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The Anzacs
If you have not read The Anzacs there will always be a part of Australia you will never understand.
[Les Carlyon, The Australian.]
Gallipoli was the final resting place for thousands of young Australians. Death struck so fast there was not time for escape or burial. And when Gallipoli was over there was the misery of the European Campaign.
Patsy Adam-Smith read over 8000 diaries and letters to write her acclaimed best-seller about the First World War. Soldiers sought her out to tell her why they went, what they saw, and how they felt about that great holocaust. Their simple accounts are more vivid than any novel; the years have not dimmed their memories of lost comrades and the horrors of war. These are the extraordinary experiences of ordinary men - and they strike to the heart.
Winner of the Age Book of the Year award when first published in 1978, The Anzacs remains unrivalled as the classic account of Australia's involvement in the First World War.
[Les Carlyon, The Australian.]
Gallipoli was the final resting place for thousands of young Australians. Death struck so fast there was not time for escape or burial. And when Gallipoli was over there was the misery of the European Campaign.
Patsy Adam-Smith read over 8000 diaries and letters to write her acclaimed best-seller about the First World War. Soldiers sought her out to tell her why they went, what they saw, and how they felt about that great holocaust. Their simple accounts are more vivid than any novel; the years have not dimmed their memories of lost comrades and the horrors of war. These are the extraordinary experiences of ordinary men - and they strike to the heart.
Winner of the Age Book of the Year award when first published in 1978, The Anzacs remains unrivalled as the classic account of Australia's involvement in the First World War.
492 pages, Paperback
First published December 31, 1978
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 2, 2024
What better day to commence reading this book than Anzac Day, 25 April, and a public holiday in New Zealand and Australia. Adam-Smith's book is not well known - a paltry 77 ratings and 11 reviews here on GR currently. To my mind that makes is seriously under-rated.
This should be recommended reading for Australians - perhaps for New Zealanders, but it is (fairly) written from a very Australian perspective, and the Kiwis only get a mention in context and where they interrupt the narrative. It is an Australian book about Australian Anzacs.
Published in 1978, you can draw the conclusion that this was the authors last chance to interview those men who were at Gallipoli, and those other theatres of war, as they would then be in their late seventies, and early eighties (at youngest). Adam-Smith explains she read thousands of letters and diaries, interviewed many old soldiers and their wives and children to gain their perspectives. It covers the soldiers in the Australian army, navy and fledgling air force, and also those Australians in the RAF.
Divided into two main parts, then an appendix, it covers first Gallipoli, the 'After Gallipoli' which is about the war in Europe - Belgium and France - primarily the Battle of the Somme, the attack at Fromelles, the Battle of Pozières, the Battle of Bullecourt and the Battle of Passchendaele (Ypres). Woven through these was the time in Egypt and Palestine, and around the Suez Canal.
I found the Gallipoli section read well, was fairly linear and focussed. By default the 'After Gallipoli' section was a lot harder - there were repetitions and fragmentations, and it was generally a more complicated read - this of course is because on the Western Front there were multiple things happening concurrently so it is harder to keep in order.
The book is literally filled with quotations from these sources, and it can become an overwhelming read. We are introduced to hundreds of soldiers and nurses only for a great many to die shortly after their introduction. However in the case of one particular person - sister Alice Kitchen a nurse we get to know well, we follow her through the entire duration of the war.
As I reached the 300 page mark I began to feel it had missed a tighter edit, to slim it down a bit and deal with the duplications, but I later changed my mind, having wondered whose story didn't deserve to be there. Of course the answer is that none of the stories in this book deserved to be left out. They were all equally compelling stories of the sacrifices that young men and women made in serving Australia and the British Empire, especially considering that each and every Australian participant in World War I was a volunteer, as there was no conscription. (From New Zealand there were approximately 92,000 volunteers and 32,000 conscripted soldiers.)
This book preserves the stories of all those the author was able to include.
