Gallipoli Diaries.
This term Room 10 has been learning about Anzacs and Gallipoli. In class we had to create a soldier or nurse from Gallipoli. We did this by using an olden day name from the 1890’s but keeping our last name. We had to create a series of diary entries for this character. We also had to do some research about; a famous New Zealander from Gallipoli, find out about trenches, Anzac biscuits, rations and we had to choose between a periscope rifle or a drip gun. We had to include all this information in our Gallipoli diaries.
These are some of our Gallipoli soldiers and nurses and some extracts from their diaries:
28 April 1915
My name is Louis Hoskins I sit here with my brothers William and John.My comrades and Iare about to go ashore at Gallipoli.
I wonder what is in store for me as I watch a shell detonate on the beach and shrapnel was flying everywhere and hitting soldiers. I jump into the blood stained water ….
26th May 1915
4:30 am Silent, nothing. We quietly rowed in our landing boats filled with 40 men each. Just as we get to the beaches of Gallipoli, whisssh! whisssh ! shells whistle and gun fire began. The sky lit up real bright and I could see cliffs and hills. I had a bad feeling about this and I had never been more scared in my life. I wish I was back rounding up the cattle on the farm with mum. Soon we will land. I have have only had 3 and a half hours sleep.
We can feel the rumble from heavy artillery from the top of Baby 700. Our team is probably losing, there are huge rats the size of cats, they are everywhere they are eating all the dead bodies. ...
I think our high command is making us lose and they should come and see what a blood bath it is and they should send us home or else no one will be alive to go back to their families.
I should be proud to be one of the first soldiers to touch the Turkish soil but I'm not this is a gateway to hell.
April 24th 1915
Tomorrow we will reach Gallipoli. We will finally get to put all our months of hard work to practice. I am excited but also scared. All my emotions seem to be muddled. I am so tired after a long day of work. I am going to bed. It is starting to get cold out here on the deck.
April 25th 1915
Its 10pm. I’m sitting on the deck of the hospital ship that was called “The Golden Sunflower” renamed to “Hospital ship #106”. Nurses have been busy since they arrived, helping sick and wounded soldiers from Gallipoli. Hundreds of soldiers are in hospital wards with horrible wounds. The Turks have stopped firing at the Anzacs and the Anzacs have stopped firing at the Turks. All is quiet and still not a sound from Gallipoli. The only noise was the gentle moaning from the soldiers below deck.
April 25 1915
I climbed down onto the landing boat, I was so nervous but so excited at the same time. After about ten minutes we land on the shore, it was all going fine until a spark flew out of one of the steam boats. Immediately we were under the shrapnel machine and sniper fire from the Turks. That excitement died, and over half of the soldiers didn’t even get off their landing boat. It was a big and bloody mess, after 5 minutes Commander Jack Henry told us to charge up the rugged landscape and capture the first line of trenches.
Finally we had some cover from all the bullets and shrapnel whistling around. It was a terrible night, and the trenches were so cramped and I barely got any sleep that night. I didn’t even get to have dinner because the food supplies had not yet arrived on Gallipoli, oh well I will have a big breakfast.
26 April 1915 3:26p.m
Hello, new friend.
My name is Lieutenant Edward Elizabeth Maihi and I am sailing to Gallipoli. I am sailing on the magnificent K2000 with its warm cosy cabins and a great view of the sea. I’m roommates with a young lad called Leonard Crow. He is a nice gentleman with good manners even though he is 18 years old. I am excited but nervous about going to Gallipoli, but I’m sure it will wash over when I get there.
Katie Mae
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