Nancy Sedgwick’s father Les Lee fought at Gallipoli, and is believed to be one of the last taken by Simpson and his donkey.

Her mother Edith had two brothers fight, with George Brown killed and Frank returning wounded and deaf. 

Nancy’s son Peter and his wife Jen Sedgwick compiled a book documenting the stories of the four, titled The Anzac Connection, to be distributed throughout their family so the stories live on. 

“This way, the stories will stay in our family,” Peter said. 

Nancy had kept many postcards, photographs, medals and clippings that are included in the book, including an article from The Courier’s Anzac Day edition from 50 years ago.

She had been keeping them in a binder folder, and thought it was time they were properly presented before items were damaged or lost. 

“My dad was married two days before he went to war,” Nancy said. 

“It’s thought he was one of the last men brought down on Simpson’s donkey through Shrapnel Gully, before he was rowed out to the bigger boat Galeka. He was on the boat when word started spreading that Simpson had been killed.

“When he got to Egypt he wasn’t operated on for three weeks. His knee was injured after a bomb exploded in the trench.” 

Nancy said her father never spoke of war, as “it wasn’t for the ears of women”.

“It was only after he died we started learning about him and what happened,” she said. 

She said she was anxious to get the story out there because it meant a lot to her family.

“Now it’s done – compiled in time for the 100th anniversary,” she said.

“The effect has been there my whole life. It is very close to my family.”