Baby 700 Cemetery

Baby 700 Cemetery; The hill known as ‘Baby 700’, some 180 metres above sea level, was one of the main Australian objectives at the dawn landing on 25 April 1915. Part of the Sari Bair Range, ‘Baby 700’ connected Russell’s Top with Battleship Hill (‘Big 700’) and was reached by small parties of the 11th and 12th Battalions a couple of hours after the landing. The few Turkish soldiers, who had been defending the beach area, were withdrawing back up the range. However, despite assistance from the Auckland Infantry Battalion, later in day the Turks forced the Australians and New Zealanders back to a line near where the Nek Cemetery is today.

Baby 700 Cemetery is the most northerly of the old Anzac cemeteries. It was constructed after the war when the remains of 493 Allied soldiers were brought here from other battlefield burial sites. Only forty-three sets of remains could be identified, twenty-three of whom are Australians. Ten ‘Special Memorials’ were erected to men known to have been buried in Baby 700. The majority of the Australians, mostly from the 1st, 2nd and 11th Battalions, commemorated here died on either 25 April or 2 May 1915.

Location Information

The Anzac and Suvla cemeteries are first signposted from the left hand junction of the Eceabat - Bigali road. From this junction , travel into the main Anzac area. At 12 kms. from the junction Eceabat - Bigali, you will encounter a footpath on the right to the cemetery. Baby 700 Cemetery is located on the road to Chunuk Bair, on the ridge which runs north-east from Brighton Beach.

Visiting Information

The Cemetery is permanently open and may be visited at any time. The location or design of this site, makes wheelchair access impossible.

Historical Information

The eight month campaign in Gallipoli was fought by Commonwealth and French forces in an attempt to force Turkey out of the war, to relieve the deadlock of the Western Front in France and Belgium, and to open a supply route to Russia through the Dardanelles and the Black Sea.

The Allies landed on the peninsula on 25-26 April 1915; the 29th Division at Cape Helles in the south and the Australian and New Zealand Corps north of Gaba Tepe on the west coast, an area soon known as Anzac. On 6 August, further landings were made at Suvla, just north of Anzac, and the climax of the campaign came in early August when simultaneous assaults were launched on all three fronts.

Baby 700 was the name given to a hill, part of the Sari Bair range, connecting Russell's Top, by way of the Nek, with Battleship Hill (Big 700). It was the objective of the 3rd Australian Brigade on 25 April and was occupied early in the morning by parties of the 11th and 12th Battalions. They were joined by part of the Auckland Infantry Battalion later, but in the afternoon they were driven off the hill. It was the objective of other attacks, particularly on 2 May and 7 August, but it was never again reached.

Baby 700 Cemetery was made after the Armistice.

There are now 493 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 450 of the burials are unidentified, but special memorials commemorate ten Australian soldiers believed to be buried among them.

Azmak Cemetery

Azmak Cemetery;  (1074 burials) contains casualties of the northern part of the Suvla operations. The name derives from Azmak Dere, a watered ravine running into the Salt Lake. The cemetery is 500m from a metalled road along a track that is normally drivable.

Location Information

The cemetery is located North - East of Hill 10 and 21kms from the junction Eceabat-Bigali, along a right hand rough track. Azmak Cemetery is on the South side of Azmak Dere, a watered ravine which runs South-Westward into the North side of the Salt Lake.

 Visiting Information

The Cemetery is permanently open and may be visited at any time. Wheelchair access to this cemetery is possible via the main entrance.

Historical Information

The eight month campaign in Gallipoli was fought by Commonwealth and French forces in an attempt to force Turkey out of the war, to relieve the deadlock of the Western Front in France and Belgium, and to open a supply route to Russia through the Dardanelles and the Black Sea.

The Allies landed on the peninsula on 25-26 April 1915; the 29th Division at Cape Helles in the south and the Australian and New Zealand Corps north of Gaba Tepe on the west coast, an area soon known as Anzac. On 6 August, further troops were put ashore at Suvla, just north of Anzac, and the climax of the campaign came in early August when simultaneous assaults were launched on all three fronts.

The aim of the Suvla force had been to quickly secure the sparsely held high ground surrounding the bay and salt lake, but confused landings and indecision caused fatal delays allowing the Turks to reinforce and only a few of the objectives were taken with difficulty.

With Hill 10 Cemetery, Azmak recalls the northern part of the Suvla operations and the attempts to take and hold the Kiretch Tepi ridge and the high ground to the east. The cemetery was made after the Armistice when graves were brought in from isolated sites in the area and from the following smaller cemeteries:- Dublin (from the 1st Royal Dublin Fusiliers); Sulajik; 5th Norfolk (under the foothills of Tekke Tepe, where some of the 1st/5th Norfolks, who fell on the 12th August, were buried); Borderers' Ravine; Oxford Circus; Worcester (from the 4th Worcesters); Kidney Hill; Irish; Azmak Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4; Jephson's Post (named after Major J. N. Jephson, attd. 6th Royal Munster Fusiliers who was mortally wounded capturing the position on the 15th August); Essex Ravine; Hill 28; and Lone Tree Gully.

There are now 1,074 First World War servicemen buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 684 of the burials are unidentified, but special memorials commemorate by name a number of casualties known or believed to be buried among them. Also among the unidentified graves are those of 114 officers and men of the 1st/5th Bn. Norfolk Regiment (which contained the Sandringham Company) who died on 12 August 1915.

Ari Burnu Cemetery

Ari Burnu Cemetery (253 burials) is named after the promontory at the north end of Anzac Cove and was used throughout the occupation.

Until 2000, Ari Burnu Cemetery has been the site of the Anzac Day Dawn Service. The cemetery was begun during the campaign. Among the 182 Australian graves are 82 of men from the Australian Light Horse regiments. The first row of graves above the sea wall — row A - contains mostly soldiers of the 8th Light Horse from Western Victoria. Their date of death tells their story — 7 August 1915, the morning of the charge of the 8th and 10th Light Horse (Western Australia) at the Nek. The men of the 10th lie in rows E and F. In grave E 30 is Sergeant Duncan Bain, 10th Light Horse, who just before the charge was heard ‘calling to his men to get ready and that they would be up on Baby 700 [hill].

Another interesting grave is that of Guiseppe Camilleri, Maltese Labour Corps (row J, grave 4). These men, along with British wharf labourers, were brought to Anzac after the August offensive to labour in the rear areas, thus releasing soldiers for work closer to the line.

In 1926 and 1927 11 graves from the Kilitbahir Anglo-French Cemetery and three from the Gelibolu Consular Cemetery were concentrated into Ariburnu Cemetery.

The cemetery, designed by Sir John Burnet, principal architect of the CWGC cemeteries and memorials on the peninsula, is under the control of the CWGC. It was registered as a cultural heritage Site by the Turkish Ministry of Culture on 14 November, 1980.

