Pioneering work by members of Maitland and District Genealogy Society has revealed details of the service of these men and women, which has remained hidden for so long.

The society has produced a book, Maitland’s Gallipoli Campaign, which will be launched at the Maitland Heritage Research Centre in East Maitland on Friday, April 17, at 11am.

The centre is in the Old Mounted Police Barracks in Lindsay Street.

The book, written by society secretary Robyn Wickham and member Ann Campbell, was produced with funding from the Anzac Centenary Local Grants Program, Arts NSW’s Cultural Grant Program and Maitland City Council Community Grants Program.

It is a goldmine of information.

“As a historical society, we are interested in family histories and the history of people from this area,” Mrs Wickham said .

“It all began when we were discussing the coming Gallipoli centenary and we thought we should be looking at the participation of Maitland people there,” she said.

“We were quite astounded to have identified 260 people from here who were involved in those battles, and other details we uncovered about their campaign histories were also unexpected.

“There would be even more people we have not identified; Maitland people who may have enlisted in other places.

“We began thinking there would not be too many names, but the figures kept getting bigger and bigger.

“There are also some sad details, about the surprising number of men who returned to Maitland, but who never married.

“Those Anzacs were all very brave, but the thing I think off all the time is the senselessness of the  campaign.”