From information transcribed from an original diary in Yerranderie archives collected by Val Lheude and donated to the Wollondilly Heritage Centre at The Oaks
Sapper Albert E Nurse
Albert Nurse gave his address as ‘Tonalli, Mill Street, Carlton, Sydney.
He left Sydney 26/6/15 at 5pm by the “Berrima” arrived Melbourne 27/6/1915 leaving again 30/6/15 in calm weather. He arrived at Suez 25/7/15 then took train to Cairo and marched to camp at Heliopolis on August 5th he joined the 4th Field Engineers attached to the 5th Brigade and commented “Field Engineers better than Infantry” – he also said that his book was taken away in a black kit bag so he will have to write from memory.
They had one month training before leaving for Alexandria on the Knight Templar arriving on Lemnos Island on September 9th and staying for a week and enjoying swimming “that just suited me!”
On August 14th they sailed to Gallipoli on the “Osmania” arriving at 10pm on 15th and he observed “it was that dark could not see any land only spurts of fire from the bursting shells on Acti-Barba and Gaba-tepa; also from rifles on the hills. One man was wounded from a spent bullet. Landed
about 1am and camped at Anzac Cove.” The next morning Albert was surprised to see dugouts all over the side of the hill and that the sides were very steep. At nine o’clock they set off for an offensive position in the firing line and Albert commented “make acquaintance with Beachy Bill the Turk’s shrapnel gun at Gaba-tepa, curiously watching the shells blast – not knowing the danger – but we very soon did!”.
They were marched up Shrapnel Gully into Wire Gully to take over trenches and soon got used to the shells and bullets passing overhead. On September 3rd they charged a mine and Sapper Baldwin was hurt by gas explosion and Sapper J Hardy wounded by Beachy Bill while ‘throwing rations at the A.S.C in White Gully”.