Kabatepe Ari Burnu Beach Memorial is a stone monolith at the south of Ariburnu Cemetery, beside the Aegean Sea. Inscribed in English on the monolith are the famous words Mustafa Kemal Ataturk delivered in 1934 to the first Australians, New Zealanders and British to visit the Gallipoli battlefields:

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 front 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

 

Kabatepe Ari Burnu Beach Memorial ATATURK 1934

The monument was unveiled by Senator Arthur Gietzelt, Australian Minister for Veterans' Affairs, on 25 April, 1985. Plaques to the memory of Ataturk were unveiled in Canberra (Australian Capital Territory), Albany, Western Australia, departure point of the Anzac contingent left in 1914, and Wellington, New Zealand at the same time (Taylor and Cupper, 1989).

The memorial, designed by architect Ahmet Gulgonen, was registered as a cultural heritage site by the Turkish Ministry of Culture on 17 June, 1991.

Location Information

The Anzac and Suvla cemeteries are first signposted from the left hand junction of the Eceabat - Bigali road. From this junction you should travel into the main Anzac area. At 10.7 kms. you will find the cemetery on the left hand side of the coastal road. Ari Burnu Cemetery lies between the beach and the cliff under Plugge's Plateau, about 1000 metres north-north-west of Lone Pine.

Visiting Information

The Cemetery is permanently open and may be visited at any time. Wheelchair access to this cemetery is possible via the main entrance.

Historical Information

The eight month campaign in Gallipoli was fought by Commonwealth and French forces in an attempt to force Turkey out of the war, to relieve the deadlock of the Western Front in France and Belgium, and to open a supply route to Russia through the Dardanelles and the Black Sea.

The Allies landed on the peninsula on 25-26 April 1915; the 29th Division at Cape Helles in the south and the Australian and New Zealand Corps north of Gaba Tepe on the west coast, an area soon known as Anzac.

Ari Burnu Cemetery, named from the Cape at the North end of Anzac Cove, was made in 1915. In 1926 and 1927, graves were brought into it from the following two cemeteries:-

KILID BAHR ANGLO-FRENCH CEMETERY, which was on the Eastern side of the Peninsula. It contained the graves of five soldiers and one sailor from the United Kingdom, four soldiers from Australia, and four (including one unidentified) from India. Six of these men died in 1915 and were buried originally in the Greek cemeteries at Bigha and Maidos or on the field; the others died in November 1918.

GALLIPOLI CONSULAR CEMETERY, which is near the North end of the Peninsula. This contained (among Crimean and other British graves) three soldiers from the United Kingdom who died in 1919.

There are now 252 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 42 of the burials are unidentified but special memorials commemorate five casualties believed to be buried among them. Other memorials record the names of three Indian soldiers who were buried at Kilid Bahr.

7th Field Ambulance Cemetery

7th Field Ambulance Cemetery; This cemetery lies to the right off the road leading northwards from the Anzac Commemorative Site about 190 metres in from the road. It was named for the 7th Australian Field Ambulance, which landed on Gallipoli in September 1915. Despite its name, among this cemetery’s 640 burials and commemorations there are only sixty-eight Australians of whom forty-seven are ‘believed to be buried’ here and are commemorated with Special Memorials. Most of the Australian burials occurred during the ‘August offensive’ of 6-10 August 1915, the last major attempt to break out of the initial Anzac position. After the war, over 300 bodies were brought in from fifteen smaller burial grounds in the vicinity.

Padre Frederick Wray, from Rushworth, Victoria, was chaplain to the 4th Australian Brigade at Gallipoli and was with the brigade near Chunuk Bair during the ‘August offensive’. He recorded details of the action on 9 August:

Our forces and Ghurkas and others had gained a small footing on top of Chunuk Bair yesterday morning and had strong supports well up the sides … Our troops advanced up the hill, but not in regular line – a kind of go as you please charge. A few got up to the Turkish trenches, but the supporting ranks were behind, the first ones wilted away. This was in front of the position held by our men, the attack was repulsed.

As the fighting escalated, Chaplain Wray attended to the burial of the increasing number of dead:

Three burials in early morning, three in afternoon in saps [small trenches], six at night … Three men had been buried there and I said a service for these and several other bodies lying about behind the trenches which could not be recovered… burial early, 5 [of the] 13th [Battalion AIF] down on flat behind HQtrs….. Three more burials in afternoon at same place, including Lt McLeod* who died last night at 4th FA [Field Ambulance], shot in stomach.

Like many men on Gallipoli, Chaplain Wray fell ill and was evacuated to Imbros two days after the August offensive.

Second Lieutenant James McLeod, 13th Battalion AIF, died of wounds, 10 August 1915, Special Memorial A42, 7th Field Ambulance Cemetery.

Location Information

The Anzac and Suvla cemeteries are first signposted from the left hand junction of the Eceabat - Bigali Road. From this junction you travel into the main Anzac area. On leaving the Anzac area and heading towards Suvla, after 13.6 km's you will encounter a track on the right which leads to the 7th Field Ambulance Cemetery. The cemetery is on low ground, close under the shelter of a hill between Chailak Dere and Aghyl Dere. It is about 190 metres east of the Anzac-Suvla road.

 Visiting Information

The Cemetery is permanently open and may be visited at any time.

Please note that in the absence of a cemetery register, visitors are advised to locate the Grave/Memorial reference before visiting. This information can be found in the CASUALTY RECORDS within this page.

Historical Information

The eight month campaign in Gallipoli was fought by Commonwealth and French forces in an attempt to force Turkey out of the war, to relieve the deadlock of the Western Front in France and Belgium, and to open a supply route to Russia through the Dardanelles and the Black Sea.

The Allies landed on the peninsula on 25-26 April 1915; the 29th Division at Cape Helles in the south and the Australian and New Zealand Corps north of Gaba Tepe on the west coast, an area soon known as Anzac. On 6 August, further landings were made at Suvla, just north of Anzac, and the climax of the campaign came in early August when simultaneous assaults were launched on all three fronts.

The cemetery was named from the 7th Australian Field Ambulance, which landed on Gallipoli in September 1915, but over 350 of the graves were brought in from earlier cemeteries after the Armistice (the majority of the casualties are therefore not Australian, but mainly 54th (East Anglian) Division). These smaller burial grounds were known as Bedford Ridge, West Ham Gully, Waldron's Point, Essex, Aghyl Dere, Eastern Mounted Brigade, Suffolk, Hampshire Lane Nos. 1 and 2, Australia Valley, 116th Essex, 1/8th Hants, Norfolk, Junction, and 1/4th Northants.

There are now 640 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 276 of the burials are unidentified but special memorials commemorate 207 casualties known or believed to be buried among them.

4TH BATTALION PARADE GROUND CEMETERY

4th Battalion Parade Ground; This cemetery is accessible only on foot and lies some 300 metres left from the road along the ridge between Lone Pine Cemetery and Courtney’s Post. It was used by the 4th Battalion AIF from the end of April to the beginning of June 1915 and is the final resting place of thirty-four members of that unit. After the war, the remains of forty-four men of the 3rd Battalion, most of whom died between 19 and 23 May, were brought in from the 3rd Battalion Parade Ground and the 22nd Battalion Parade Ground cemeteries. There are now 116 burials in the cemetery, of which all but nine are Australian. Seven of the graves are unidentified.

Location Information

The Anzac and Suvla cemeteries are first signposted from the left hand junction of the Eceabat- Bigali Road. From this junction the cemetery will be found at 10.9kms. up a steep 200m path on the left of the road. This cemetery is on the track from the Wire Gully sector of the front line back to Anzac Cove and is not accessible by car.

