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Gallipoli
(Çanakkale in Turkish)
25th April is ANZAC Day which commemorates the landing of Australian and New Zealand
(Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) troops at Ari Burnu on
the Gallipoli peninsula in 1915. The
last Australian veteran died in May
2002.
While the Anzacs were landing at Ari Burnu on April 25, 1915,
British forces were wading ashore under intense fire on six
beaches at the southern tip of the Gallipoli peninsula at Cape Helles
and Sedd-El-Bahr
(Seddülbahir).
Gallipoli Gallery
Photographs taken in 1989 by
© Iain Laird
Anzac Cove
(Anzac Koyu)
The pictures of Anzac Cove are particularly important as recent
road improvement has removed the distinctive features that made
the landing there so difficult, and the movement inland.
The "Sphinx"
feature of Chunuk Bair can be seen, and the difficulty of the
ground for an opposed landing is easily understood.
Shrapnel Valley leads up to the Monash Gully and "Lone Pine" from Anzac Cove.
It has been written "...if ghosts walk in Gallipoli, it is in
Shrapnel Valley".
Lone Pine
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Turkish
dugout |
Turkish
Trench |
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The commanding
position held by the Turkish forces above Lone Pine can be
appreciated. In the distance, Suvla Bay where British Forces
landed unopposed, while the ANZACs carried out costly
diversionary attacks at Lone Pine and the Nek, immortalised in
Peter Weir's Film "Gallipoli".
The Nek
The Nek is
narrow strip at the top of a ridge not much wider than a tennis
court. Shortly before the Cemetery, the Light Horse forward
trench can still be found.
New Zealand Memorial
Chunuk Bair
A New Gallipoli Film
for the
90th Anniversary
will take place at Te Papa in Wellington, on ANZAC Day,
3.30-5.40pm in the Soundings Theatre, Level 2. Free entry.
Cape Helles
The main
British Landings were at
Cape Helles and Sedd-El-Bahr. The Lancashire Fusiliers
famously won "six VCs before breakfast" at W Beach on April
25, and lost 164 men that day.
Sedd-El-Bahr
(Seddülbahir)
Men from 1st
Royal Munster Fusiliers, 1st
The Royal
Dublin Fusiliers
and The Royal Hampshire Regiment were
landed from the converted collier the
"RIVER CLYDE".
They sustained such heavy
casualties that the 1st RDF and 1st RMF thereafter formed one
composite Battalion, called the
'Dubsters'
St Mary
Memorial Chapel
at
Chepstow Parish and Priory Church of St. Mary, picture
commemorating the VC of Able Seaman Charles Williams RFR awarded
for his valour during the "RIVER CLYDE" landing at Sedd-El-Bahr.
Turkish Memorial
Ataturk
A young Turkish officer at the time of the Allied Landings was
Colonel Mustafa Kemal, later "Ataturk", "father of the Turks"
who commanded his
troops:
"I am not ordering you to attack. I am ordering you
to die. In the time that it takes us to die, other forces and
commanders can come and take our place."
In 1934 he wrote:
"Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives ....
You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore
rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and
the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this
country of ours ... you, the mothers, who sent their sons from
far away countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now
lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their
lives on this land they have become our sons as well. "
This is written on the Turkish Memorial at Ari Burnu, renamed by
the Turks to Anzac Koyu, Anzac Cove to honour the ANZACs.
Gallipoli Casualties
Ccompiled
from various sources
Battle
of Gallipoli
| aa |
Nationality |
Died
|
Wounded |
Total |
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Britain
& Ireland |
21,255 |
52,230 |
73,485
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France
(estimated) |
10,000 |
17,000
|
27,000
|
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Australia |
8,709
|
19,441 |
28,150
|
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New
Zealand |
2,701 |
4,852 |
7,553
|
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India
|
1,358 |
3,421 |
4,779
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Newfoundland |
49
|
93 |
142
|
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Total Allies |
44,072
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97,037 |
141,109
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Turkey
|
86,692 |
164,617 |
251,309
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Australian Government Department of Veterans' Affairs
| aa |
Turkish
|
86,692 |
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British & Irish |
21,255 |
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French |
9,798 |
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Australian |
8,709 |
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New
Zealand |
2,701 |
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Indian |
1,358 |
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Newfoundlanders |
49 |
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