Gallipoli Uncovered · Lesson 3
Life at Gallipoli and who served
Name: ____________________
What was it like at Anzac, and who was there?
Voices from Anzac
Read each voice. What does it tell us? Tick.
“Bully beef and biscuits. You couldn’t eat your biscuit dry. It was like chewing rock.” Russell Weir, Wellington Battalion
“As soon as the work was finished the flies and the lice, the permanent residents, took up their abode.” Ormond Burton, about his shelter (a “bivvy”), 1935
“Our water is the worst job, we are on top of a hill and we have to carry all our water up from about half a mile away.” Frank Clark, 1915 letter
| Food | Flies | Water | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weir | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| Burton | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| Clark | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
Why did so many get sick?
Too many men in a small space + not much ________ + swarms of ________ + poor ________ = diseases like dysentery and typhoid.
Who was there?
| Who | One fact |
|---|---|
| The Native Contingent (Māori volunteers) | Landed at Anzac Cove on ____________ 1915. |
| Nurses | About ______ NZ nurses served overseas in the war. |
| Cyril Bassett | Won the Victoria Cross for mending ____________ wire under fire. |
| Niuean and Cook Island men | Joined from 1915. Served in Egypt and ____________. |
Did you know? A soldier often got only about 1.9 litres of water a day for drinking, washing and cooking. That is less than a 2-litre bottle.
Quotes: NZHistory, Soldiers’ experience (Weir, Burton; punctuation simplified); Auckland Museum, Letters from the front line (Clark, 21 August 1915).