Visiting Information

The Cemetery is permanently open and may be visited at any time.

Please note that in the absence of a cemetery register, visitors are advised to locate the Grave/Memorial reference before visiting. This information can be found in the CASUALTY RECORDS within this page.

Historical Information

The eight month campaign in Gallipoli was fought by Commonwealth and French forces in an attempt to force Turkey out of the war, to relieve the deadlock of the Western Front in France and Belgium, and to open a supply route to Russia through the Dardanelles and the Black Sea.

The Allies landed on the peninsula on 25-26 April 1915; the 29th Division at Cape Helles in the south and the Australian and New Zealand Corps north of Gaba Tepe on the west coast, an area soon known as Anzac.

The 4th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force, was drawn from New South Wales. From the end of April to the beginning of June, 1915, it buried 34 of its dead, and six from other units, in a cemetery on the road from Wire Gully to Anzac Cove (Bridges Road). This burial ground became known as the 4th Battalion Parade Ground Cemetery. It was enlarged after the Armistice by the concentration of 76 graves from the surrounding battlefields and from the following smaller cemeteries:-

The 3RD BATTALION PARADE GROUND CEMETERY, a little way to the South on the opposite side of the valley, which contained the graves of 31 soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, two of whom fell on the 25th of April and the remainder on the 19th-23rd May (in the Defence of Anzac).

The 22ND BATTALION PARADE GROUND CEMETERY, a little way South-East and behind Johnston's Jolly, which contained the graves of 13 soldiers of the 3rd Battalion and three others, who fell on the 16th-20th May.

The cemetery contains 116 First World War burials, 7 of them unidentified.

The Lancashire Landing Cemetery

Helles - The Lancashire Landing cemetery

The strength of the battalion at the landing was 25 officers and 918 men.  On 26th April their battalion strength was 15 officers and 411 other ranks.  The remainder was either killed, wounded or missing, a total of 517 casualties or 55%.  However, their actions were to become legend.  W beach became known as Lancashire landing out of the profound respect for what those men had achieved that day.  The Lancashire Fusiliers, at the end of the campaign, left behind 1.816 men on the Gallipoli Peninsula and have the most names at the Helles memorial to the Missing, a total of 1,329.

"Helles Landing", (Barnsley 2003), Huw & Jill Rodge, p. 100

On 6th April, Ian Hamilton inspected the 86th & 87th Brigades of the 29th Division in Alexandria which led to an euphoric diary entry shortly afterwards : There was a strong wind blowing which tried to spoil the show, but could not – that infantry was too superb!  Alexander, Hannibal Caesar, Napoleon – not one of we don’t win, I won’t be able to put it on the men.

His entry in May, shortly after the second battle of Krithia, given a totally different picture : We are now on our last legs.  The beautiful battalions on the 25th April are wasted skeletons now; shadows of what they had been.

"Gallipoli Diary" - Volume I, (London 1920), Ian Hamilton, p. 83 & 207

Over sixty men of the Zion Mule Corps had been wounded and fourteen killed, Private Y. Rotman and Private Bergman being buried at Lancashire Landing Cemetery, Gallipoli, and privates Bardin, Halimi, Kirshner, Wertheimer and Zaoui - all of whom died of wounds -  in Chatby Jewish Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery, Alexandria. The remaining seven have no known graves and although their names so far appear on no memorial, they will be included on the Helles memorial in due course.

The night of the 4th/5th June was spent by the VIII Corps in clearing the battlefield and placing the new line in a state of defence.  The task of getting the large number of wounded down to the beach was particularly arduous and high praise is due to the stretcher-bearers and regimental doctors, who were working all through the afternoon and the following night and day.  Special recognition is also due to the infantry transport personnel, the Indian mule cart drivers, and the Zion Mule corps for their untiring energy in this action-bringing up ammunition close to the forward positions and carrying back the wounded under heavy fire.

"Military Operations: Gallipoli", Volume II, (London 1929), Brigadier-General Cecil F. Aspinall-Oglander, p. 53-54.

Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett was on board the Majestic when it sank on 27th May May 1915; so was William Henry Body: Ashmead survived, Body didn't :

It was 6.40 when I was aroused by men rushing by me, and someone trod on, or stumbled against, my chest.  This awoke me, and I called out, “What’s the matter?” A voice replied from somewhere, “There’s a torpedo coming.” I just had time to scramble to my feet when there came a dull heavy explosion about fifteen feet forward of the shelter deck on the port side.  The hit must have been very low down, as there was no shock from it felt on deck.  The old Majestic  immediately gave a jerk towards port, and remained with a  heavy list; then there came a sound as if the contents of every pantry in the world had fallen at the same moment, a clattering such as I had never heard, as everything loose in her tumbled about.  I could tell at once that she had been mortally wounded somewhere in her about.  I could tell at once that she had been mortally wounded somewhere in her vitals, and felt instinctively she would not long stay afloat.  …  The Sea was crowded with men swimming about and calling for assistance.  I think that many of these old reservists, who formed the majority of the crew, had forgotten how to swim, or else had lost faith in their own powers.

"The uncensored Dardanelles", (London 1928), Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett, p. 113-114

Flight Commander Charles Herbert Collet –R. N. A. S.- 3rd Wing was victim of an unfortunate accident as we can read in a report by Geoffrey Bromet :

He left the aerodrome to take spare engine parts to the commander (*), who had landed in Suvla, & when at 185 feet his engine failed.  The wind was strong and the gusts very bad over the Kephalo cliffs &, when making a turn to land again, he lost control of the machine & came to earth with a fearful crash, as the result of a nose dive & side slip.

The machine caught fire before the Pilot could be rescued he had been burnt beyond recognition Death resulted half an hour afterwards.  His passenger, an E.R.A., broke his thigh & suffered severe burns (this : trying to rescue his officer)

 transcribed from "Gallipoli, 1915-Pens, Pencils and cameras at war", (London 1985), Peter H. Liddle, p. 100

News was received on Wednesday by Mr and Mrs Arnold Ogden, of 84, Hill Street, Ashton, that their son Private Sidney Ogden, of the 1/9th Manchester Regiment, Territorials, had died of wounds received on June 20th.

The sadness of the news was heightened by the fact that Mr and Mrs Ogden had only just recovered from the shock, which they experienced on receiving the official intimation that their son, Private Harry Ogden, in the same battalion, had died from wounds sustained on June 6th.(death date was 19th June). Both youths, for Sidney was only 17 years of age, and Harry, a year or two older, worked as piecers at the Guide Bridge Spinning Co. Another brother, Private William Ogden, is serving in the 2/9th battalion at Hayward’s Heath.

The article published in "The Ashton Reporter" on 10th July 1915 - transcribed by Linda Corbet.

