'Anzac: A Retrospect' was first published in 1965, fifty years after the landing at Gallipoli. In that time many accounts, assessments and reassessments of this controversial campaign have been published, yet very few give the immediate impressions and daily experiences of the man in the ranks.
The author of this book saw service as a private in the 1st Canterbury Battalion and apart from some inevitable bouts of sickness, went through the whole campaign, including a spell in the notorious Quinn's Post at its most vulnerable. As one of the patrol of scouts formed in the battalion he was also in the forefront of other activities, including the New Zealand attack over the 'Daisy Patch' at Cape Helles.
The main part of his story is based on diaries and letters home, while in retrospect he makes pertinent comments on some of the controversial features of the campaign. In particular, he is critical of the account of the failure of the Anzac attack and the Suvla Bay landing as given in John North's 'Gallipoli: The Fading Vision'.
