The hopeless dawn

An illustration for 'The ANZAC Book' of a yawning soldier in Gallipoli at dawn wearing a greatcoat with collar turned up. 'The ANZAC Book' was published in 1916 from illustrations, poems, stories and other creative works from the soldiers on the Gallipoli peninsula. In November 1915 CEW Bean, an official war correspondent and eventually official war historian, called for contributions for what was initially to be an ANZAC New Year magazine. Artworks submitted included works by David Barker, Cyril Leyshon-White, CEW Bean, Otho Hewett, JWS Henderson, Frank Crozier and many others from the peninsula. They drew on and with whatever were available to them in the trenches. Monetary prizes were offered in seven different categories, including cover design, comic drawing, humorous prose, and verses. Bean edited the work on the island of Imbros and after the Greek publisher fell through, arranged to have the work published in London by Cassell and Company. It was sold for 2 shillings and sixpence (25 cents) with the proceeds going to the benefit of Patriotic Funds connected with A & N.Z.A.C.
The book is composed of satirical and sombre pieces about the conditions of life at Gallipoli. It also provides a general outline of the April 25 landing at ANZAC Cove and the military advances, offensives and defensives undertaken in the following months until the eventual evacuation of the Allied forces at the end of December 1915. The introduction was written by General Sir W Birdwood, who explains how he named ANZAC Cove after the ANZAC forces. Bean contributed an editor's note in which he outlined the harsh conditions that the book was produced in, the significance it had taken on, and acknowledged the contributors.