Diary entry

21st May

1915

Diseases, the smell of rotting carcases, the mud and rain and the pests I am tired of it all and it’s only been 3 weeks since I landed in Gallipoli along with my Battalion.  It’s the middle of the day, the sun at its peak, and my Battalion are restricted to our trenches. Any sign of movement and we will be fired at from either sides by the snipers and lookouts; constantly we are being watched.  Some of the other soldiers are catching up on much needed sleep while others write to their love ones back home.

 The sweltering sun is beaming down above us and my shirt is soaked with sweat.  The harsh weather has begun to take its toll on all of us, the heat affecting us during the day and the cold nights making it unbearable to sleep.

 Being woken up the first hours of the morning is often a challenge. This morning we were woken one hour before dawn and sent to the ‘fire step’ with bayonets fixed to our rifles to be on guard for a dawn raid by the enemy. This is the usual ‘stand to’ which occurs every morning and marks the beginning of our daily routine.

After the first light of the day had approached we settled in for some breakfast.  After breakfast all of us soldiers faced an inspection carried out by the commanding officer, which occurs every morning. This was followed by our daily chores, each man receiving a specific chore. Today my chore was attending to the duckboards on the floor of the trench and repairing the ones that were damaged. While I was fixing a break in the duckboards I spotted another brown rat. Rats were unwanted but frequent visitors to the trenches and are drawn here by the strong smell of death and decay.\Rats aren’t the only pests though. I scratched at my shirt, the lice causing my skin to itch.

My stomach grumbled so I nibbled on the stale bread and biscuits I had beside me. This along with canned-corned beef is the basis of our diet and we are in short supply of fruit and vegetables.

At dusk we will have the second ‘stand to’ of the day. Then with the darkness of the night more duties will have to be attended to.  Some of us will be sent to fetch vital food, water, and maintenance supplies whilst others will be sent to the ‘first step’ for sentry duty.

Then tomorrow we will wake an hour before dawn once a gain and begin another typical day at war.