 25^th, 1915 –
Pte Albert Douglas (Seville), 6^th Field Ambulance: While at the Cottonera Hospital in Malta he dies of wounds he received at Gallipoli as well as complications with pneumonia. He is 22 years old and is buried at the Pieta Military Cemetery in Malta.

Pte Albert Rouget (Seville), 14^th Battalion: Is admitted to hospital in Cairo suffering from mumps.

Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Lemnos Island. In his diary –‘Well Christmas Eve was bitterly cold, a keen wind blowing right off the ice, and when we woke early Christmas morning with bands playing carols, the place was covered with white frost. By jove! it was cold but it turned out to be a beautiful day. We were busy all the morning packing up and were off duty after dinner, but there was nothing to do, so we had a pretty miserable day. Our Christmas dinner consisted of the old reliable stew; that was all, and our tea was bread and jam. Today we were doing nothing but waiting further orders’.

Pte George Milne (Lilydale), 6^th Battalion: In camp in Egypt. In a letter to his mother in Lilydale – ‘We all secured a Christmas billy, though only being here then five days; but as we are reckoned ready for service, perhaps this carried some recognition. My own was from the mother of a Queensland lieutenant at present at Gallipoli, and was acceptable on Christmas day, and full justice done to contents that day, sardines, pudding and cake. Have been fortunate in keeping together with some of mates who joined at our original camp at Albert Park, and no doubt we will now get to the front together’.

Pte James Wallace (Seville), 6^th Battalion: In camp in Egypt. In a letter to Mrs McDonnell of Adelaide, whose Christmas billy he had received – ‘Just to let you know that I had the good luck to get your billy, which I was overjoyed to get. I can tell you it was some fun to see the boys getting their Christmas gifts, it brings one back to when we used to hang up the stocking. Christmas day was kept up here by sports in the afternoon and a grand concert at night. Of course it is not near so lively here as home, but under the conditions we can’t expect things to be very lively, can we? In your note you hoped I was spending my Christmas and New Year in Constantinople; well, I am not doing that but I hope it won’t last much longer and then we will all be able to get back to good old Australia, which is the best place on earth (bet your life)’.

December 26^th, 1915 –
Percy Gartside (Kilsyth): On this day he decides to enlist in the AIF but this only begins a series of strange events where, over the next three years, he is discharged as medically unfit four times, then re-enlists under three different names and then deserts on a number of occasions, is on the run, imprisoned and escapes. Eventually in April 1918 the AIF send him to England but he spends most of the time recovering from a venereal disease before being sent back to Australia in 1919.

December 27^th, 1915 –
Pte George Milne (Lilydale), 6^th Battalion: In camp in Egypt. In a letter to his mother in Lilydale – ‘Am fortunate in landing here at this time of year, on account of holidays, and have made full use of same in seeing all I could. Cairo is an eye-opener; a very mixed population; abounds with smells, mostly from their viands, which they have cooking in front of their shops, also on street barrows. Anyone with a sense of smell soon gives these streets a wide berth. The most striking things of Cairo are the wonderful productiveness of the irrigated areas adjacent to the Nile. Here one can see sugar cane, tomatoes, and lucerne all grow in profusion, though their mode of tillage is as ancient as the city.

Their architecture is very striking, and they have evidently lost none of their old time art. Most pleasing effects are everywhere observable, and a visit to Heliopolis City, about six miles from Cairo, reveals some wonderful architectural attainments. Though the city has been built up in 10 years only, its progress has been remarkable. Each block of a street contains one building only, divided off into about twelve to fifteen shops, and in this way the designs are most pleasing. Private houses also are most wonderful in their construction. The whole of Egypt is one vast sand plain, except where the lands can be irrigated from the Nile. If we had the same heat in Northern Victoria, on the irrigated areas, as here, land would then produce anything at any time.

Rainfall for the whole year averages one inch. Evidently this has had the effect of preserving such a lot of their buried ancient cities, one of which we visited today. American scientists have been busy unearthing one of these, and the sculptured figures, etc., on the walls have been wonderfully preserved. Natives are a source of trouble and the only way to rid oneself is to be severe with them’.

December 29^th, 1915 –
Pte Donald Fergus Scott (Mt Evelyn), 6^th Battalion: In hospital in Egypt. In a letter to his father in Mt Evelyn – ‘You will be pleased to hear that although I am unfit for further active service in an infantry regiment, I have been transferred to the motor transport service for this hospital as motor mechanic. I have not been well lately but are alright now.

The matron arranged for the mumps patients to go for a spin on Christmas Day in a motor ambulance which I drive when on duty. I forgot to say in my last that I am also now detailed for duty driving the ambulance for this hospital. There were seven of us altogether, five men and two sisters, all convalescent from the mumps.

The picnic they packed for us wasn’t that promising in appearance but just as we were about to drive off someone shouted ‘stop’ and the Orderly Room Sergeant came running down with a cloth covered parcel in his arms for me. It was from home and didn’t the spirits rise and how we all consumed what it contained. It felt like home brought into Egypt. In the evening at 7 o’clock we had our real Christmas dinner’.

Pte Dominico Correicllo (Lilydale), 4^th Pioneer Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Kyarra.

Pte George Hamilton (Lilydale), 6^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Demosthenes.

Pte Leopold Muir (Wandin), 8^th Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Demosthenes.

Pte Francis Lyall (Mt Evelyn), 21^st Battalion: Leaves Australia bound for Egypt on the HMAT Demosthenes.

December 31^st, 1915 –
Pte George Milne (Lilydale), 6^th Battalion: In camp in Egypt. In a letter to his mother in Lilydale – ‘First mail from Australia in today, and everyone expectant, but few letters to hand, probably on account of a few days only separating mail from our departure. To-night, to keep men in camp, concert and ring contests are being held; and a glass of beer to each man. Tomorrow will be another day for sightseeing, and then our leave will be curtailed. We get no news of Australasian casualties’.