Volume 1: Letters written on active service, A-L, 1914-1919 - Page 386
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[Page 386]
[The individual pages of this two-page spread are not in chronological order. Transcribed as they should be read; see image for details.]
31/10/15
Gallipoli
Dearest Mother Father & Little Doss
Have had no mail landed here from Australia for two weeks so expect your letters tomorrow or day after. I am still like the Old Johnie Walkers 10 weeks & still going strong.
I did not have time to write last week as I was picked out to take charge of an outpost picket & reconnoitring party There were twelve men It was the job to find out if you are the right stuff or not. I was on it a week. Out of the original 12 men I only had 3 left at the finish. It was night work & they had 2 hours on & 4 off Some lasted a day some only one shift, & a few ten minutes. They would say get another man in my place this is too solid for me. Then I would have to send for another man.
What made it like that for them, a couple of days before I took the job over (you are only on this job for a week) a couple of Turks were shot dead at the posts. They were calling me every five minutes & saying they could see them creeping They would not be satisfied until I would go up & look, If what these chaps suffered from is called nerves thank Heaven I dont suffer from them.
There I was all the time anxious for a few to come & these rotters praying they would not. Damn it a lot of them ought to be ashamed to call themselves soldiers The knocker came a few days after we had been on, The Major wanted someone to take 5 men out & examine the gully I was sure it would fall to me , & I was right. I dont know how many he asked before me. I just said right Oh. But when I went to pick the men, there were a hell of a lot felt sick. At all events I got five & we done our job well, but did not have the luck to capture a couple of Turks, worse luck