5 stars
This should be recommended reading for Australians - perhaps for New Zealanders, but it is (fairly) written from a very Australian perspective, and the Kiwis only get a mention in context and where they interrupt the narrative. It is an Australian book about Australian Anzacs.
Published in 1978, you can draw the conclusion that this was the authors last chance to interview those men who were at Gallipoli, and those other theatres of war, as they would then be in their late seventies, and early eighties (at youngest). Adam-Smith explains she read thousands of letters and diaries, interviewed many old soldiers and their wives and children to gain their perspectives. It covers the soldiers in the Australian army, navy and fledgling air force, and also those Australians in the RAF.
Divided into two main parts, then an appendix, it covers first Gallipoli, the 'After Gallipoli' which is about the war in Europe - Belgium and France - primarily the Battle of the Somme, the attack at Fromelles, the Battle of Pozières, the Battle of Bullecourt and the Battle of Passchendaele (Ypres). Woven through these was the time in Egypt and Palestine, and around the Suez Canal.
I found the Gallipoli section read well, was fairly linear and focussed. By default the 'After Gallipoli' section was a lot harder - there were repetitions and fragmentations, and it was generally a more complicated read - this of course is because on the Western Front there were multiple things happening concurrently so it is harder to keep in order.
The book is literally filled with quotations from these sources, and it can become an overwhelming read. We are introduced to hundreds of soldiers and nurses only for a great many to die shortly after their introduction. However in the case of one particular person - sister Alice Kitchen a nurse we get to know well, we follow her through the entire duration of the war.
As I reached the 300 page mark I began to feel it had missed a tighter edit, to slim it down a bit and deal with the duplications, but I later changed my mind, having wondered whose story didn't deserve to be there. Of course the answer is that none of the stories in this book deserved to be left out. They were all equally compelling stories of the sacrifices that young men and women made in serving Australia and the British Empire, especially considering that each and every Australian participant in World War I was a volunteer, as there was no conscription. (From New Zealand there were approximately 92,000 volunteers and 32,000 conscripted soldiers.)
This book preserves the stories of all those the author was able to include.
5 stars
June 1, 2025
“I don’t know how I’ve been able to keep going mother.”
So read just one tiny excerpt from a young ANZAC’s war diary in a letter back to his family at the other side of the world.
To me World War I remains possibly the most fascinating and compelling of conflicts, for a number of reasons, but perhaps most of all because it was the first arena where man was pitted against the full might and power of mechanised warfare – effectively young men, mostly products of the Victorian era were subjected to the unflinching might of 20th century science and technology and the results and legacy were not pretty.
It has been said time and again that war is awful, often avoidable and futile and that is surely one of the most bewildering aspects of the Great War is how truly avoidable and pointless it all was – and yet its impact and repercussions were so enduring, it lead to a second even more fatal and longer global conflict with even more catastrophic results.
Although initially appearing back in 1978 Adam-Smith’s account remains as powerful and convincing as ever – she treats her subjects with sensitivity and respect, presenting the horror and hardship without romance or condescension giving the reader a gritty, intimate and often confronting insight into the day to day drudgery and misery endured by so many young Antipodeans.
As a Scot living in the Antipodes it never ceases to depress or dismay me just how many Australian and Kiwis, particularly from the Boomer era, who absolutely adore or admire the British royal family, seemingly totally oblivious to their history and their sinister and parasitic roll throughout the centuries – which includes shipping off thousands upon thousands of Antipodean civilian ancestors to fight and die for them and their colonial and financial interests.
August 4, 2018
‘As General Sir Ian Hamilton wrote, ‘Before the war who had ever heard of Anzac: hereafter who will ever forget it?’
There are many books written about World War I, about the landing at Gallipoli, about the battles in which the Anzacs featured both at Gallipoli and in Europe. This book, by Ms Adam-Smith which was first published in 1978, is about the men and women who were the Anzacs. Ms Adam-Smith read more than 8000 diaries and letters. She also spoke with some of the veterans, some of the few still alive in the 1970s. And this book, with those diary entries and firsthand recollections, makes the horror personal. For these men, and the women who nursed them, this was direct, horrific, real experience. How can we begin to appreciate their experiences?
