Where to begin with the distinguished career of Gallipoli soldier Private William Harvey Dudley, grandfather of Narooma's Bill Dudley.
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William was in the 4th Battalion, part of First Brigade, so was among the first to enlist.
William departed Sydney on October 20, 1914, and was in the vanguard of the landing forces at Anzac Cove on April 25, 1915.
His diary entry that day said "at 3.10am hundreds of boats, destroyers and steam pinnaces push off together for the unknown and mysterious mountains ahead".
"He was shot seven times at Gallipoli and returned to Australia as a cot case," Bill said.
William went on to instigate the famous Snowy River March from Delegate to Goulburn to recruit more soldiers and was the first WWI Digger to reach commissioned rank in the NSW Police Force.
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Snowy River March
After being mown down by intense enemy fire at Lone Pine in August 1915 and months recuperating in Alexandria and then Randwick Hospital, William returned to Bendoc, some 20 kilometres from Delegate, where his father owned the Bendoc Hotel.
Bill said they put on a welcome home celebration for William at the Delegate Hall where various dignitaries spoke.
"In response, my grandfather said thank you.
"Then he said all you young blokes out there, they really need a hand over there in Gallipoli so if you go sign up that would be very much appreciated.
"Two brothers immediately put their hand up, followed by others," Bill said.
On January 6, 1916, 16 volunteers set off from the Delegate School of Arts bound for Goulburn.
After 23 days of marching they reached Goulburn on January 29 with 144 volunteers.
In recognition of his grandfather's involvement, Bill and his family were invited to the Anzac centenary service in Delegate in 2015 where his son read out extracts from the diary.
"It was so emotional," Bill said.
"At the Dawn Service everyone was getting their hankies out."
William's Gallipoli diary entry
By 5pm on April 25 they had driven the Turks 3 1/2 or 4 miles inland then came "the signal to get down and dig for your lives".
When it grew dark, an officer and 200 soldiers, including William, were ordered to return to the beach because ammunition was running out.
There were dead and dying soldiers "a mile along the shore and about 100 feet wide" but they hastily seized the ammunition "fearing that we should be late and the lads cut down with no chance of defending themselves on account of no ammunition".
"It was a long rough journey to carry such a weight but after a couple of hours we again reach the firing line at midnight worn out, weary and hungry from the long day's fatigue."
Tomorrow an article will be published on the last soldier to leave Gallipoli who is also buried in Narooma cemetery.
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