Trenching at Gallipoli

A Newfoundland fisherman, woodsman and athlete finds himself swept into the First World War by a simple summons: “Your King and Country Need You.” The narrative opens with the bustling armory in St. John’s, where rugged volunteers from fishing villages and city sports teams line up, eager to prove themselves. After a rigorous selection process, the chosen few are molded into soldiers through relentless drills, long marches across the Scottish highlands, and months of garrison duty at forts that test both body and spirit.

The account then follows the regiment’s voyage across the Atlantic, their brief respite in London, and the anticipation of the looming campaign at Gallipoli. Interwoven with vivid photographs of dugouts, landing craft and trench life, the author captures the raw realities of training, camaraderie, and the stark contrast between the familiar Newfoundland landscape and the foreign, mud‑soaked fields of Europe. Listeners are drawn into the early days of a journey that will soon thrust these men into one of the war’s most infamous fronts.