Lest We Forget – A day in Gallipoli

On a sunny August morning, our group of 16 boarded the bus in Canakkale for the final day of our tour of Turkey. We were returning to Istanbul and eager to go back to explore more of this captivating city for a few days before we flew home. We are enjoying our visit to Turkey more than we had anticipated.

There was one last visit to make on our “Turkish Delights” tour.

The bus boarded the ferry to cross the Dardanelles, a narrow strait which separates Asian Turkey from European Turkey, and the boundary between Europe from Asia. We were on our way to the Gallipoli Peninsula, the scene of the World War I campaign by troops to create a new war front gaining control of the Strait in order to invade Turkey and attack Germany’s other main ally Hungary.

The atmosphere on the ferry was jovial; elderly Turkish men sat in groups alongside other groups of young school children. We were all headed for the same destination. Both groups kept us entertained with their renditions of patriotic songs and laughter as the ferry swept along in tranquil waters.

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The Gallipoli campaign failed with large numbers of allied troops killed or wounded when Turkish troops fought back fiercely to maintain control of their land. About 27,000 French and 115,000 British allied soldiers were killed or wounded.

Our small group consisted mainly of Australians and our guide, Murat directed the driver to take us to ANZAC Cove, the scene of a bloody battle between the ANZAC’s (Australian and New Zealand contingent) and the Turkish defenders.

The ANZAC campaign commenced with the landing of Australian and New Zealand troops at dawn on 25 April 1915 at ANZAC Cove and ended eight months later when the troops were withdrawn and evacuated after suffering heavy losses. Under fire from the Turkish soldiers almost as soon as they landed, the troops were faced with steep cliffs covered in gorse-like prickly scrub and bush which they had to traverse in order to capture further territory.

The site was calm and peaceful for our arrival. The water lapped gently on the shores of the Cove while we spent time wandering among the gravesites reflecting on what had been, while Murat provided a commentary on the events of that fateful day. Gazing up at the mountainside, we could only look and wonder at the formidable task the soldiers had been confronted with.

We paused for some time to read the famous words of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, a commander at Gallipoli during the 1915 campaign and the founder of modern-day Turkey who in 1934 wrote a heartfelt tribute to the ANZACs killed at Gallipoli:

“Those heroes who 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 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.”

The bus took the easier route up to the summit to the Lone Pine Cemetery, the scene of the heavy battle between Australian and Turkish troops which the Australians eventually captured.

Here we were at the memorial to over 4,000 Australians missing in the ANZAC area of Gallipoli who have no known graves and the cemetery where 652 Australians are buried. Wandering along the lines of graves reading the gravestones was a sobering experience.

Back on the bus, we passed the New Zealand memorial at Chunuk Bair and further on to the Turkish memorial and cemetery. The Turks paid a heavy price for their victory at Gallipoli with an estimated 250,000 soldiers either wounded or killed during the campaign.

The Gallipoli campaign, one of the worst decisions made by the allied forces and one that lead to the unnecessary demise of thousands of young men. Deaths that could have been avoided.

Lest we forget.