Letter from Frank Garth to his Mother, 1915

"At Sea"  Hospital Ship 
"Delta" 
Aug 11th 
Dear Mum, 
I suppose you have heard by  
now that I have been wounded. It is nothing  
serious, so it's nothing to worry about. I caught  
a bullet in the left knee, about ten  
minutes after the big charge of "Hill 971".  
The 15th & 16th Battallions & the Ghurka's captured  
it in a big charge just after daybreak.  
We had been marching all night, each man 
carrying 270 rounds of ammunition, two tins of  
beef, a haversack full of hard biscuits,  
waterbottle full, two bandoliers, two gas

respirators either a shovel or a pick for  
digging in, two sandbags, rifle & bayonet  
and entrenching tool, and I had to  
carry a bomb as I am a bomb carrier.  
So you can tell after going all night  
over hills with bullets nocking our  
chaps out every minute was not  
too sweet. When we reached the hill  
they pushed us up to the firing line,  
and then we charged. It was grand  
they the way our chaps went for them,  
Ghurka's & Australians & Dublin Fusiliers  
all mixed. I was in the rush and  
saw a Turk about five yards in front  
I dropped my pick & went for him 
but he was below a ridge about  
3 feet high, I made a jump over the  
ridge and the bullet caught me  
while I was in the air, and I came  
down on my head, my bayonet sticking  
in the ground. The Turk made  
a jab at me with his bayonet but  
he had three through him before  
he could get to me. It was grand  
and yet it was awful some of the  
sights could not be described. 
I had to stagger about three miles  
to get away from snipers, and  
then I had to wait on the beach  
9 hours, and then when we were  
on the makeshift jetty coming off too  
the Lighter Hospital, they started sniping us and  
there was a panic and the jetty

gave way and we all went in about  
4 feet of water. I have been in bed three  
days with my knee in splints and 
the food is lovely. It is a fine ship. you  
cant tell she is going she goes so smooth.  
We are on our way to Alexandria but I  
stand a good chance of going to England  
Another ¼ of an inch and my knee cap would  
have been shattered and would be  
crippled for life, perhaps lost my leg.  
The doctor injected some stuff in the knee  
yesterday and the pain was awful a thousand  
times worse than when my thumb was bad. 
I must close now as the sister said I must  
go to sleep. Give my love to Lill and Keg and  
remember me to Jack & Tom. Give my love to  
Mrs Bates & the girls and tell her I will write.  
you let Mac know at work. Remember  
me to Mrs Hetherington & Percey & Bella.  
So goodbye with love 
I remain Your Loving Son 
Frank 
 XXXXXX 
XXXXXXX 
XXXXXXXXXX

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