Brittany's+Diary+Entries

Diary Entries 15th of October 1914 As I sit here, below deck, with my comrade and best friend, Charlie, I am listening to the cheering outside. I am cheering myself, on the inside. We are off to the Dardanelles, in Turkey. We are going to fight, and defeat the Turks. Thousands of people have come to see us off, including my own family. I feel a pinch of regret inside, but it leaves rather quickly. Infantry is still marching onto our ship. The band is still playing ‘It’s a long way’. I find myself singing along with Charlie. I’m happy to march to war. 25th of April 1915 I start climbing down the ladder. There is no noise from anyone, except for slight cursing when I slipped on the ladder. In my mind, I am praying. I think of my family and my little sister, Evangeline. I wish I was back home by the fire. But I am dreaming. I crouch down, hoping we will not be ambushed when we land. If we are, we could all be killed... 25th of April We have landed. The order was given. “OVERBOARD, NOW!” We jumped into the freezing water. My faithful friend, Charlie, chopped through the water beside me. I started climbing. My backpack was so sodden that it felt like I was carrying an anchor. Bullets were whizzing past my head. There was smoke everywhere. I heard a soft thud below me. I looked down. Charlie was falling through the air like a broken angel. I prayed that I would live to see the end. 8th of May 1915 I am sitting in the trenches while enemy fire is passing over my head. I have started to get used to the continuous smell of dead bodies. I wish that I could sleep, to temporarily escape this madness. But no, I must stay wide awake, and watch the enemy. . .  13th of May 1915 Our regiment had the unfortunate duty of carrying water to the regiments near the sea. Imagine carrying cans of water over 2 miles before sunset. At least I had some comforts. I went for a swim. It was **very** refreshing. I hadn’t had a wash like that for a long time. 16th of May Our regiments had to stay in the trenches. This morning the enemy attacked us. After that I didn’t get more than 3 hours of sleep. I was lucky enough to have had a good dream. I dreamed that I was asleep in my comfy feather bed. I woke to find that a bullet had hit my hand. Not a very nice way to wake up. 23rd of July It has been 2 months now. My hand has gone completely lame. It is hard for me to write now, but maybe this could be my ticket home. I am not the only person who is going through pain. There are many more that are more seriously injured. 17th of September I have made a new friend. His name is James. We bonded and became instant best friends. We were able to sleep well last night. I had a great time. But soon, the peacefulness was shattered. James got up early to talk to Lieutenant Boswell, but got a nasty shock. By the looks of things in the hut, Lieutenant Boswell had been killed while he was sleeping. 17th of October Today, our regiment assaulted the Turks. One regiment distracted the Turks, while we crept behind them and attacked! I think it was a success, but Sergeant McFee, our new ‘leader’, was absolutely mad. 15th of December Right now, I’m on the long journey home. I had to get up early. Our regiment marched slowly down the embankment. We looked up. There was a barge! We raced like crazy to it. I hopped on board, but James didn’t get on board. Not because the barge was full. He had been killed in the assault on the Turks outpost. I pray for my friends, and thank them for helping me to find the way home. After the war. . .  Soldier Michael was welcomed home on the 1st of January, Thanksgiving Day. He married 2 years later and had 2 girls called Mary and Joanne. He started a shop in 1918 with the help of his father, Jim. He still remembers his friends, Charlie and James. He hopes that they have found that happy place. He turns 93 in 1982. Brittany