Countdown To ANZAC 10 April 1915

Today the battalion finally sets sail from Alexandria.  Jack Reilly's diary entry says, very simply, "Left 6am and steamed into Mediterranean Sea. Weather a bit choppy."

The Battalion War Diary comment for this day is equally brief, "Ships left Alexandria".

The Battalion History adds a little more to the picture ".......at 6.30am on the following day (April 10, ed.) we sailed.  It soon leaked out that we were bound for Lemnos, where the 3rd Brigade (which was to be the covering force and the first ashore, ed.) had been for the past month, and that the Army was concentrating there for an attack on the Gallipoli Peninsular, with control of the Dardanelles as its objective.

Those readers who have an interest in military history may find it useful to read CW Bean's chapter which describes the reasoning behind the Gallipoli campaign.  You will find it here.

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