Pte Thomas Goodall (Lilydale), 24th Battalion: In the front line, the Somme, France. In a letter to his younger brother – ‘We are in the trenches now and not having too bad a time so far. Glossie told me that you have got your bike, I will be able to borrow it when I get back to go for a ride, I don’t know when that will be though. It’s a pity you are not a couple of years older, you could be here with me, bet Mum don’t say that though.
The Germans sent us over about a thousand or more shells one evening last week and I think our guns sent them back two to their one, the noise was nearly deafening. Things have been pretty quiet since, we must have given them a bit of a gruelling while they done us very little damage and none of us got hurt where we were, although the shells were bursting overhead all time. It was funny being under fire for the first time but got used to it as it went on. I like this country much better than Egypt, it is more like our own’.
Charles Perrin (Lilydale): Leaves his job as a bank clerk and enlists in the AIF, he is 23 years old.