Letter from Charles to Dorothy, 2 May 1915

HMS Karroo
Off the Gallipoli coastline
2 May 1915

The Turks are still shelling away and our chaps are holding them. We are waiting for the British and French troops to come up [from their landings in the south]. The French are poor fighters and everybody is disgusted with them, it is to be hoped they retrieve their reputation. The Australians are the idol of the Jack Tars as they can swear and fight. Whenever the Jack Tars can sneak away from launches, they find them shooting in the trenches with our chaps.

The Turks are often yelling out to our chaps, "Allah! the Australian bastard kangaroo" and "we will give you kangaroo". The Germans and Turks strip our dead and put their clothes on and sneak into our lines and start shooting our chaps. Quite a number have been caught. One Turk walked up to Divisional Headquarters and started to make a hole behind a tent, but aroused suspicion and was bayoneted. He had 300 cartridges with him so would have done some damage. We expect to go ashore today so will know all about trench life. The men are being well fed and looked after, all my men are very eager to get ashore.

The Goeben we hear has been sunk. I hope it is true, we never get any outside news now, have not seen a paper for a month and all my letters are being delayed and I have missed a number through being transferred so hope to get them later.

We are getting quite use to the shells falling but the shrapnel makes you shiver...