Letters from Gallipoli

‘We shall be in our fatigues on Xmas day and not in our winter quarters as we had hoped. We shall probably have a fairly easy day wherever we are unless Johnny Turk takes it into his head to have a pop at us which would certainly break the monotony.’ These were the words that Private Bert Lee of the 7th Battalion Manchester Regiment wrote to his mother from the Gallipoli campaign on 15th December 1915. Tragically for Bert and his family, ‘Johnny Turk’ did break the monotony and late in the evening of Christmas Day he was shot dead by a Turkish sniper. However, his letters home to his mother survived and they tell a moving tale of the optimism, discomforts, deprivations and camaraderie of the troops who fought in that ill-fated campaign. Bert Lee’s great nephew, Robert Lee, discovered an old folder in his late father’s effects entitled ‘Letters from the Dardanelles’ together with a photo of Bert’s sad and lonely grave on the Gallipoli Peninsular. He decided that these remarkable documents should be made available to a wider audience, especially with the centenary of the campaign in 2015. Robert has spent a long time researching the Lee family to provide the background to these letters and this, his first book, is the result. Letters from Gallipoli is a fascinating insight into the World War I Gallipoli Campaign in 1915. It will make an excellent addition to any WWI enthusiast’s collection, and an interesting read for any fans of military history.