Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 60]
to kill & so legitimate murder goes on. On the other hand, considered in the practical light of these practical times, war is inevitable & right. And so long as the German & any other of his kinsmen are allowed to wallow in the mire of their own conceit that they can rend & subdue the nations of the earth by rapine, pillage & the murder of innocent souls so long will it be our duty to teach him them otherwise - & that can only be accomplished by means of cold steel & shell, & all the dread implements of modern war.
A redeeming feature about this love of war is that it creates a love of home & for dear friends so far away that one has hitherto unknown. It certainly teaches me to appreciate, if it has not done so before, the comfort & serenity of home life, & is an excellent appetizer for the good things that his safe return will bring. It will be like entering the gates of Paradise after a long sojourn in Hell.
I often sit and think of the things that have been, the things that are & well – the chances of the big gamble of life & death ahead. Daily association with modern war is a strict censor of a man's soul & brings the best out in him, if he be willing.
This stupendous task in Gallipoli is a nerve trier unparalleled in the history of warfare. Isolated from all civilization, living in holes like rabbits in their burrows, with none of the comforts of the "billeted" soldier in France or his opportunity for relaxation, & not a moment of the day secure from the enemy's aggressiveness, we live in hope – there is no backsliding. Sickness is rife & danger is on every hand, but the morale of the men is unshaken. Victory is ahead & it is their sole objective.
We received a "peppering" of shrapnel at teatime. It knocked out the wireless & killed one poor chap instantaneously, not a dozen yds. away from where I stood.