Letters and Stories
Read the stories of the brave men and women who went to war
and their connection to the region.
I never expected to get out of this place
‘… there is nothing but shell holes in this part …’
A chap's nerves soon get a bit unstrung after he has been here a bit
The year 1917 is considered the most costly for Anzacs.
The first night at Anzac
Less than 24 hours after the landing, the Gallipoli expedition leader Sir Ian Hamilton was sound asleep in his cabin aboard the warship Queen Elizabeth.
The British at Cape Helles
French troops engaged in a diversionary landing on the Asiatic side of the Dardanelles.
A glimpse of the sea
‘… a glimpse of the sea – we knew perfectly well that this hill was the key to victory or defeat.’
The Nek
Below to the right lay the Australian trenches at The Nek, the narrow strip of flat land about the size of a football field.
Monash - A fit leader for the wild men he commanded
In May 1918, Australia’s five divisions were united into a single corps on the Western Front.
At the fork
‘Men passing the fork in Monash Valley used to glance at the place (as one of them said) as a man looks at a haunted house.’ – Charles Bean.
Pozieres II
The Pozieres map is stylised to represent the relative position of opposing forces on the Western Front and the locations of some major battles fought by Australians.
The Middle East
‘Throughout history, mounted troops have been known as the elite men of arms and the Australian Light Horse is a part of that legendary tradition.’
6800 Australians killed
In the fighting around Pozieres, the British 48th Division lost 2844 casualties from 16–28 July and 2505 more from 13 August.
1917 - No kin left
William Harold Wilson, who was accepted for active service yesterday, enlisted under most remarkable circumstances.