We wandered round the beach a bit to see various people, and I packed up my things to go out and spend a night or wo with them in reserve. While doing this I got a note from the L.F.’s, with the sad news that poor Major Adams had just been shot as they were getting ready to come out of the trenches.  It was a great blow.  He seemed to have made up his mind that he was going to be killed, but had been so much more cheerful when I had seen him the week before, after having come safely through the first bad week.  However, the last words he said to me, as the regiment returned to the firing line, were, “You will write to my wife if

I get pipped ?” He gave me her address.  I am glad it was an instantaneous death. Well, the C.O. asked me to bury him, so I rode back …

… When we got to the cemetery at six, it was to find that he had been buried some hours before by H. , so I just said a few prayers over the grave, and went with the two majors to see about a piece of ground being railed off to serve as a L.F. burying place, where some day a memorial might be erected above the beach where they made their famous landing.

"With the Twenty-ninth Division in Gallipoli", (London 1916), Reverend O. Creighton, p. 88-89

On 25th April, 1915, three companies, and the Headquarters of the 1st Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers, in effecting a landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula to the West of Cape Helles, were met by a very deadly fire from hidden machine guns which caused a great number of casualties. The survivors, however, rushed up to and cut the wire entanglements, notwithstanding the terrific fire from the enemy, and after overcoming supreme difficulties, the cliffs were gained and the position maintained. Amongst the many very gallant officers and men engaged in this most hazardous undertaking, Capt. Willis, Serjt. Richards, and Private Kenealy (*) have been selected by their comrades as having performed the most signal acts of bravery and devotion to duty.

"The London Gazette“, No. 29273, 24th August 1915.

The Helles Memorial

The Helles memorial is both the Memorial to the Gallipoli Campaign and to 20,763 men who fell in that campaign and whose graves are unknown or who were lost or buried at sea in Gallipoli waters.  Inscribed on it are the names of all ships that took part in the campaign and the titles of the army formations and units which served on the Peninsula together with the names of 18,985 sailors, soldiers and marines from the United Kingdom, 248 soldiers from Australia and 1,530 soldiers of the Indian Army.

Transcribed from the plaque near the entrance of the Helles Memorial

Leading the second wave of this day was Lt.-Col. J.C. M’Neile with is adjudant, Captain J.C. Lang, both of them cool, intrepid men.  “Thr survivors of the charge, never tired of telling what a magnificent example the Colonel, who had endeared himself to all ranks, was to his comrades that day”  (Lt. Sorley Brown)  "Come away, Borderers! Don't be beaten!" was the stirring cry of Captain A. Wallace as he continued to advance, although badly wounded and with blood streaming down his face, until he was hit again, this time to fall a dying man. Lieut. J.B. Innes had one of his arms shattered by a bursting shell. He got his cousin, Lieut. W.K. Innes, to cut it off, asked for a cigarette,  and continued to cheer the Borderers on until he died from loss of blood.

"History of the 52nd Lowland Division", (Glasgow 1913), Lt.-Col. R.R. Thompson, p. 92

At a quarter-t-twelve we were ordered to show our bayonets above the parapet and to cheer loudly.  A great and glorious cheer rang along the whole line as if to say :”Look out, Johnnie.  We are coming after you if there are any of you left.”  Or was it to tell them to hurry up and get those machine-guns in position? “We will make an excellent target for you, and to make certain that you get the reception ready, we will not come for another fifteen minutes.”

We got the answer at once.  The whole enemy line burst into rapid fire – machine-guns swept our parapet and their artillery blanketed our support trenches.  They had not been destroyed, but where still there and ready for us.

The next fifteen minutes seemed like fifteen years. Our trench was about five feet deep.  Commander Parsons was standing on one of the short ladders that were provided to unable us to get over the parapet, looking at his watch and glancing at us beside him, with a comforting smile on his face.  “Five minutes to go men.” Then another glance at us-“Four minutes …three minutes …two minutes… one minute, men. Are you all ready ? Come on then, men, follow me.” Over we went into the withering machine-gun fire.  Poor old Lieutenant-Commander Parsons was killed in the first seconds and many fell back into the trench.

"Gallipoli 1915", (London 1977), Joe Murray, p. 94-95

One of the battalions in the 163rd Brigade was the 8th Hampshires, still known by its old volunteer name, The Isle of Wight Riffles.  They had come ashore at Suvla on 10 August and spent two days in reserve.  There was little to encourage them as they prepared for action; 2000 wounded were lying out on the open beach awaiting evacuation and there was little to be done for them; many died there.  On the afternoon of the 12th they were summoned to attack the Turks.  Bugle-Major Peachey raised a silver bugle to his lips and sounded the “advance”; the sun, flashing on his instrument, betrayed him to the enemy and he was the first to fall.

"Gallipoli", (London 2000), Michael Hickey, p. 300

Most distressingly of all, many men in D Company saw their popular commander Poole Hickman killed at midday, after which Major Harrison from A Company stepped into the breach  Leaping forward to take charge and striding bravely ahead while waving his cane, he shouted : "I will lead you, men." A few seconds later, he too was caught in the blast of an explosion from a grenade on the edge of an enemy trench.  Captain Tobin, who was next to take charge of the company, was shot through the head a couple of minutes later.  Thus the command structure of the Dublin Pals disappeared in a few minutes of savage fighting.

"Field of Bones", (Dublin 2006), Philip Orr, p. 122-123.

Mustafa Kemal’s right wing, descended like an avalanche over the flank of Chunuk Bair and on to the Farm.  There were so few survivors here that no clear account can ever be given of what happened.  Baldwin fell in close combat alongside his brigade major.

"Gallipoli", (London 2000), Michael Hickey, p. 286

Captain Jenkinson’s death was, I believe, described later in the Times as one of the greatest losses to science since the war began.  He stood quite alone in England, if not in the world, in his own subject, embryology, and had recently embarked on a course of highly specialized investigation in that subject, in which he was a pioneer.  I later met some officers who told me that their hope, when at Oxford, had been that when they had taken their degrees in science, they might be able to attend his lectures.  He had such a quiet, modest nature that I fear none of us at the time realized his reputation. He had recently been gazetted captain, but said nothing about it, preferring to act as a lieutenant.

"With the Twenty-ninth Division in Gallipoli", (London 1916), Reverend O. Creighton, p. 125

On Thursday , after lunching with the R.F.’s, I went up to J 12 to try and see if I could discover the bodies of any of the missing officers.  I took a guide with me, who said he knew where they had fallen.  I went up by Gurkha Bluff and through J 11A –a long communication trench running along the top of the cliff, parallel with the sea for quite 1000 yards, to J 13 and beyond, which was our main gain.  The Turks had retaken J 13 and part of J 12, which were difficult for us to hold, but we have held J 11 A and dug a diagonal trench from the junction of J 11 A and J 13 back to J 11, which is now the firing line. Between J 11 and J 12 the ground was littered with dead.  A number of Turks had got cut off and were lying mixed up with our own dead.  I went down J 12 and looked through a periscope.  A lot of firing was going on and bomb throwing, so it was impossible to do much, but I was shown where Eustace and Ayrton probably were.

