Letter from J M Jarvis to the editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, 12 October 1915

Wych-Hazel
Mirrell St
Waverley
12.10.15.

To Manager

Sydney M Herald

Sir 
I am sending you for publication 
a ∧copy of letter from Pte W.H. Jarvis
2154. 6^th  Rein 2 Batt written on
13 August.
I sent you his photo
please do not forget to return
same to me & oblige
(Mrs W H) & M Jarvis
[*please
return
letter
SJR*]

Mrs Jarvis
Letters
from

front

IR82/8
Mudros Hospital
Lemnos Island
13.8.15
My dear wife
We landed at Anzac Dardanelles at 11.35 pm
on 5th Aug under cover of fire from our warships; we arrived 

at the trenches at 2.30 am on 6^th and lied down in
the dirt for arrest, as we were all tired out; it is a stiff
climb from the beach up to the trenches. Before daybreak the
Turks were firing on us with shrapnel & maxims, we were
fairly safe & did not reply. One or two of our fellows received
slight wounds during the day from shrapnel, we were all busy
getting ready for the charge at 5.30 PM. were all given 3 pieces of
white calico to sew on the sleves of our tunics & the middle of the
back, the idea was to be able to distinguish ourselves
from the turks at close quarters or nightime Our Co was split 
up among the platoons of the original 2^nd Batt. I was in
the first line, had to face them first at 4.30 the bom we had
lined our trenches & the warships bombarded the Turks for
an hour. On the tick of 5.30 the bombardment ceased & we
received the order to charge. we had fixed bayonets, The
Turks were ready for us (their trenches were 70 or 80 yds from
us) the moment that we left our trenches they opened a terific
fire on us some of our fellows never left the trenches - were killed
where they stood. I was wounded in the right arm as I was getting
out of our trench. It made me drop my rifle. I picked it up again
& was off like a shot. "It was Hell" never want the like again. Men who
were here at the first landing say that this charge was worse
than the first landing, anyway I kept going until we had taken 3 lines
of trenches. The one thing which surprised me most was that I
I was so cool through it all. I expected to be nervous and
frightened. After it got dark & we were digging ourselves in
I could only use my left hand, my right arm was stiff & sore
from loss of blood. I was told to go back & get my arm attended
to, but did not like the idea once my blood was up. Eventually
a sergeant put a field bandage on & told me if I did not go back
complication might set in & I would lose my life. I took
his advice & scrambled back through the trenches somehow
when I got some distance I discovered that the AMC could
not get through to us so I started off back again when I
came across a tram driver from Waverley badly wounded
in the left shoulder. I stopped with him a while & attended
to a few wounded fellows giving them water & putting them
in comfortable positions

After a while someone brought along a sergeant
from our company who was shot through the left
arm & blind in the right eye from a bomb. I looked
after a few who were worse off than myself. Later
an order came along for all wounded to get in
an open trench near by. We all huddled in & made
ourselves as comfortable as circumstances would
permit, expecting at any moment to be blown
to atoms, We got back to safty a little before
daybreak, had our wounds attended to were put on
board a ship and brought to Lemnos Island Sunday
morning. Are doing very well here, expect to be sent
back to the firing line shortly, All I have is what
I stand up in, everything is at Anzac May not be 
there any more, have not had a shave for a week
This paper was given to me, do not know when I will be
able to write again. Hope you are well Have not received
any letters since I left Australia 200 of our Mail
bags were sent in the Dardanelles. Rember me to
All
Your affec Husband Will