Volume 2: Letters written on active service, M-W, 1914-1919 - Page 217

You are here

Transcription

[Page 217]

Head Quarters
Second Bn
7th May 1915.

PS Address letters as before
they will find me.

My Dear Mother;

No doubt you will have heard by now that I was wounded in the scrap we undertook on the Gallipoli Peninsular a couple of weeks back. I might tell you that I am quite well again. I stopped a mauser bullet right through my left leg it then travelled across and caught me in the right ankle but neither wound was serious.
Well we left Lemnos Island for the Dardanelles last Saturday week and landed on Sunday. When we arrived there we were landed torpedo-boats and pinnaces the turks were entrenched only 50 yds from the shore so I can tell you we got it pretty hot from them with rifle fire shrapnell and machine guns but the boys bore it well and charged up the hill and drove them before us at the point of the bayonet we had advanced about 3 miles in a little over 2 hrs The "Queen Lizzie" was here with us she makes an awful noise when she fires that 15" gun of hers she had a lot of the places there on fire all the other ships done well also.
I think it was a shame the Turks fired on our red cross when they were attending the wounded. My old Captain Captan Dignam was shot in the stomach poor old Chicken Crockford that used to be in our tent in Kensington was killed outright.
I am expecting to be back in amongst it in a few days. I dont think the Turks can last long against our Brave troops
Well Ma I must close now with Love to all at home I remain
Your Loving Son
William Reece

[Captain Arthur Reginald Dignam, 2nd Infantry Battalion.
Private Cyril Grove Crockford, No 277, 2nd Infantry Battalion, killed in action 2 May 1915.]

This page has its status set to Completed and is no longer transcribable.