"With the Twenty-ninth Division in Gallipoli", (London 1916), Reverend O. Creighton, p. 150

Major Bromley had come out as adjutant to the 2nd Lancashire Fusiliers.  He had been ship’s adjutant on the A on our way out and managed everything exceedingly well, showing every one unfailing courtesy.  This was the second time he had been wounded.  He had been C:O: as well as

Another of Unwin’s party was Sub-Lieutenant Arthur Tisdall of the Anson battalion, Royal Naval Division.  Seeing the distress of the soldiers caught on the boats down below he joined Unwin in the water. Tisdall, a parson’s son, had a brilliant academic and sporting career behind him at Cambridge and everything to live for. He now made repeated attempts to resue men off the beach, where they were crying out for help, and pushed them to safety in cutters, helped by volunteers from the River Clyde’s crew.  He survived adjutant for some two or three weeks previous to the 28th.  He had an absolutely cool head and never seemed in the least perturbed or worried, and saw to everything himself.  He was very powerfully built, a splendid gymnast and swimmer.  His wound was not serious, and he recovered from it in Egypt and set sail on the Royal Edward, where he was put in command of all troops on board some time in August.  The Royal Edward was torpedoed on its way to Mudros and sank.  Bromley, so I have since been told, started to swim, but a boat collided with him and stunned him, and he was drowned.  In my opinion he was one of the finest soldiers in the Division.

"With the Twenty-ninth Division in Gallipoli", (London 1916), Reverend O. Creighton, p. 149-150

Another of Unwin’s party was Sub-Lieutenant Arthur Tisdall of the Anson battalion, Royal Naval Division.  Seeing the distress of the soldiers caught on the boats down below he joined Unwin in the water. Tisdall, a parson’s son, had a brilliant academic and sporting career behind him at Cambridge and everything to live for. He now made repeated attempts to resue men off the beach, where they were crying out for help, and pushed them to safety in cutters, helped by volunteers from the River Clyde’s crew.  He survived unscathed, but was doomed to die only weeks later on the peninsula.  His posthumous Victoria Cross would not be gazetted for almost another year. The citations which gained Unwin and Tisdall their VC’s were unique, for many of the testimonials supporting them were found on bloodstained scraps of paper found later in the boats amongst the dead, having been written on the spot by the dying men they were trying to save.

"Gallipoli", (London 2000), Michael Hickey, p. 300

A few minutes later some of the pals saw another young colleague being hit by enemy fire.  One witness only knew this particular soldier as 'a young chap called Elliott who played footer'.  The man in question was in fact T.C.M. Elliott from Strabane in County Tyrone.  He had been a medical student at Trinity College and not only a talented sportsman but an excellent marksman in the university gun club.  He jumped three feet into the air when hit, crumpled to the ground and then started crawling back to the Irish lines, when he was hit again.  He died quickly, in full view of his colleagues who were unable to rescue him because of exceptionally heavy gunfire.

"Field of Bones", (Dublin 2006), Philip Orr, p. 122-123.

… a fleet sweeper carrying part of the main force namely Brigadier General Napier and 88 Brigade staff, two platoons 4/Worcesters and two companies Hampshires, not realising the true position at V, crept in and waited offshore for some small boats to take them to the beach. Because so many of these boats had been badly damaged, they had to wait for some time.

The Little boats, thses unsung heroes, ran the gauntlet of devastating fire time and time again in an effort to assist the wounded and dying soldiers on the beach.  The crews, despite facing instant death, staunchly continued this work without respite. Eventually one came along with only space for General Napier, the commander of the main force, his staff and a few soldiers.  As they approached the shore an officer on the SS River Clyde shouted frantically that it was impossible to land.  General Napier yelled back: "I'll have a damned good try".  Undeterred Brigadier General Napier jumped into a lighter, a larger boat filled with men that was closest to him, and shooted at them to pull hard for shore.  No effort was made to carry out his command, and it was then that he realised with a sickening heart that all the men were dead.

The General and his staff managed to reach the steam hopper close to the beach, but after fifteen minutes, under terrible fire, buth Brigadier General Napier and his Brigade Major Captain Costeker, were killed.  It was a waste of two of the most valuable and experienced men present that day.

"Helles Landing-Gallipoli", (Barnsley-2003), Huw & Jill Rodge, p.142.

Anzac Day Revival

Anzac Day Revival; Following Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War, interest in Anzac Day reached its lowest point. On 26 April 1975, The Australian newspaper covered the passing of Anzac Day in a single story. Anzac Day now draws record crowds, with an increasing number of those attending being young Australians, many of whom attend ceremonies swathed in Australian flags, wearing green and gold T-shirts and beanies and with Australian flag tattoos imprinted on their skin. This phenomenon has been perceived by some as a reflection of younger generations of Australians wanting to honour the sacrifices made by the previous generations. Critics, however, see the revival as part of a rise of unreflective nationalism in Australia which was particularly fostered by the then Australian Prime Minister John Howard.

Some critics have suggested that the revival in public interest in Anzac Day amongst the young results from the fact that younger Australians have not themselves experienced war. For decades, there have been concerns that the participation of young people in Anzac Day events has injected a carnival element into what is traditionally a solemn occasion. The change was highlighted by a rock concert-style performance at the 2005 Anzac Cove commemoration during which attendees drank and slept between headstones. After the event the site was left strewn with rubbish. In 2013, historian Jonathan King expressed concern about the rising popularity of Anzac Day, arguing that "escalating commercial pressures threaten to turn the centenary [of the landing at Gallipoli into a Big Day Out."

Anzac Day Criticism and Protests

Criticism and protests; Anzac Day has been criticised by a number of Australians and New Zealanders. Radical socialists and pacifists have condemned Anzac Day since its inception. One early controversy occurred in 1960 with the publication of Alan Seymour's classic play, The One Day of the Year, which dramatised the growing social divide in Australia and the questioning of old values. In the play, Anzac Day is critiqued by the central character, Hughie, as a day of drunken debauchery by returned soldiers and as a day when questions of what it means to be loyal to a nation or Empire must be raised. The play was scheduled to be performed at the inaugural Adelaide Festival of Arts, but after complaints from the Returned Services League, the governors of the Festival refused permission for this to occur.

Anzac Day has also been marked by protests against contemporary wars; for instance, protests against the Vietnam War were common Anzac Day occurrences during the 1960s and 1970s. In the 1980s, Australian feminists used the annual Anzac Day march to protest against rape and violence in war and were banned from marching. There were also Anzac Day protests in New Zealand, mostly in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1967, two members of the left-wing Progressive Youth Movement in Christchurch staged a minor protest at the Anzac Day ceremony, laying a wreath protesting against the Vietnam War. They were subsequently convicted of disorderly conduct, but that was not the last time that the March was used as a vehicle for protest. In 1978, a women's group laid a wreath dedicated to all the women raped and killed during war, and movements for feminism, gay rights, and peace used the occasion to draw attention to their respective causes at various times during the 1980s. More recently, protest groups have expressed concern about New Zealand's involvement in 18 United Nations missions including Afghanistan, Solomon Islands and East Timor.

In 2005, criticism surrounded the daybreak service at Anzac Cove after the screening of a rock concert-style commemoration of popular musical artists, with the site being left strewn with rubbish.

In October 2008, former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating stated that he believes it is misguided for people to gather each year at Anzac Cove to commemorate the landing at Gallipoli, because it is "utter and complete nonsense" to suggest that the nation was "born again or even, redeemed there." The then Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd rejected Keating's views, saying the Gallipoli campaign is "part of our national consciousness, it's part of our national psyche, it's part of our national identity, and I, for one, as Prime Minister of the country, am absolutely proud of it."

