ON ANZAC DAY GEMLIFE BRIBIE ISLAND’S ANDY MATHERS REFLECTS ON HIS FAMILY’S SERVICE AND SACRIFICE. HE HAS A TRANSCRIPT OF A REMARKABLE LETTER BY HIS GREAT UNCLE.
As the grandson of an original Anzac, Andy said members of his family had served their country in times of conflict from the Boer War until the current day in all the services including the Merchant Navy. Andy has memorabilia from his family’s efforts in both world wars, including a letter sent from his great uncle.
“As he was recovering in Egypt from a bullet wound received at Gallipoli, my great uncle wrote to my grandfather’s girlfriend, who would later become my grandmother. Both men worked on her father’s dairy farm,” Andy said.
“My great uncle recovered and returned to his unit and was unfortunately killed a short time later by a sniper leading his mates out of a small donga on hill 60 at Gallipoli. He was three weeks short of his 16th birthday.
“His line officer, for whom he was batman, was quoted as saying he was a ‘fine kid and as brave and willing as they make ‘em’.” Here is an extract from the letter, written by Private Stephen Grimsley, who was 15 years old when he joined the 13th Battalion AIF, giving his age as 18 years and 3 months.
What do you think of our rough luck eh! Fancy Will and I both getting bowled over together eh! Will got a shrapnel bullet in the left leg below the knee, I got a bullet in the right leg below the knee. Will is lying in Heliopolis Hospittle at the present with the serious cases. I am in a convalescent home at present, being treated like a lord…
I am having a lovely time, every morning at 10 o’clock and every evening at 7; a sweet nurse gets a steel instrument, called a probe, which she sticks about 2 inches below my wound in my right leg. That female always drives that thing in my leg as if she was putting a hat pin in her hat. The object of these “awful ‘ours”, I may remark, is done with the object of letting out some of my bad blood. These women are awful aren’t they? She smiled on me so sweetly (that wicked nurse) that I could not help but give her the bullet that had been extracted from my leg. There is no need for me to say much about Will, because he “will” be writing himself at the first opportunity.
The letter was written in June, 1915.
The full letter can be read on the GemLife website:
GemLife.com.au/anzacletter