Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Pte George Henry Gallagher No. 1347 (also spelt Gallacher) served at Gallipoli in C Company of the 12th Infantry Battalion which was drawn largely from Tasmania but about 50% of the unit was comprised of South and Western Australians. Many of the South Australians were from the Port Pirie region and George was employed in the Port Pirie Smelter (called Broken Hill Associated Smelter) at the time.

He received a gunshot wound to the foot and was transferred back to Australia ‘marked Venereal’ with a case of gonorrhea.

He returned to the fight in France No. 2079 and served with the 43rd Infantry Battalion and the 37th Infantry Battalion where he received a gunshot wound to the right eye, he was transferred to the 3rd Division Salvage Company, Overseas Training Brigade and was discharged medically unfit in London and took up employment as an Australian Munitions Worker.

Private G. H. Gallagher, who was employed at the Smelters before Joining the colours, writes from Luna Park Hospital to a friend as follows:—"I am back here again sooner than I expected. In fact I never expected to live a minute longer. We left our base on Saturday in a destroyer for the Dardanelles.
Early on Sunday morning we had a hot meal on board and then embarked in small boats for the beach. We had only just cleared the destroyers when the firing commenced. There was a perfect rain of bullets from rifle and machine guns while there were plentiful showers of shrapnel.
I have been asked several times how I felt under fire. I must say I did not feel too brave or bold. I was broken in early to some of the horrible sights. I was right once I got on the beach, and seeing some of our brave lads down and out made the lot of us mad. It is now known at home and abroad how we got a grip of Turkey, and, believe me, we are going to have a lump of it ere you read this.
The Turk is worse than people think. There is a lot of talk about them not wanting to fight. Those who write such non sense should come here and try them. They are very game when they come across any of our wounded or when they see the stretcher-bearers. Sorry to say they have murdered too many of these brave fellows; nothing seemed to worry them, and the way our wounded were shipped speaks volumes for the reckless bravery of this handful of young Australians.
We have paid an enormous price for this piece of Turkey. We could not possibly; have landed on this place without the navy. It is little wonder we sing songs of our navy. It is marvellous how accurate they are with their big guns. To hear the British cheer and the boys all yelling, bullets flying in all directions, the heart rendering cries of the wounded, and our big guns barking, it is indeed more than I can properly describe, but it makes the blood purge in your veins, and all that one does or seems to care about is a mad lust for blood. I must say it is an awful sensation to be here and look over the past. Sometimes it seems like some nightmare, and I shall understand only when I read of some abler compositions than mine.
One is likely to get a pill at any second, and that in itself is a tonic for the nervous system. The first thing I did when I got ashore was to duck my head, and, believe me, I kept ducking every time I heard them whistle. However, I shall tell you all about it if I am lucky enough to get through I shall soon be at it again. I am not allowed to say anything about our losses, but you can just think for yourself how we got on, landing on an open beach under heavy fire, and it was on a Sunday, too. I don't know where the police were; to allow such a row on such a day. The boys are as happy as if it was a picnic. I have had no word from you since I left, a letter does cheer one up so write soon.
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Private G. H. Gallagher writes a second letter:-
I am still in Cairo and will be here for some time. I had a bad fall when l was wounded and broke some of my teeth. Have had 15 extracted, but that is a detail. There will be some crippled and blind soldiers after this war.
There are a few here now and we have not really started the business yet. It is wonderful to see these fellows laugh and joke about their wounds. There seems to be a strict censorship on news to Australia, which we all think is very unjust to us. The English troops had little or no opposition when they landed at the Dardanelles.
Two Port Pirie boys, Pvte. Ball and Corpl. Craigie, are in the hospital. They are both doing well, Jack Job is also in the convalescent home. He had the bad luck to get ill soon after landing. We are having a good time in the hospital and get splendidly treated. The amateur nurses are very industrious. If you leave your bed a dozen times in a day two of them will grab hold of it, turn it inside out, pat the pillows in, the same old way, etc, etc.—the dears. The first question they will ask is "How anxious you must be to get back to the front?"
When a wounded man arrives he is besieged by a boisterous and yelling mob of patients, some of them one-legged, others with their eye in a sling and so forth, interested for the latest news from the front. They look like a crowd you see around a lost child. But everybody is doing their best.


Port Pirie Recorder and North Western Mail SA, Saturday 26 June 1915, page 2