y separately published work icon The Gallipoli Letter single work   correspondence  
Issue Details: First known date: 2010... 2010 The Gallipoli Letter
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'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changed the course of the campaign: Hamilton, the general in charge of the campaign, was sent home, and the Allies were withdrawn in December of the same year.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.' (From the publisher's website.)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Crows Nest, North Sydney - Lane Cove area, Sydney Northern Suburbs, Sydney, New South Wales,: Allen and Unwin , 2010 .
      Extent: vii, 98p.p.
      Description: illus., facsims, ports
      Note/s:
      • Introduced by Michael McKernan; foreword by Jack Thompson.
      • Includes bibliographical references.
      • Publication date: April 2010.
      ISBN: 9781742373133 (hbk.)

Works about this Work

Untitled Danielle Johanesen , 2010 single work review
— Appears in: Incite , July vol. 31 no. 7 2010; (p. 21)

— Review of The Gallipoli Letter Keith Murdoch , 2010 single work correspondence
Untitled Danielle Johanesen , 2010 single work review
— Appears in: Incite , July vol. 31 no. 7 2010; (p. 21)

— Review of The Gallipoli Letter Keith Murdoch , 2010 single work correspondence
Last amended 31 Jul 2013 10:17:57
Subjects:
  • Gallipoli,
    c
    Turkey,
    c
    Middle East, Asia,
  • 1915
Newspapers:
    Powered by Trove
    X