The Gallipoli Letter
Keith Murdoch
Jan 2010 · Allen & Unwin
4.0star
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Ebook
110
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About this ebook
In September 1915, Keith Murdoch, then a young war journalist, wrote an 8000-word letter to the Prime Minister, Andrew Fisher. 'The Gallipoli Letter', as it came to be known, changed the course of the Gallipoli campaign.
The letter, protesting against the conduct of the campaign and describing conditions at the front, is both intimate and conversational: 'I shall talk to you as if you were by my side.' It is also at times angry, passionate, vivid and very moving: 'Then in the early hours came the landing, when the life of man is at its lowest.' At times, it is simply heartbreaking: 'The heroic Fourth Brigade was reduced in three day's fighting to little more than 1000 strong. You will be glad to know that the men died well.'
The letter changed the course of the campaign: Hamilton, the general in charge of the campaign, was sent home, and the Allies were withdrawn in December of the same year.
The Gallipoli Letter is an inspiring document. It speaks directly to us about war, our history and the indomitable Australian spirit. Accessible and compelling, it should be read by everyone - it is a vital part of our history and the enduring ANZAC legend.
The letter, protesting against the conduct of the campaign and describing conditions at the front, is both intimate and conversational: 'I shall talk to you as if you were by my side.' It is also at times angry, passionate, vivid and very moving: 'Then in the early hours came the landing, when the life of man is at its lowest.' At times, it is simply heartbreaking: 'The heroic Fourth Brigade was reduced in three day's fighting to little more than 1000 strong. You will be glad to know that the men died well.'
The letter changed the course of the campaign: Hamilton, the general in charge of the campaign, was sent home, and the Allies were withdrawn in December of the same year.
The Gallipoli Letter is an inspiring document. It speaks directly to us about war, our history and the indomitable Australian spirit. Accessible and compelling, it should be read by everyone - it is a vital part of our history and the enduring ANZAC legend.
Ratings and reviews
4.0
1 review
Ron Jenkins
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April 17, 2015
Good read
About the author
Sir Keith Arthur Murdoch was born in 1885 and died in 1952. He was a brilliant and passionate journalist who became one of Australia's leading newspaper men. In 1915, he was given permission to visit Anzac where he spent four days on Gallipoli sending home dispatches and meeting the chief war correspondents. It is from these days and conversations that the Gallipoli Letter was created.
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