Thousands died at Gallipoli. Thousands more died in Europe. And some, like my great-uncle,
returned to Australia only to die after the war had ended as a consequence of injuries sustained.
Ms Adam-Smith wrote:
‘The worst of working with the diaries is all those empty pages. You turn back one page from those you find empty and re-read: ’27 April, 1915: All around me have been killed or wounded. I escaped so far’. And there is no more. He was aged 28.’
These are simple accounts, of men and women trying their best to make sense of and to survive horrific experiences. Ordinary people, extraordinary experiences. But this is not just an account of the war, Ms Adam-Smith writes of where the soldiers were drawn from and the experiences that shaped them. She also writes of the impact of distance, the fact of venereal disease and life after World War I.
The first part of the book is about Gallipoli, the second part is after Gallipoli. I read and try to get my head around the very different conditions. The many different ways in which men and women suffer in war, and after war.
‘Boys you’ve lost your jobs. The war’s over and you can all go back to your billets.’
War ends with official declarations and proclamations. I doubt that it ends during the lifetime of those who participated in it. And yet, we expect people to (quickly) move on.
‘The returned men had already learnt that they were only considered when needed as fighters. They had no say in the peace.’
If you’ve not read this book and you are interested in learning more about individual experiences of World War I, then I recommend this book. It’s one way of remembering those men and women: our original Anzacs. Ms Adam-Smith died in 2001.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
There are many books written about World War I, about the landing at Gallipoli, about the battles in which the Anzacs featured both at Gallipoli and in Europe. This book, by Ms Adam-Smith which was first published in 1978, is about the men and women who were the Anzacs. Ms Adam-Smith read more than 8000 diaries and letters. She also spoke with some of the veterans, some of the few still alive in the 1970s. And this book, with those diary entries and firsthand recollections, makes the horror personal. For these men, and the women who nursed them, this was direct, horrific, real experience. How can we begin to appreciate their experiences?
Thousands died at Gallipoli. Thousands more died in Europe. And some, like my great-uncle,
returned to Australia only to die after the war had ended as a consequence of injuries sustained.
Ms Adam-Smith wrote:
‘The worst of working with the diaries is all those empty pages. You turn back one page from those you find empty and re-read: ’27 April, 1915: All around me have been killed or wounded. I escaped so far’. And there is no more. He was aged 28.’
These are simple accounts, of men and women trying their best to make sense of and to survive horrific experiences. Ordinary people, extraordinary experiences. But this is not just an account of the war, Ms Adam-Smith writes of where the soldiers were drawn from and the experiences that shaped them. She also writes of the impact of distance, the fact of venereal disease and life after World War I.
The first part of the book is about Gallipoli, the second part is after Gallipoli. I read and try to get my head around the very different conditions. The many different ways in which men and women suffer in war, and after war.
‘Boys you’ve lost your jobs. The war’s over and you can all go back to your billets.’
War ends with official declarations and proclamations. I doubt that it ends during the lifetime of those who participated in it. And yet, we expect people to (quickly) move on.
‘The returned men had already learnt that they were only considered when needed as fighters. They had no say in the peace.’
If you’ve not read this book and you are interested in learning more about individual experiences of World War I, then I recommend this book. It’s one way of remembering those men and women: our original Anzacs. Ms Adam-Smith died in 2001.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
May 13, 2024
An essential read. This book had me crying 90% of the time.
I can't even express what it was like reading diary entries from so many different soldiers/nurses/family members with such different experiences during the same war. It serves as a reminder of everything bad in a time without peace.
I can't even express what it was like reading diary entries from so many different soldiers/nurses/family members with such different experiences during the same war. It serves as a reminder of everything bad in a time without peace.
