To Hell and Back

To Hell And Back: The Banned Account of Gallipoli's Horror by Journalistand Soldier Sydney Loch by Sydney Loch
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The title says it all.
In November 1914, a young Australian volunteer was sent to fight in Europe in the I WW.
Firstly he landed in Egypt, after few months his contingent was transferred to Turkey. On 25th of April 1915 they disembarked on the coast in, what was later called, ANZAC Cove.
Amazingly honest and sincere report of daily life in Gallipoli trenches.
Here I have to distance myself from the book.
My point is, that I did not receive it as a book, as a story.
In my opinion, there is no story. The author reports, day after day, his small experiences, and they are small - deliver a message, find a colonel, wait, wait.
This is punctuated with observation, that someone fell and did not raise.
So, from this point of view, I can't honestly say - I liked it, or recommend to someone.
I just appreciated it very much.
As the title explains, the book was banned in Australia when authorities realized it is not a fiction.
It contains notes on the history of publishing the book and on life of Sydney Loch, which was much, much more than one military campain.
In this context I consider it as a very important reading.

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