Other criticisms have revolved around a perceived overzealousness in Australian attachment to the event, either from participants unaware of the loss or when the focus is at the expense of remembrance of the contribution of New Zealand. In 2005, then Prime Minister, John Howard was criticised for shunning the New Zealand Anzac ceremony at Gallipoli, preferring instead to spend his morning at a barbecue on the beach with Australian soldiers. In 2009, New Zealand historians noted that some Australian children were unaware that New Zealand was a part of ANZAC.

Other Overseas Anzac Day Ceremonies

Other overseas ceremonies; The High Commissioners of Australia and New Zealand lay wreaths at an Anzac Day ceremony at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

In Kanchanaburi, Thailand, a dawn service is held at Hellfire Pass, a rock cutting dug by allied Prisoners of War and Asian labourers for the Thai-Burma Railway. This cutting is where the greatest number of lives were lost during railway construction. The dawn service is followed by a "gunfire breakfast" (coffee with a shot (or two) of rum) recalling the 'breakfast' taken by many soldiers before facing battle. At 11 am a second ceremony is held at the main POW cemetery in the city of Kanchanaburi, where 6,982 POWs are buried, mostly British, Australian, Dutch and Canadians. Over the years, both services have been attended by some Anzac ex-POWs and their families travelling from Australia, as well as ambassadors from the Australian and New Zealand consulates, the Kanchanaburi Provincial Governor, and others. The closest Saturday to Anzac Day also sees the ex-POWs attend an Australian Rules football match between the Thailand Tigers AFL club and a team invited from neighbouring Asian countries.

In Newfoundland, Canada, the Gallipoli offensive is commemorated each year on 25 April by the Royal Newfoundland Regiment who hold a march from Government House through the streets of St. John's ending at the National War Memorial. Members of both the Australian and New Zealand armed forces are invited each year to participate in the march and wreath laying ceremonies. Other Canadian communities also mark Anzac Day; Calgary has had a Cenotaph Service annually at Central Park with participation from the local military.

In London, England, a 5 am Dawn Service is held, alternating between the Australian War Memorial, and the more recently constructed New Zealand War Memorial, both of which are at Hyde Park Corner. The day is also marked by an 11 am Wreath Laying Ceremony and Parade at The Cenotaph, Whitehall, which is attended by official representatives and veterans associations of Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and other countries. This is directly followed by a Service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey. All three events are usually attended by a member of the Royal Family representing the Queen, and by the High Commissioners of Australia and New Zealand. Anzac Day has been officially observed in London since 1916, when King George V and Queen Mary attended the first commemorative service at the Abbey.

In France in the towns of Le Quesnoy and Longueval and in the town of Villers-Bretonneux (on the next closest weekend) because on 25 April 1918, the village of Villers-Bretonneux was liberated by the Anzacs. The Australian Government holds an annual dawn service at the Australian National Memorial just outside the small town of Villers-Bretonneux.

In French Polynesia, Anzac Day has been commemorated with an official ceremony held in Papeete since 2006. The 2009 ceremony was attended by French Polynesia President Oscar Temaru, who praised the "courage and liberty" of Australian and New Zealand soldiers in a statement.

In Germany, Anzac Day is commemorated in Berlin, at the Commonwealth Kriegsgräber, Charlottenburg.

In Hong Kong, a simple dawn commemorative service is held at The Cenotaph (Hong Kong) in Central, with a member of the Hong Kong Police Band playing the Last Post and Reveille from the balcony of the nearby Hong Kong Club.

In Kiribati, Anzac Day is commemorated at the Coast Watchers Memorial on the islet of Betio, Tarawa, hosted by the New Zealand and Australian High Commissions.

In Cairo, Egypt, Anzac Day is remembered by the expatriate New Zealand and Australian communities with a dawn ceremony held at the Old Cairo War Graves Cemetery, Abu Seifen Street, Old Cairo. New Zealand and Australian Embassies rotate hosting the service.

In the United States, Anzac Day is commemorated at the Los Angeles National Cemetery in Westwood, California. The New Zealand and Australian Consulates-General rotate hosting the service. The largest expatriate community of New Zealanders and Australians are in Southern California, hence this location. In New York a small mid-morning tribute to Anzac Day is held in the roof garden in the British Empire Building in Rockefeller Plaza, 620 5th Avenue, overlooking St. Patrick's Cathedral, on the Sunday nearest 25 April; it is an annual tradition that has been held at this locale since 1950. In Washington DC, Australian and New Zealand servicemen and women observe Anzac Day at a dawn service at the Korean War Veterans Memorial on 25 April each year. In Hawaii the Marine Corps hosts an Anzac Day ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as "The Punchbowl", where several dignitaries from many countries including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the U.S. attend to commemorate the memory of all who have fallen for their country. In Santa Barbara, California, Anzac Day is remembered by the expatriate Australian and New Zealand communities. In the absence of an official World War I remembrance, several dignitaries from many countries including Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. attend an 11.11 am morning service held at the Elings Park Veteran's Memorial Walk on 25 April of each year.

In Ireland, Anzac Day is remembered by the expatriate New Zealand and Australian communities. In the absence of an official World War I remembrance, and in honour of Irish soldiers who fought and perished in the Dardanelles and elsewhere, Anzac Day commemorations are also attended by members of veterans groups and historical societies, including the Royal Dublin Fusiliers, O.N.E.T., the Royal British Legion, UN Veterans, and more. Since the mid-1980s, an evening service has been organised by the New Zealand-Ireland Association, which currently takes place in St Ann's Church, Dawson St, Dublin 2. For the 90th anniversary in 2005, a daylight service was held for the first time in the re-furbished Grangegorman Military Cemetery, Dublin 7. A Turkish Hazel tree, planted by the Ambassadors of Australia, New Zealand and Turkey, commemorates this occasion. It can be found to the south of the limestone Memorial Wall. Since this date, a dawn service has been held at this location. At the Ballance House in County Antrim, the official New Zealand centre in Northern Ireland, a midday Anzac reception and act of remembrance takes place.

In Tetbury, Gloucestershire, England, a March is held on the nearest Sunday to Anzac Day. The service is held in a graveyard with several war graves of service men from Australia and New Zealand. Veterans and cadets from the local ATC squadron attend.

In Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, an Anzac Day service is organised by the Oxford University Australia New Zealand Society, and held at one of the college chapels. Australians, Kiwis, and Turkish students are all usually involved.

A service of remembrance to commemorate Anzac Day and Gallipoli is held at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, England, UK. This commences with a service in the chapel followed by wreath laying at the Gallipoli memorial.

Anzac Day Turkey

Anzac Day Turkey; In Turkey the name "ANZAC Cove" was officially recognised by the Turkish government on Anzac Day in 1985. In 1934, Kemal Atatürk delivered the following words to the first Australians, New Zealanders and British to visit the Gallipoli battlefields. This was later inscribed on a monolith at Ari Burnu Cemetery (ANZAC Beach) which was unveiled in 1985. The words also appear on the Kemal Atatürk Memorial, Canberra, and the Atatürk Memorial in Wellington:

"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."

