ABOUT THIS BOOK
April 25th 2005 marks the 90th anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli
by Australian, British, French and New Zealand forces. The
men faced an almost impossible task on that historic day
trying to secure a foothold in the steep hills by the beaches whilst
being surrounded by Turks in the best vantage points high up in the hills
surrounding these beaches. At dawn on this day the spirit
of the ANZACS was born. Many men from Central Queensland were amongst
the first to sign up for the war, some on the day the local recruitment
office opened. Few had any doubts about the need to serve their country
even though several of them had only been in Australia for
a few years. Many of them were young and most were still single but this
does not diminish the bravery of these men in answering the earliest
call to defend ‘The
Empire’. Cadet training had been a large part of the young men’s
lives and many were crack shots and excellent horsemen. The
men who had held ranks in the cadets were quickly raised
to positions of importance after enlisting as privates or troopers
in either the mounted or infantry battalions.
This book is based on an original publication
issued in 1916 by the 'Daily Record' of Rockhampton. While
the original contained many names, it included both those who had been
wounded and killed from mostly the Rockhampton-Mount Morgan region. It
covers the 134 men identified as having died at or from wounds originating
during the Gallipoli campaign. It is possible that some men have been
missed and the author would gratefully acknowledge any additions
to the names given. Listed are those men who were either
born in the region or had been living there at the time they enlisted.
The region covered is also broader, spanning from Bundaberg in the south
to Mackay in the north and west to the border, a region that is commonly
known today as Central Queensland.
The book has two parts, the first being letters written home by the soldiers, articles about them appearing in the local press and some other military and Red Cross reports. In these it is hoped that the voices of those who made the ultimate sacrifice will be heard and even though they are gone they will not be forgotten. The second part lists a brief biography of every man. Time and funding limits me from obtaining full records for every man at this stage. Most of the pictures of the men are from old newspapers, mainly the 'Queenslander' and the 'Daily Record.' Some of them are poor and hard to see but in many cases they are the only photos that could be found of these men and as such have been included in the book. Any additional information or pictures about the men listed in these pages would be gratefully received. The intention of this book is to remember the men from our local towns who went to school with our parents and grandparents, who lived down the road and worked in the local establishments. These men were our local heroes and we will remember them.
Bronwyn Tarrier April 2005
ABOUT THIS DATABASE
This database comprisies all the information found in section 2 of the book including all images and biographies of the men who died at Gallipoli. This is an ongoing project so all records may not be up yet. Please check back from time to time for further updates. Letters from the men have not been included at this time. Please buy a copy of the book if you wish to read the letters. A donation is made to a local history organisation in Central Queensland for each book sold.