Anzac Day: War letters to home

Caryn Wilkinson Reporter from Community News

This Sunday marks the 106-year anniversary of the first landing of New Zealand and Australian soldiers at Anzac Cove on the Gallipoli Peninsula.

For many of the 16000 soldiers, April 25, 1915 marked their first day of combat.

And by that night, 2000 had been killed or maimed.

We remember our Auckland veterans and fallen soldiers with their letters to friends and loved ones back home.


Captain Ernest Hugh Densem of the New Zealand Army Medical Corps 2nd New Zealand Expedition wrote this letter to daughter Mary McNair, who lives in New Lynn:

Medical Headquarters
Trentham
10.6.45

Dear Mary,

Daddy received your letter. You remember you told me about John going to Sunday School all by himself with Mr Hawkey.

I’m glad you liked the bonfire.

There was a very good drawing of it in one of your other letters that wasn’t there.

We had some funny bonfires here one night.

There were a lot of flowers and the soldiers shot flames out of their guns like this:

Mummy says you sleep in a different room now.

Where does Auntie Eva sleep?

Daddy.