Many letters were sent from soldiers fighting in Gallipoli. One such letter from Sergt. Keith Martyn describes the landing in detail. He says 'we fell in at 5.30a.m. and boarded a destroyer, which was waiting to convey us to land. When close into shore we transferred to lifeboats. Shells were falling all around us, but luckily our boat was not hit. One shell passed over our heads and landed in a boat ten yards behind us, sinking it. At last we waded ashore and formed quickly as shrapnel was flying all around. A very steep line of hills rose from the water. After a steep climb up the first ridge, we came upon the enemy for the first time, the Turks' (Lithgow Mercury, Wednesday, June 9, 1915).

The last days of Gallipoli may be heard from a letter sent from Corpl (Rev) Sorrell. In it he says, 'the Turks bombarded us terrifically but they knew nothing about the evacuation. As a matter of fact they were expecting a big attack on Christmas Day, and it was amusing to see them at night digging new trenches and putting up barbed wire entanglements. At midnight, the last body of men quitted the trenches and got safely to the boats, turning to take a last glance at the old spot. The men left plenty of drawings and remarks generally complimentary to the Turks and the reverse to the Germans, left in the dugouts' (Lithgow Mercury, February 14, 1916).

On leaving the shores of Gallipoli, the men were said to be filled with strange and mixed feelings and thoughts. Thoughts of those who were gone, and the wonderful escapes of those left; what they had lost and what their future would be. To these men, they had failed, having to evacuate instead of stand there knowing they had beaten off the enemy.

From France, one soldier writes, 'I see by the papers that somebody is dumping in Australia, a lot of Maltese, to do the work while the boys are doing the fighting. Very good of the Government - I don't think!(Lithgow Mercury, Friday February 23, 1917). Another writes, 'After 10 months in Belgium, I am glad to be back in France. The war would be over if Russia had played up to the mark, but I suppose we will have to wait till next spring, when America will be in full force, then the Germans will get some hurry up (Lithgow Mercury, Thursday March 28, 1918).

In the Mercury on November 8, 1918, it said that the Germans had bid for peace on October 7, 1918. The turkey capitulates were unconditional as at November 3, 1918. The cost of the war was terrific, but at last it may be fairly hoped that the world had been made 'safe for democracy'. As a stalwart champion of the rights of mankind, Australian had played a glorious part, even though some of her people failed to see the magnitude of the issues involved in this war. In the triumph of today, however, we cannot afford to overlook individual weaknesses. The pressing need is now for national unity to meet the serious problems of a new era (Lithgow Mercury, Monday November 11, 1918).