In 1990, to mark the 75th anniversary of the Gallipoli landing, Government officials from Australia and New Zealand (including Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke and New Zealand Governor-General Paul Reeves) as well as most of the last surviving Gallipoli veterans, and many Australian and New Zealand tourists travelled to Turkey for a special Dawn Service at Gallipoli. The Gallipoli Dawn Service was held at the Ari Burnu War Cemetery at Anzac Cove, but the growing numbers of people attending resulted in the construction of a more spacious site on North Beach, known as the "Anzac Commemorative Site" in time for the year 2000 service.

A ballot will be held to allocate passes for Australians and New Zealanders wishing to attend Anzac Day commemorations at Gallipoli in 2015. Of the 10,500 people that can be safely, securely and comfortably accommodated at the Anzac Commemorative Site, in 2015 this will comprise places for: 8000 Australians, 2000 New Zealanders and 500 official representatives of all nations involved in the Gallipoli campaign. The ballot is open from 1 November 2013 - 31 January 2014. Australians can apply at www.gallipoli2015.dva.gov.au New Zealanders can apply at www.gallipoli2015.govt.nz Eligibility requirements apply for all places.

Anzac Day New Zealand

Anzac Day New Zealand; New Zealand's Commemoration of Anzac Day is similar. The number of New Zealanders attending Anzac Day events in New Zealand, and at Gallipoli, is increasing. For some, the day adds weight to the idea that war is futile.

Dawn Marches and other memorials nationwide are typically attended by the New Zealand Defence Force, the New Zealand Cadet Forces, members of the New Zealand Police, New Zealand Fire Service, Order of St John Ambulance Service (Youth and Adult Volunteers) as well as Scouting New Zealand, GirlGuiding New Zealand and other uniformed community service groups including in most places the local Pipe Band to lead or accompany the March, and sometimes a Brass Band to accompany the hymns.

Anzac Day now promotes a sense of unity, perhaps more effectively than any other day on the national calendar. People whose politics, beliefs and aspirations are widely different can nevertheless share a genuine sorrow at the loss of so many lives in war.

Paper poppies are widely distributed by the Returned Services Association and worn as symbols of remembrance. This tradition follows that of the wearing of poppies on Remembrance Sunday in other Commonwealth countries.

The day is a public holiday in New Zealand. Shops are prohibited from opening before 1 pm as per the Anzac Day Act 1966. A prior Act passed in 1949 prevented the holiday from being "Mondayised" (moved to the 26th or 27th should the 25th fall on a weekend), although this drew criticism from trade unionists and Labour Party politicians. In 2013 a bill was passed to Mondayise Anzac Day, the Labour Party getting enough votes from other parties, despite Government opposition. Waitangi Day was Mondayised in the same bill.

Australian Football for Anzac Day

Australian football for Anzac Day; In attendance at the 2008 Anzac Day National Service at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra are Angus Houston, Chief of the Defence Force (Australia) (left), Murray Gleeson then Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia, Jon Stanhope, Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory (centre), Peter Cosgrove, immediate past Chief of the Defence Force (Australia) (second from right), and Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister of Australia (right).

During many wars, Australian rules football matches have been played overseas in places like northern Africa, Vietnam, and Iraq as a celebration of Australian culture and as a bonding exercise between soldiers. In 1975, the VFL/AFL first commemorated Anzac Day and the Anzac spirit with a match of Australian rules football between Essendon and Carlton in a one-off match in front of a large crowd of 77,770 at VFL Park, Waverley, with Essendon coming out winners.

The modern-day tradition began in 1995 and is played every year between traditional AFL rivals Collingwood and Essendon at the MCG. This annual match is often considered the biggest of the AFL season outside of the finals, sometimes drawing bigger crowds than all but the Grand Final, and often selling out in advance. A record crowd of 94,825 people attended the inaugural match in 1995. The Anzac Medal is awarded to the player in the match who best exemplifies the Anzac spirit – skill, courage, self-sacrifice, teamwork and fair play.

In 2013, St Kilda and the Sydney Swans played an Anzac Day game in Wellington, New Zealand, the first AFL game played for premiership points outside of Australia.The winning team, Sydney, were presented with the inaugural Simpson-Henderson Trophy by the Prime Minister of New Zealand. The trophy was named after two notable Anzac soldiers: John Simpson Kirkpatrick and Richard Alexander Henderson.

Rugby League football

Beginning in 1997, the Anzac Test, a rugby league test match, has commemorated Anzac Day, though it is typically played a week prior to Anzac Day. The match is always played between the Australian and New Zealand national teams, and has drawn attendances of between 20,000 and 45,000 in the past.

Domestically, matches have been played on Anzac Day since 1927 (with occasional exceptions). Since 2002, the National Rugby League (NRL) has followed the lead of the Australian Football League, hosting a match between traditional rivals St George Illawarra Dragons and the Sydney Roosters each year to commemorate Anzac Day in the Club ANZAC Game, although these two sides had previously met on Anzac Day several times as early as the 1970s. Since 2009, an additional Anzac Day game has been played between the Melbourne Storm and New Zealand Warriors.

Australian Postage Stamps

Australian postage stamps; Australia Post has issued stamps over the years to commemorate Anzac Day, the first being in 1935 for the 20th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings.

The full list of issued stamps is as follows:

1935 – 20th Anniversary (2 values) 2d Red and 1/- Black featuring the London Cenotaph.

1965 – 50th Anniversary (3 values) 5d Khaki, 8d Blue and 2/3 Maroon featuring Simpson and his donkey.

1990 – 75th Anniversary (5 values) 41¢ x 2, 65¢, $1, and $1.10 all featuring various Anzac themes.

2000 – ANZAC legends (4 values) 45¢ x 4 featuring Walter Parker, Roy Longmore, Alec Campbell and the Anzac medal.

In 1955, the then current 3½d Purple Nursing commemorative stamp was privately overprinted with the words "ANZAC 1915–1955 40 YEARS LEST WE FORGET" and a value ranging from 1d to £1 was also added which was the fundraising amount in addition to the legal cost of stamp of which the denomination was 3½d. Eight values were issued and were intended to raise funds for the Anzac commemorations. It is believed these stamps were authorised by the secretary of a leading Melbourne RSL club.

Anzac Day Australia

Australia; Anzac Day is a national public holiday and is considered by many Australians to be one of the most solemn days of the year. Marches by veterans from all past wars, as well as current serving members of the Australian Defence Force and Reserves, with allied veterans as well as the Australian Defence Force Cadets and Australian Air League and supported by members of Scouts Australia, Guides Australia, and other uniformed service groups, are held in cities and towns nationwide. The Anzac Day March from each state capital is televised live with commentary. These events are generally followed by social gatherings of veterans, hosted either in a public house or in an RSL club, often including a traditional Australian gambling game called two-up, which was an extremely popular pastime with ANZAC soldiers. The importance of this tradition is demonstrated by the fact that though most Australian states have laws forbidding gambling outside of designated licensed venues, on Anzac Day it is legal to play "two-up".

Despite federation being proclaimed in Australia in 1901, it is argued that the "national identity" of Australia was largely forged during the violent conflict of World War I, and the most iconic event in the war for most Australians was the landing at Gallipoli. Dr. Paul Skrebels of the University of South Australia has noted that Anzac Day has continued to grow in popularity; even the threat of a terrorist attack at the Gallipoli site in 2004 did not deter some 15,000 Australians from making the pilgrimage to Turkey to commemorate the fallen ANZAC troops.

