The
Trenches
25th April 1915
Dearest Mother and
Father,
The sea sickening trip
to the shores of Gallipoli was dreadful. There was knee deep vomit in the boat
and it smelt terrible.
I have just arrived at
the shores of Gallipoli. Already the Turks have killed hundreds of our soldiers.
There is a possibility that I will not come home.
The food here is vile
and I almost threw up the first time I ate there. All we get for food is some
stale bread which is hard as a rock and sometimes we receive ANZAC biscuits
which are a treat for us. The smell of the rotting corpses is revolting, it
makes a grown man cry. The trenches are lurking with lice and huge rats. If you
were to be bitten by a
rat, one of the nurses
would bath your limb that was bitten in some salty water.Mum please do not worry about me I am looking after myself and I hope to see you soon.
Your loving son,
Karl
Karl
The Trenches
Gallipoli
April 1915
Dear mother and father,
I miss you guys a lot.
How's the house? Oh and the dogs, are they missing me? Is Charlie alright? I'm
not sure when I'll come back, but I hope within a few months. This place isn't
comfortable. It's terrible living here.
You don't need to worry
about me, my injures are minor, but some aren't that lucky. Life here is
miserable. The air is polluted with smoke, the trenches are dirty and
uncomfortable. The ground is covered with bullets and bodies moaning and
screaming in pain. The food here is still ok, but I'm starving. The food we
have to eat consist mainly of biscuits,
so even if it tastes nice, it's not filling.
The Turks are strong and
ferocious. We aren't going so well but don't worry about me, I'll try to
protect myself. We are defending ourselves pretty well for now but we might not
make it. I hope I do, because if I don't the family will be miserable.
Even if I don't make it,
don't worry, I'm proud of myself to fight for our country. Don't be sad, if I'm
gone, I'm going to be in a safe place.
From your dearest son,
Rocco
Trenches,
Anzac Cove
Gallipoli
15.8.1914
Dear mum and dad,
I've recently arrived at
'Anzac Cove'. During the arrival in the early hours everything was peaceful
until we stepped onto the beach. Within a few minutes the beach was blood
stained and over One thousand soldiers were killed by shells or machine gun
fire.
Luckily, Iwas not hurt
so you don't need to worry about me. The food here is terrible like slop! The
living conditions are dank. We have to sleep on the wet floorboards which were
supposed to stop water coming in.
We've lost many bunkers
and captured many bunkers from the Turks. Sadly your son Ryan was KIA during a
raid on a Turkish bunker. We have lost 18,000 soldiers so far and losing the
war. We are aiming to catch a bunker on high grounds tonight.
Sadly I can't write more
as the Turks are currently raiding one of our bunkers and they need
reinforcement. Wish me luck!
Your loving son,
James
Main Camp
Gallipoli
April 26, 1915
Dearest Mother and Father,
I am currently unharmed here in Gallipoli. Although the conditions are harsh, being a nurse for the other Turkish soldiers it quite an honour.
All was peaceful until the enemies on their boats arrived. As our men were getting ready for the attack the other nurses and I were panicking while trying to organise and prepare all the medical equipment. Suddenly, the first gunshot fired.
Both sides showered each other with bullets. The sound of the violent fighting was quite disturbing. I could hear desperate shouting and screaming. Men were brought by stretcher bearers one after the other. Fortunately, I could save many soldiers. The smell of death and the blood stained battlefield could make a grown man cry.
It is early morning while I'm writing to you. Although it is quite dark I can see dead soldiers blanketing the field. It may of only been a few weeks I already miss you both so much,
Your loving daughter,
Charlotte
Great effort you guys put in well done!
ReplyDeleteAchilles
What sad letters. It must have been very hard for everyone who went to Gallipoli and for their families that had to say goodbye, not knowing if they would ever come home. Great work with writing your letters.
ReplyDeleteMrs Z