Stephen Snelling - VCs of the First World War: Gallipoli

Just as it is now difficult to recall the precise beginnings of this book, so it is almost impossible to know where to start in thanking all those who made it possible. To pay tribute to all who assisted by name would be to run the risk of an appreciation of Hollywood Oscar ceremony proportions. I am indebted to all those librarians, museum curators, relatives and regimental secretaries who have helped me throughout my odyssey, and I hope they will forgive me if I single out for especial thanks the late Canon William Lummis, the doyen of VC researchers, whose enthusiasm did so much to fuel my interest.

The research for this book has spanned four years and two continents. In this country, my chief guides have included Nigel Steel, of the Department of Documents at the Imperial War Museum, who has pointed me in the right direction on countless occasions as well as acting as a most reliable sounding board, and Peter Liddle, whose outstanding collection of personal testimonies is now housed at Leeds University. Mr Liddle has been most generous in granting me access to his own research, while Dennis Pillinger, the Military Historical Societys Custodian of the Lummis VC Files, has been a tireless worker.

My research on the Australian VCs owes much to the kind help of Anthony Staunton, whose own works on the subject are justly acclaimed by fellow military historians. H. Murray Hamilton allowed me to use extracts from the personal diaries of Fred Tubb VC which will form the basis for his own eagerly awaited biography of this gallant Australian soldier.

Closer to home, I must thank my friends Frank Gordon and Nolan Lincoln for their help and guidance, while the support of Gerald Gliddon, author of two books in this series, and Alan Sutton Publishing Limited, has been invaluable.

But my greatest debt must be to my family; my ever-supportive wife Sandra and my long-suffering daughters Katie and Holly, who, over four years, have come to accept my grand obsession with extraordinary equanimity. It is to them that I dedicate this book.

VCs of W Beach:

VCs of V Beach:

VCs of Lone Pine:

In the fifteen years since Gallipoli was originally published as part of the VCs of the First World War series, much has happened in the field of historical research. The continual development and expansion of the internet have combined to fuel a veritable explosion in the study of family history and opened myriad new avenues of investigation. At the same time, the release of servicemens records by national archives in this country and in Australia coupled with the acquisition of new papers by such wonderful organisations as the Imperial War Museum have served to shed much fascinating and revealing fresh light on some of the deeds recognised by the Empires highest award for military valour as well as on the recipients lives.

As with any enthusiast, I have tried to keep abreast of the new material, including at least one full-scale biography and a clutch of impressive studies of the campaign, and had hoped that one day the opportunity might arise to revise and, in some cases, almost entirely rewrite aspects of my earlier work. I was, therefore, mightily pleased to be approached by Jo de Vries, Senior Commissioning Editor at The History Press, with a proposal not merely to re-issue Gallipoli , but to allow me the chance to give it a substantial overhaul.

Of course, as with any historical work some gaps remain unfilled, some questions continue to defy resolution, but overall I am pleased to think that I have been able to do greater justice to the memory of thirty-nine men whose exploits during one of the most bitterly contested campaigns of the First World War deservedly place them among the foremost ranks of the bravest of the brave.

As well as, hopefully, finding favour with a new audience, I hope that readers of the original book, who may be tempted to invest in this updated edition, will not feel short-changed by my renewed efforts and I would genuinely welcome both comment and new sources of information. After all, research is never-ending and, who knows, in another fifteen years I could be putting the finishing touches to another edition.

Last but not least, I would like to acknowledge the assistance of all the archival centres, fellow enthusiasts and those recipients descendents who contacted me following publication of the original book to loan me precious family documents which have added greatly to the sum of my knowledge. Most of all, though, I would like to thank my wife, Sandra, for her continued forbearance and love during what has proven to be one of the more challenging years in our lives.