Harry's War

By Sean Q Lee

14 year old Harry likes nothing better than felling trees with his father and playing footy with his mates. But a tough school master, a loud mouth acquaintance and the arrival of World War One shatter Harry's simple but peaceful existence. From promising school boy to Gallipoli veteran, this is the heart wrenching story of Harry's war.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sean Q Lee
• Release date: Dec 20, 2013
• ISBN: 9781311036582

Sean Q Lee

Sean Lee is the editor of Short Stories Unlimited, a webpage dedicated to encouraging creative writing through short story and poetry competitions.He has spent many years writing about Australian Rules football and pro-cycling, providing colour pieces and expert opinion to various websites and publications including Conquista cycling magazine and Australian sports website ‘The Roar’.In 2011 he won the Stringybark Australian History Short Story Award for his depiction of the indigenous Australian game of Marngrook.

Book preview

Harry's War

&

A Journey Remembered

by Sean Q Lee

Copyright 2013 Sean Q Lee

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Harry's War

For my sons, Ziggy and Jonty

Author's note

While Harry's War was written to appeal to all age groups (from mature primary readers through to adults), I would recommend that parents of younger readers pre-read the text and make their own judgements on the appropriateness or otherwise of the content with regards to their own children.

This is a war story but it doesn't glorify war. In fact it does quite the opposite. Yes, it recognises the bravery and ingenuity of the soldiers at Gallipoli, but at the same time highlights the incredible physical and mental toll that war places on those caught up in it. There is no sugar coating.

While primarily a work of fiction, the story has its basis in fact and uses the Gallipoli campaign as its framework. The characters (apart from Simpson) are my own creations and I use them to highlight some of the aspects of the Gallipoli campaign; from the landing of the troops and their use of modified weapons, to the horror of the battlefields and the quite remarkable withdrawal.

Written for my own sons who were curious about Gallipoli and the ANZAC legend, I would now like to share the story with all of you.

1

Harry gazed out of the window, dreaming of Saturday. He had been selected for his first game of senior football and the weekend couldn't come quickly enough. He was only 14 years old, but big for his age, and with so many of the men away at war, the local football club was struggling for numbers. Harry had been called upon to help them out.

He wasn't at all nervous to be playing against men. He'd trained with them since he was 12 and was as big as most of them. He was a woodcutter's son and often took to the bush with his father, clearing land and felling the biggest of the gnarly old eucalypts either with an axe or opposite his father on the enormous crosscut saw.

It was hard work and it showed in Harry's shoulders. He was broad and muscular and it was only his boyish face that gave away his young age.

But Saturday was still a whole day away, and for the time being he was stuck at school, squeezed behind his desk, listening to Mr. Smith drone on about early explorers and the search for an inland sea. Harry