We took their trenches
First World War Audio Archive
We took their trenches
Transcript
Hill 62 Memorial Belgium.
then? Alexandria. And we left that and we went down to theCourtrai Memorial Belgium.
Dardanelles. There was two islands out on the (inaudible). We were on one of those islands. We left that and we was carriedLe Quesnel Memorial Belgium.
up in warships and landed at (inaudible). We had, bad shape,Gueudecourt Memorial France.
bad shape, dysentery. We had other things, you know, I mean, very little to eat, and couldn’t... water, couldn’t drink anyDury Memorial France.
water, (inaudible) where we landed. And there the water had to be brought to us, you knows how it was. And the Turks was up,Monchy Memorial France.
we were down here. Of course, we took away the trenches from them when we landed. We didn’t lose that many men. And we drove them back a little ways and we took their trenches and we had to turnPasschendaele Memorial Belgium.
the trenches around, because they had the trenches made facing the sea and we had to take, to turn it facing the land, you see.Masnières memorial France.
We turned them around and then we got in. You had to be armed.Bourion Wood Memorial France.
We had blackflies, little ones, millions. We had crawlers on theCourcelette Memorial France.
bodies, swarming, eating us up. And we had very little to eat, very little. And we couldn’t move, the Turks was a crack shot.Beaumont-Hamel Memorial France.
If they see, if they see us, and there was a fella put up hisSt. Julien Memorial Belgium.
helmet like that and just up behind his rifle, and put it up again, and a fella put a bullet right through the crown. And we had to watch, very careful at night time, you couldn’t, couldn’tCanadian National Vimy Memorial France.
sleep. That’s how bad it was, because they move around.Description
Mr. Dunn describes his unit’s arrival in the Dardanelles and the many inconveniences and obstacles faced by the troops.
Ronald Dunn
Ronald Dunn was born in Bonavista, Newfoundland on May 31, 1897. He was a fisherman at the time of his enlistment, December 22, 1914, when he joined the Royal Newfoundland Regiment as a gunner. Mr. Dunn served in England, Egypt, and finally saw action in Gallipoli. He fell ill with dysentery and was sent back to England to convalesce. He was then deployed to France where he participated in the battles at Beaumont-Hamel and the Somme. He sustained two bullet wounds to his right thigh on July 1, 1916, and was given a medical discharge on October 22, 1917. After returning home, he married Elizabeth House, and had three children. Mr. Dunn was the president of the Bonavista Branch of the Great War Veterans’ Association whose membership he helped build to 150 strong. Mr. Dunn died in Golden Heights Manor, Bonavista, on September 8, 1994.
Meta Data
- Medium:
- Video
- Owner:
- Veterans Affairs Canada
- Duration:
- 2:18
- Person Interviewed:
- Ronald Dunn
- War, Conflict or Mission:
- First World War
- Location/Theatre:
- Gallipoli (Turkey)
- Battle/Campaign:
- Gallipoli
- Branch:
- Army
- Units/Ship:
- Royal Newfoundland Regiment
- Rank:
- Gunner
- Occupation:
- Infantryman
Attestation
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