By David Hall-Jones
ANZAC Day for me is a time for reflection. My grandfather Fred Hall-Jones was in the very first New Zealand boat to land at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. He photographed the landing and survived the war, despite being severely wounded in a night attack at Quinn’s Post in early June of 1915. His diary and photographs are a treasure to my family.
My grandfather was a gentle man who practised law in Southland and lived to the gentle age of 91. He was a passionate gardener. And I adored him for his love of history and his stories of fishing and hunting in Te Anau, the place of my own childhood. It is remarkable that Fred and other survivors of the war managed, in some way, to put the horrors of Gallipoli behind them.
On ANZAC Day, as always, I shall raise a glass to my grandfather Fred and to all of the other Kiwi and Australian soldiers who fought at Gallipoli
