KEY POINTS:
George Petersen's war began early, in Egypt, as he became one of the first New Zealanders to fight the Turks at Suez in a campaign that ultimately landed him among the opening waves of Anzacs at Gallipoli.
From heavy shelling and attacks by German aircraft in Egypt to enemy trenches a bayonet-length away in the Dardanelles, the private from the Nelson Company of the Canterbury Infantry Regiment endured New Zealand's baptism of war.
Now, his World War I diary, chronicling camp life, the yearning for news from home, and the entire Gallipoli campaign from the April 25, 1915, landings to evacuation in September, is to be auctioned in Sydney.
The diary, to be offered by Lawsons auctioneers on Friday, is expected to sell for more than $23,000.
Also to be auctioned is a rare World War I nurse's uniform being sold by her New Zealand daughter, and photographs of the Western Front taken by distinguished Australian war cameraman Frank Hurley.
The 50 photographs include views of trench warfare and one taken from a balloon of combat biplanes flying through exploding shells.
In January 1915, Petersen was with the NZ Expeditionary Force in Egypt, suffering freezing nights and dust storms, attending church parade on Sundays, visiting the Pyramids on days off and training with Australian and Indian troops.
On January 15, after leaving for the front by train with 150 rounds of ammunition and bread and water for 24 hours, Petersen's war came home as the first two aircraft he had seen roared overhead, and artillery rumbled across the desert from the Suez Canal.
In early February his company headed for the trenches amid a "tremendous roar" of guns and "natives fleeing from there [sic] homes".
In the dawn of February 3 the first shots were fired: "Many narrow escapes, shells bursting in all directions, Sgt Major Williams and Bill Ham wounded ... many [Indians] killed, Turks retiring, tremendous losses."
In the battle the New Zealanders and Indians captured more than 300 Turks, a British battleship blew Turkish trenches "to atoms" and the Kiwis returned to camp to attend funerals and write to relatives.
On February 13, Petersen went on evening guard and noted casualties: 1000 Turks killed, 5000 taken prisoner - "our losses numbered about 50".
At 4pm on April 10, he left Alexandria on board the SS Itonus for the Dardanelles. His Gallipoli diary records blood, terror and appalling conditions. He writes of flies "attacking in mass formation" amid the awful stench of death, of mud, lice and maggots, of joy at news from home, and the occasional arrival of cigarettes.
Opposing trenches were so close Petersen could hear the enemy's "continual yabber" and the cries and calls to Allah of wounded Turks.
Death was all around: "Went up to Popes Hill with Spotty to see Turkish dead, wonderful sight. Turks everywhere, had to walk over them to get into the main firing line."
The hell of shelling, frontal attacks and sniping was broken by periods of extreme boredom, and rare bathing parades in the sea.
Petersen writes of three appalling days of battle: "New Zealanders to the front advanced into trenches under very heavy fire, then advanced into further trenches under murderous rifle and machine-gun fire, many killed and injured ... Again advanced about 200 yards under murderous fire, our lieutenant shot and killed. Major wounded. Advanced another 100 yards in dark and dug ourselves in under fire, very hard work, using entrenching tools.
"Buried dead Turks. Turks attacked us four times during last night, but were repulsed ... Was ordered to move to the left flank but fire was too hot and had to stay where we were all night. Heavy firing ... no sleep for over 48 hours ... Never spent such a miserable night in my life."
Petersen remained on Gallipoli until evacuation in September.
SOUNDS THEY CAN'T FORGET
War veteran Stan Stanfield could hear the howitzer shells for years and years after he returned home from the trenches.
The horrors of World War I changed him in a way he could not explain when he first came back from a war that claimed the lives of 18,000 New Zealanders and wounded 41,000.
Yesterday's National Commemorative Service in Wellington, and other ceremonies around the country, marked the 90th anniversary of the end of that war.
The service was attended by Governor-General Anand Satyanand, outgoing Prime Minister Helen Clark, Defence Minister Phil Goff and a number of foreign dignitaries.
Hundreds of others attended the ceremony, including local school children. Wreaths were laid at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior and two minutes' silence was observed at 11am, the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
The Peace Bell Rangimarie rang out 11 times to mark a war that killed nearly 10 million men as well as an unknown number of civilians.
The chairman of the National War Memorial Advisory Council, retired Colonel Andrew Renton-Green, QSO, told the gathering that many returned servicemen suffered in silence, haunted by the nightmares and in physical and mental pain from their permanent scars and wounds.
Raphael Mobegi, from Hastings' Karamu High School, recounted Stanfield's experience, who recorded his memories when he was 87.
Stanfield enlisted when he was 15 and was wounded three times while serving in the trenches. On returning to New Zealand he felt at home only in a pub and "half full of beer".
His nightmares lasted for years and he was afraid of howitzer shells, which he kept hearing as the shadow of the war remained with him.
A reading by National Board youth representative Brie Jessen cited another veteran, Bert Stokes, who fought on the Western Front.
Stokes was 92 when he recounted his memories of returning from the war.
"It wasn't so much the war changing me as the circumstances I met when I came home. And I became, not exactly an introvert, but I became a bit of a loner."
- NZPA
