Volunteer organisations
Volunteer organisations in Australia sent parcels abroad to bring some comfort and cheer to soldiers and other service personnel.
In July, a British Red Cross store opened in East Mudros. An Australian Red Cross depot operated from November. It provided 2ASH with deckchairs, games, mosquito netting and fly swats. It also presented a large rowboat to deliver supplies.
The Red Cross was not the only volunteer organisation operating on Lemnos. The YMCA was also present. It supplied a recreation tent and sold goods in a canteen.
‘We just love the R.X. & don’t think we could possibly get on without it. It is the loving Mother to us and the Army – we couldn’t exaggerate its value & appreciate it to the full. Yesterday I opened a box from Toowoomba, Queensland. There was useful comforts of all kinds – socks – mittens – mufflers etc. etc. The cigarettes tied up in the socks delighted the boys immensely.’
– Staff Nurse Anne Donnelly, letter, 10 Oct. 1915
By Christmas Day 1915, the Anzacs had withdrawn from Gallipoli. Many were regaining their strength and fortitude on Lemnos.
The Red Cross had helped distribute the Christmas billies that had been filled by citizens and volunteer organisations in Australia. They were filled with items such as knitted socks, writing paper, tinned fruit, cocoa, coffee, sauces, pickles and cigarettes – rare treats for those serving abroad.
The billies offered some excitement and sense of festivity. Importantly, they were also a tie to home.
The troops and other service personnel had seen such horrors over the previous months. Yet Staff Nurse Evelyn Davies could say that ‘Christmas on the island was happy’.