At Dawn They Landed

At Dawn They Landed by James Hurst is a gripping Australian military history that follows the 11th Battalion from Western Australia to Gallipoli, then through the hard years of World War I. Built from previously unpublished letters, diaries and personal accounts, it captures the battalion as a community in uniform—men shaped by home, work, family and the places they left behind.

Training in Egypt brings uneasy anticipation, before the first-wave landing at Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915 shatters every expectation. Hurst traces the unit through key actions on the peninsula and beyond, showing how quickly the familiar faces of that famous “pyramid” photo were changed by battle, illness and loss.

Ideal for readers of Gallipoli and Anzac history, Western Australian stories, and narrative non-fiction that balances scholarship with intimate voices.

Add it to your shelf and discover the people behind the campaign, not just the headlines.