April 22, 2014
Re read this book on the lead up to the 100 years of the landing at Gallipoli 1915 my grandfather was an 'original' and came home after the war. I am lucky enough to be attending the 100 year celebrations on the Gallipoli peninsula.
October 6, 2018
Thorough, and almost too heartbreaking for words. This book deals with the very real impact of a war so great that to most it was inconceivable, except as a large and abstract idea about our nation. Learning about the suffering of these men and women, their hardships, their despair, their persistence; Incredible. A compelling read. A tough read, bogged down with information that at first sight seems boring but as one reads further really brings home the magnitude and impact of the war. Coupled with accounts from countless diaries of the enlisted and nurses, it is comprehensive to say the least, but more importantly keeps its humanity. This isn’t some objective indexing of the cost of war. This is a beautiful and heartbreaking accounting of the incomprehensible sacrifice of people for what they believed to be a fight for freedom. This is crucial reading.
January 3, 2014
I read this in the lead-up to travelling to Gallipoli, where I would be spending Anzac Day.
It helped me to understand why there was a conflict at Gallipoli, the political and military manoeuvring in the lead-up to that fateful April 25.
I appreciated the insights into some of the more famous characters in the Anzac legend, including Simpson (of the '& his donkey' fame). Did you know Simpson was an illegal immigrant to Australia, illegal exporter of native animals, most likely part of a major riot in Egypt during training, stealer of his famous donkey friend, and deserter from his troop? I didn't until I read this book! It still amuses me that we have put his guy on a pedestal, when his colleagues figured he had run away, and he only joined the Australian army to get home to England. Which turned out to be via Egypt and Turkey...
Once on my holiday, I heard more of the story from our Turkish tour guide, putting together more of the pieces - very interesting, though tragic to realise how many things went right and how many things went wrong, to result in the bloody Gallipoli campaign.
An excellent read.
It helped me to understand why there was a conflict at Gallipoli, the political and military manoeuvring in the lead-up to that fateful April 25.
I appreciated the insights into some of the more famous characters in the Anzac legend, including Simpson (of the '& his donkey' fame). Did you know Simpson was an illegal immigrant to Australia, illegal exporter of native animals, most likely part of a major riot in Egypt during training, stealer of his famous donkey friend, and deserter from his troop? I didn't until I read this book! It still amuses me that we have put his guy on a pedestal, when his colleagues figured he had run away, and he only joined the Australian army to get home to England. Which turned out to be via Egypt and Turkey...
Once on my holiday, I heard more of the story from our Turkish tour guide, putting together more of the pieces - very interesting, though tragic to realise how many things went right and how many things went wrong, to result in the bloody Gallipoli campaign.
An excellent read.
January 11, 2015
Australian author Les Carlyon said: "If you have not read 'The Anzacs' there will always be a part of Australia you will never understand." and I would have to agree. Patsy Adam-Smith wrote this book in the late 1970's when there were still some elderly WW1 veterans around. She was able to talk to a number of them, as well as read their diaries, as well as the diaries of the deceased. In fact, she read over 8000 diaries and letters to research this book.
She clearly had a tremendous respect for the Aussie soldiers of WW1, but I don't believe she lets it cloud her judgement. It's a beautifully written book, one that is often heartbreaking. I think this book is essential for anyone wanting to really understand the birth of a modern Australian identity, which WW1 was in many ways. Too many people today seem only too eager to abandon our own culture to adopt someone elses; this book shows the tremendous sacrifice that thousands of Australians made to create our own.
She clearly had a tremendous respect for the Aussie soldiers of WW1, but I don't believe she lets it cloud her judgement. It's a beautifully written book, one that is often heartbreaking. I think this book is essential for anyone wanting to really understand the birth of a modern Australian identity, which WW1 was in many ways. Too many people today seem only too eager to abandon our own culture to adopt someone elses; this book shows the tremendous sacrifice that thousands of Australians made to create our own.
