Now, my grandfather's brother was at Clypley fighting at Clypley in 1915, and he was a stretcher-bearer. So, when someone was wounded, he would race out and bring them in for treatment with all the dangers associated with that. And he kept a diary, and I got a copy of it, and it makes very interesting reading. And I thought I'd just read out an entry to you so you get an idea of what it was like.
This is for Tuesday, May the 4th, 1915. Out on a hill all night, no wounded. Bullets lying over me as I lay on the hill. Had a fair sleep, waken by destroyers bombarding fort.
Force of a hundred landed to destroy it. Wiring tanglemen, some machine guns, etc. great opposition. Naval men went in under fire and brought them back, say 66 returned.
They cheered Naval men on landing back. Bad all day with diarrhea. Lying down all day. Got some pills this afternoon.
Now feeling better. Naval men went over this afternoon under Red Cross and got dead from the beach where they landed this morning. Later they, the Turks, came down under white flag and collected theirs. First time we found them respect the Red Cross.
Fine line out in the sun. Difficult to imagine fighting over the hill a mile away. Gave chap five postcards to post for me. So that was his entry for May the 4th.
And the soldiers had church services on Sundays, leaving the trenches. And here's my great uncles entry for Sunday, 13 June, a few days after what I just read. Recede 11 letters. First issue of bread.
A great treat. Tremendous bombardment of Turkish lines this morning by two or four final battleships. Woken me early, continued for three hours. Service at night.
You know, owned camp by Andrews. Service closed. Oh God, our help in ages past. And my uncles, God, our helping ages past is a hymn.
I've well known him of course. And he quoted it. And I'll play it now.