The Water Diviner Page #2

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down the hall.

It will take some time.

My son is no liar.

He seems a very resourceful boy.

He is. Very resourceful.

You have children?

Yes.

Three sons.

What are they selling?

They're not selling anything,

Mr Connor.

It's a call to prayer.

Your guide book is out of date.

I didn't come here to sightsee.

You should see the

Blue Mosque, at least.

Even in my 'wretched city'

it is a beautiful place

to find God.

I didn't come here

for him either.

I'm on my way to Gallipoli.

You mean Canakkale.

There is nothing there

but ghosts.

My son, he cannot help you

tomorrow.

He is needed here.

Have your bath and come back.

I regret to inform you

we do not issue civilians

travel permits to Dardanelles.

It remains a very sensitive

military zone.

In fact, our friends the

Greeks have made things

even more complicated

by invading Turkey's western coast.

It'll be some time before

we bring order to this chaos.

Arthur, Henry and Edward Connor.

All served in the 7th AIF Battalion.

They all enlisted together.

And they died together.

All killed in the one day.

August 7th... 1915,

at Lone Pine.

Yes. We do have

the Imperial Graves Unit

on the Peninsula as we speak.

They have a formidable task

ahead of them.

You must understand,

these men on Gallipoli,

they are experts.

All I need from you is a

piece of paper and a stamp

saying that I can go there.

I simply couldn't, Mr Connor,

even if that were my inclination.

I can find them.

How could you possibly hope

to do that?

Do you know when the army

used to do

with the rank and file dead

after Waterloo, Crimea,

Khartoum?

They would dig

an enormous bloody pit

and rake the whole lot in

with a few handfuls of lime.

No names.

Horse, mules and the men.

All turned into fertilizer.

This is the first war

anyone has given a damn.

My boys should be buried

at home,

beside their mother.

Go home, Mr Connor.

Come.

You have buildings like this

where you come from?

...but he didn't give up.

He kept on fighting

for three days.

I told you my son had work

to do here, Mr Connor.

- Oh, I...

- He's ten!

What would you expect him

to say?

Keep it. It's our secret.

- Good morning.

- Mr Connor.

Would you like some breakfast?

Please.

I-I'm sorry, I don't understand.

What's he saying?

Uh... my father hopes

you enjoy your breakfast.

Would you happen to have a...

a boiled egg?

Thank you.

English?

Ah.

Um... your wife,

he's asking where she is.

She's dead.

And your sons?

Without papers,

you cannot go to Gallipoli.

Take the ferry

to the town of Chanak,

then find a fisherman.

If you pay him enough,

he'll sail you across the straits.

He'll have no need

for British permits.

Thank you.

Mr Joshua!

Please, you find my Baba

in Canakkale.

Tell him he must come home.

Anne needs him.

- This is your father?

- Mm-hm.

- Who's the man in the hotel?

- My uncle.

I'll have a look.

You bring him home!

So, what were you doing

before the war?

This is the Ottoman Empire.

There was no 'before the war'.

In another life,

I was an architect.

I was a civil engineer.

Sir? Are we expecting company?

Whoever they are,

bring them to my tent.

Sergeant, grab a couple of

blokes and go with Lt Greeves.

Sir.

Mr Connor, I'm at a loss.

You walk off your farm,

you turn up unannounced

in this place of horrors...

and for what?

Gallipoli is eight square

miles of collapsed trenches,

bomb craters, barbed wire,

and more unexploded

grenades and shells

than there are pebbles

on that beach.

It is not safe.

I know what date

my sons were killed.

At Lone Pine.

There's a map,

and the last entry

in his diary is August 7th.

Rest assured,

I aim to put a name

next to every man out there,

including your sons.

I'm sorry, but you can't stay.

Tucker, escort Mr Connor

back to his boat.

Your sons.

- Sir, dinner.

- Come in, Dawson.

Wrap your laughin' gear

around that, sir.

Yum-yum, pig's bum, eh?

- Sir.

- Hm.

Something you might want to see.

Damn.

Want me to arrest him, sir?

And then what?

Take some food down to him.

And a blanket.

- Not swimming?

- No.

What are you doing

with your farmer?

There's a supply ship back

to Constantinople in two days.

Maybe we could help him

until then.

You know what the chances

of finding his boys are.

We have the day they were killed.

I know the area.

Yeah, we both know it,

but why change everything

for one father

who can't say put?

Because he's the only father

who came looking.

Sergeant!

Change of plan.

Who's the Turk?

Hasan the assassin.

Saw us land, saw us off.

That dog wiped out

half my battalion.

He would've killed your boys.

We're all best friends now.

I get to serve him breakfast

every morning.

Don't worry, Mr Connor.

Abdul's, not ours.

This was our front line here.

You were there. Machine gun

here, machine gun here.

And one more there.

We could see you.

So many blue eyes.

MashaAllah.

It is very lucky in Turkey

to have blue eyes.

Everywhere, except here.

Listen up, boys!

Listen up!

We got to move up

that left flank!

Keep your heads low,

push forward! Now!

Stick up the nose

of these jokers!

We're gonna take

the trench tonight!

They're throwing rocks, boys!

They're out of ammo!

Let's get into the bastards!

All as one!

Let's do it.

Let's do it, come on!

You came in from two sides,

here and here.

We built a roof to protect us

from shell fire.

Instead we made a trap

for ourselves.

Inside it was bayonets,

knives, hands, teeth.

It was so dark and close,

we did not see

who it was we struck.

Three days.

We only stopped because we could

not climb over the bodies.

As long as Allah

make me breathe,

let me see nothing

like these days again.

- Are you alright, Artie?

- Bugger off, you two!

Leave me!

Yeah, righto, mate!

Whatever you reckon!

Leave me!

No!

No!

They're right here.

Sir.

It's your son. Edward.

No, I wouldn't.

The bastards executed him.

He gave the order

not to take prisoners.

He killed the sick,

he shot the wounded.

One shot through the head,

that's how they did it.

Especially him.

He killed your son.

He gave them no chance,

that's what he did.

Stop him!

I said stop him!

- Steady on, Sergeant.

- You killed my sons!

You sent them, Mr Connor.

You invaded us.

Take him away.

Put him under guard.

I'm most terribly sorry.

He has two more sons.

We should keep looking.

War's over, Sergeant.

- We found Henry.

- Lying beside him.

How on God's earth

did you know they'd be there?

But you haven't

found Arthur yet.

No, we combed the area thoroughly.

Well, he wouldn't leave his brothers,

so he must be there.

We'll give Henry and Edward

a proper burial tomorrow.

I promised their mother

I would... find them and...

...and bring them home.

This is their home now.

It's not enemy ground anymore.

They're among friends,

probably the closest

they ever had.

Leave 'em, they always will be.

Take 'em back,

they're just a couple of

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