November 28, 2020
The Anzacs by Patsy Adam Smith is an incredibly powerful book.
Patsy Adams-Smith approached World War One veterans and their wives/relatives (some in her own family) when they were in the twilight of their lives and were finally prepared to speak about the unspeakable.
As the the war dragged on, new enlistments knew it was no picnic but propaganda at the time claimed we were winning and that the end of the war was imminent. They also knew, in battle after endless battle, that they would be going straight 'over the top' into instant, unstoppable machine gun fire. I cannot imagine what that was like - to know in advance that devastating scenario, and yet to get up and do it when the time required. It is heart breaking to think of their mental anguish and despair.
Some of the men’s training consisted of useless cruel marches in terrible weather conditions with no food or water for hours on end done to ‘test’ the men but instead destroying their morale and health. p196. As though enduring the trenches wasn’t bad enough- with the rats, mud, deprivation, extreme weather, cramped conditions and endless hours of boredom and fatigue - as well as being directly under attack. Those who did not drown in the mud in the European battlefields struggled to walk - an exhausting process which affected the men badly, especially if they were launched straight into battle. p264
There were also many beautiful insights in the book, such as service men receiving billy tins from Australia packed with goodies to sustain them, especially lollies from the many kids who sent the billies out.
Our fledgling Australian Flying Corps was a dangerous (to the pilots!) and daring wonder. Sadly, any were killed, but many of those who survived went on to become famous Australians in the aviation industry and future Air Force, including Sir Ross Smith and Sir Hudson Fysh. P333 Most of those in the Flying Corps came directly from the ranks of the AIF, so were assiduous in protecting the men below, no matter how exhausted they were or what the cost.
The beautiful fluidity and economy of Adams-Smith's writing makes this a book that will stay long in the memory. 'The enemy was down, the battle ended. In spite of their generals the men had prevailed. It is true that from the blood of battlefields sprang daisies and buttercups but the red rain that made the harvest grow was still to be measured.' p 454
Patsy Adams-Smith approached World War One veterans and their wives/relatives (some in her own family) when they were in the twilight of their lives and were finally prepared to speak about the unspeakable.
As the the war dragged on, new enlistments knew it was no picnic but propaganda at the time claimed we were winning and that the end of the war was imminent. They also knew, in battle after endless battle, that they would be going straight 'over the top' into instant, unstoppable machine gun fire. I cannot imagine what that was like - to know in advance that devastating scenario, and yet to get up and do it when the time required. It is heart breaking to think of their mental anguish and despair.
Some of the men’s training consisted of useless cruel marches in terrible weather conditions with no food or water for hours on end done to ‘test’ the men but instead destroying their morale and health. p196. As though enduring the trenches wasn’t bad enough- with the rats, mud, deprivation, extreme weather, cramped conditions and endless hours of boredom and fatigue - as well as being directly under attack. Those who did not drown in the mud in the European battlefields struggled to walk - an exhausting process which affected the men badly, especially if they were launched straight into battle. p264
There were also many beautiful insights in the book, such as service men receiving billy tins from Australia packed with goodies to sustain them, especially lollies from the many kids who sent the billies out.
Our fledgling Australian Flying Corps was a dangerous (to the pilots!) and daring wonder. Sadly, any were killed, but many of those who survived went on to become famous Australians in the aviation industry and future Air Force, including Sir Ross Smith and Sir Hudson Fysh. P333 Most of those in the Flying Corps came directly from the ranks of the AIF, so were assiduous in protecting the men below, no matter how exhausted they were or what the cost.
The beautiful fluidity and economy of Adams-Smith's writing makes this a book that will stay long in the memory. 'The enemy was down, the battle ended. In spite of their generals the men had prevailed. It is true that from the blood of battlefields sprang daisies and buttercups but the red rain that made the harvest grow was still to be measured.' p 454
July 27, 2020
For Australians, or anybody interested in military history, this remains a classic for a reason!
