The existence of letters from the World War I frontline, written by Wollar brothers John and James Charles Egan, has come as a surprise to Mary Egan, the daughter of John and niece of James Charles.
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Private J.C. Egan meticulously detailed his journey from military training camp in Marrickville, to the trenches of Gallipoli, through to the evacuation.
His experiences on board the troopship, in Egypt, and at Gallipoli, were published in a series of articles in the Mudgee Guardian in 1915.
Private Egan’s letters from Gallipoli, where he was twice wounded, were also published.
The Mudgee Guardian has used extracts of Private Egan’s letters and those of other soldiers from Mudgee and surrounding districts to tell the story of the Anzacs, beginning today and continuing on Friday.
Mary said she had been unaware of her uncle’s letters and was delighted to find a letter from her father was also published, telling of his experiences in Villers-Bretonneux, France, in 1918.
She said it was especially surprising as her father seldom spoke of the war, although he travelled to Sydney every year to attend the Anzac Day marches.
John and his brother, known to his family as “Charlie”, walked to Bathurst to enlist in World War I.
A cousin, Joseph Mara, also of Wollar, was killed at Gallipoli.
