Gnr Alfred Niblett (Lilydale), 19^th Battery, Royal Field Artillery: In France. Writing to a friend in Lilydale: ‘I have been in the firing line in France about five months now, and by the look of things appear like being here a few more months yet. This is a war, and no mistake the Huns are a dirty lot of fighters. No doubt you have read about their inhuman methods of trying to beat us. They even set fire to our wounded men if they see them move between the trenches. There are plenty of horrible things they do, but we will pay them back at their own game yet. What you see in the papers about them and their tricks is quite true, because I have seen them with my own eyes, and I have had some narrow squeaks myself, but am still smiling, and hope to continue so’.

Pte Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: On Anzac Cove. In his diary –‘Was doing twelve hours at trenches today and got a very hot time from shells, the Turks bombarded us for about two hours. We got safely through that, got back to camp 7pm, and while getting our tea ‘bang’ comes a shell right among us. Poor ‘Curley’ Densley was the only one hit and he got it through the head very bad’.

Cpl Stanley Nicholas (Lilydale), 5^th Light Horse Regiment: On the ship over to Gallipoli from Egypt he becomes ill, diagnosed with trichromat marlow, and is evacuated to hospital on Lemnos Island.