May 18, 2024
An amazing telling of Australian's and New Zealanders involvement in WWI through first person accounts of soldiers and nurses. The first half was mostly on the postings in Eygpt and failed attempt to take Gallipoli. The second half was more on the battlegrounds in Europe: the Somme, Verdun, Passendaele, Amiens, Ypres > devastating losses.
Some chapters shed light on other aspects of the war such as the Red Baron being shot down by Australian ground troops and not Canadian pilots and Austrailan cavalry freeing Damascus, despite what the film "Lawrence of Arabia" showed.
About a quarter century ago I recall an article (1998 I believe) challenging the conventional notion of the Red Baron chasing Lieutenant May and Captain Brown in turn shooting down von Richthofen. And here author Adam-Smith had provided evidence twenty years earlier (in 1978) that it was from Australian groundfire.
There was also a chapter on the muntinees by battalions about not wanting to be broken up due to heavy losses. They wanted to keep fighting in their assigned battalions to honour the men who had died.
There were also sections on how long it took men to be returned to Australia and how they were poorly treated after they arrived. The book was a thorough revelation of being a soldier throughout the pampaign.
Some chapters shed light on other aspects of the war such as the Red Baron being shot down by Australian ground troops and not Canadian pilots and Austrailan cavalry freeing Damascus, despite what the film "Lawrence of Arabia" showed.
About a quarter century ago I recall an article (1998 I believe) challenging the conventional notion of the Red Baron chasing Lieutenant May and Captain Brown in turn shooting down von Richthofen. And here author Adam-Smith had provided evidence twenty years earlier (in 1978) that it was from Australian groundfire.
There was also a chapter on the muntinees by battalions about not wanting to be broken up due to heavy losses. They wanted to keep fighting in their assigned battalions to honour the men who had died.
There were also sections on how long it took men to be returned to Australia and how they were poorly treated after they arrived. The book was a thorough revelation of being a soldier throughout the pampaign.
October 20, 2019
Gives a good feel to the culture of which birthed the Anzac mythos, cutting through all the sap and self-glorification that would come much later, and of which one could argue has even turned toxic in recent times. It does read a little dated though, and comes off somewhat dry. The book as a whole feels to lack a coherent overarching narrative, the bulk of it being formed of cherry-picked selections from the journals of the diggers and nurses in the thick of it. Overall though, the effect is quite patchy, and I found myself wishing for more coherent framing for the thing. There are some moments that shine though, such as when the author herself sets off like Herodotus to Turkey in search of the battlefields, mingling with the locals and marvelling at the size of their apples. But such moments are brief and get swallowed up in the endless extracts of journals and songs.
October 31, 2022
A powerful evocation of the horrific waste of war. The recollections of demobilisation and sense of loss are visceral; reminiscent of the mental torture that my own father endured as a dementia sufferer in later life as the long buried fear and horror of serving in bomber command haunted his final years. It is easy to forget that Australia as a nation was only founded as a nation in 1901 and that its volunteer army's first experience of conflict was the Great War. The reminiscences in this book cannot but leave you moved.
June 6, 2025
This was a beautiful book. I have learnt so much about my country's history during WW1 from this book alone and as a serving soldier myself I feel more connected then ever before Because of seeing the behind the action of the soldiers with their diary entries, poems and songs.When it comes to the Anzacs, the apples clearly didn't fall far from the tree and reading the experiences they went through with was quite eye-opening. Patsy Adam-Smith does an incredible job with telling the history while still being fairly engaging. This is a good book for those wanting to learn about Australia's important role in WW1, especially those who want more info on the Gallipoli campaign. 8/10
October 8, 2025
Great book. Started it on this Anzac Day after hearing so much about it over the years. This book has life about it,not stuffy at all. I highly recommend it if you want to know about the poor buggers who went to WW1 and made our name at war. Rereading it again.
May 14, 2011
A good introduction. Following in the steps of Bill Gammage a much lesser work but well illustrated with material from the War Memorial
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