Five Months at Anzac A Narrative of Personal Experiences of the Officer Commanding the 4th Field Ambulance, Australian Imperial Force

A vivid, first‑person chronicle, this memoir follows an Australian medical officer as his newly formed field ambulance is assembled from volunteers across several states. He explains the unit’s three‑section structure—bearers, tent staff, and transport crew—and the rigours of training before the convoy departs from Albany at the end of 1914. The sea journey to the Middle East is described with keen detail: disciplined ship formations, encounters with submarines, and the camaraderie forged among nurses, sergeants and fellow officers during the long passage.

Arriving in Egypt, the narrative shifts to the frantic preparations for the Gallipoli campaign. The author recounts the uneasy anticipation aboard the landing ships, the first chaotic disembarkation on the beaches, and the urgent task of moving the wounded from the front lines to dressing stations. Interwoven with vivid observations of daily life—mess hall banter, makeshift medical setups, and the resilience of the men—the account offers a grounded glimpse of wartime service before the larger battles unfold.