| Place | Middle East: Ottoman Empire, Turkey, Dardanelles, Gallipoli |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | 1DRL/0318 |
| Collection type | Private Record |
| Record type | Collection |
| Measurement | 1 wallet: 1 cm. |
| Object type | Letter |
| Maker |
Gray, William John |
| Access | Open |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
| Copying Provisions | Copyright expired. Copying permitted subject to physical condition. Permission for reproduction not required. |
Gray, William John (Private)
Description
Collection relating to service of 1232 Private William John Gray, 5 Battalion AIF, Egypt, Gallipoli. Collection includes handwritten copy of a letter written by Private Gray to his mother on 27 May 1915, three days before his death in Heliopolis from tubercular meningitis.
History / Summary
This collection, consisting of copies of a single letter, gives a first-hand account of the landing at Gallipoli and the author's activities on the following day. The account is striking in its clarity and lack of sentimentality and, as it was written by a Private, gives an invaluable insight into the experiences and feelings of ordinary troops during and immediately after the Gallipoli landing.
Biographical note: Served in the 5th Battalion, AIF. Died 30 May 1915, Heliopolis, Cairo, of tubercular meningitis due to field operations.