Although commemoration events are always held on 25 April, most states and territories currently observe a substitute public holiday on the following Monday when Anzac Day falls on a Sunday. When Anzac Day falls on Easter Monday, such as in 2011, the Easter Monday holiday is transferred to Tuesday. This followed a 2008 meeting of the Council for the Australian Federation in which the states and territories made an in principle agreement to work towards making this a universal practice. However in 2009, the Legislative Council of Tasmania rejected a bill amendment that would have enabled the substitute holiday in that state.

Anzac Day Commemoration

Anzac Day Commemoration; The Last Post is played at an Anzac Day ceremony in Port Melbourne, Victoria, 25 April 2005. Ceremonies like this are held in virtually every suburb and town in Australia and New Zealand on Anzac Day each year.

In Australia and New Zealand, Anzac Day commemoration features solemn "Dawn Services" or "Dawn Marches", a tradition started in Albany, Western Australia on 25 April 1923 and now held at war memorials around both countries, accompanied by thoughts of those lost at war to the ceremonial sounds of the Last Post on the bugle. The fourth stanza of Laurence Binyon's poem For the Fallen (known as the "Ode of Remembrance", or simply as "the Ode") is often recited.

Anzac Day Dawn Service

 

Anzac Day Dawn service; After the First World War, returned soldiers sought the comradeship they felt in those quiet, peaceful moments before dawn. With symbolic links to the dawn landing at Gallipoli, a dawn stand-to or dawn ceremony became a common form of Anzac Day remembrance during the 1920s.

The first official dawn service was held at the Sydney Cenotaph in 1927. Dawn services were originally very simple and followed the operational ritual; in many cases they were restricted to veterans only. The daytime ceremony was for families and other well-wishers and the dawn service was for returned soldiers to remember and reflect among the comrades with whom they shared a special bond.

The wreath laying at the 2008 dawn service at the Australian War Memorial at Hyde Park Corner, London.

Before dawn the gathered veterans would be ordered to "stand-to" and two minutes of silence would follow. At the start of this time a lone bugler would play the Last Post and then concluded the service with Reveille. In more recent times the families and young people have been encouraged to take part in dawn services, and services in Australian capital cities have seen some of the largest turnouts ever. Reflecting this change, the ceremonies have become more elaborate, incorporating hymns, readings, pipers and rifle volleys. Others, though, have retained the simple format of the dawn stand-to, familiar to so many soldiers.

Australian War Memorial Anzac Day dawn service, 25 April 2013. The crowd of around 35,000 people is addressed by Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith VC MG who is reading stories and anecdotes from Australian service men and women relating to the war in Afghanistan.

Typical modern dawn services follow a pattern that is now familiar to generations of Australians, containing the following features: introduction, hymn, prayer, an address, laying of wreaths, recitation, the playing of the Last Post, a minute of silence, Reveille, and the playing of both the New Zealand and Australian national anthems. At the Australian War Memorial, following events such as the Anzac Day and Remembrance Day services, families often place artificial red poppies beside the names of relatives on the Memorial's Roll of Honour. In Australia, sprigs of rosemary are often worn on lapels and in New Zealand poppies have taken on this role.

Anzac Day since World War II

Anzac Day since World War II; With the coming of the Second World War, Anzac Day became a day on which to commemorate the lives of Australians and New Zealanders lost in that war as well and in subsequent years. The meaning of the day has been further broadened to include those killed in all the military operations in which the countries have been involved.

Anzac Day was first commemorated at the Australian War Memorial in 1942, but, due to government orders preventing large public gatherings in case of Japanese air attack, it was a small affair and was neither a march nor a memorial service. Anzac Day has been annually commemorated at the Australian War Memorial ever since.

 

 

In New Zealand, Anzac Day saw a surge in popularity immediately after World War II. However this was short-lived, and by the 1950s many New Zealanders had become antagonistic or indifferent towards the day. Much of this was linked to the legal ban on commerce on Anzac Day, and the banning by many local authorities of sports events and other entertainment on the day. Annoyance was particularly pronounced in 1953 and 1959, when Anzac Day fell on a Saturday. There was widespread public debate on the issue, with some people calling for the public holiday to be moved to the nearest Sunday or abolished altogether. In 1966 a new Anzac Day Act was passed, allowing sport and entertainment in the afternoon.

From the 1960s, but especially in the 1970s and 1980s, Anzac Day became increasingly controversial in both Australia and New Zealand. The day was used by anti-Vietnam War protesters to agitate against that war and war in general, and ceremonies were later targeted by feminists, anti-nuclear campaigners, Maori activists and others. From about the late 1980s, however, there was an international resurgence of interest in World War I and its commemorations. Anzac Day attendances rose in Australia and New Zealand, with young people taking a particular interest. Protests and controversy became much rarer.

Australians and New Zealanders recognise 25 April as a ceremonial occasion to reflect on the cost of war and to remember those who fought and lost their lives for their country. Commemorative services and marches are held at dawn, the time of the original landing, mainly at war memorials in cities and towns across both nations and the sites of some of Australia and New Zealand's more-recognised battles and greatest losses, such as Villers-Bretonneux in France and Gallipoli in Turkey.

One of the traditions of Anzac Day is the 'gunfire breakfast' (coffee with rum added) which occurs shortly after many dawn ceremonies, and recalls the 'breakfast' taken by many soldiers before facing battle. Later in the day, ex-servicemen and ex-servicewomen meet and join in marches through the major cities and many smaller centres.

Foundations of Anzac Day

Foundations of Anzac Day; On 30 April 1915, when the first news of the landing reached New Zealand, a half-day holiday was declared and impromptu services were held.

In South Australia, Eight Hour Day, 13 October 1915 was renamed "Anzac Day" and a carnival was organised to raise money for the Wounded Soldiers Fund.

The date 25 April was officially named Anzac Day in 1916; in that year it was marked by a wide variety of ceremonies and services in Australia and New Zealand, including a commemorative march through London involving Australian and New Zealand troops. In New Zealand it was gazetted as a half-day holiday. Australian Great War battalion and brigade war diaries show that on this first anniversary, units including those on the front line, made efforts to solemnise the memory of those who were killed this day twelve months previously. A common format found in the war diaries by Australian and New Zealand soldiers for the day commenced with a dawn requiem mass, followed mid-morning with a commemorative service, and after lunch organised sports activities with the proceeds of any gambling going to Battalion funds. This occurred in Egypt as well.

In London, over 2,000 Australian and New Zealand troops marched through the streets of the city. A London newspaper headline dubbed them "The Knights of Gallipoli". Marches were held all over Australia in 1916; wounded soldiers from Gallipoli attended the Sydney march in convoys of cars, accompanied by nurses. Over 2,000 people attended the service in Rotorua. For the remaining years of the war, Anzac Day was used as an occasion for patriotic rallies and recruiting campaigns, and marches of serving members of the AIF were held in most cities. From 1916 onwards, in both Australia and New Zealand, Anzac memorials were held on or about 25 April, mainly organised by returned servicemen and school children in cooperation with local authorities.

Anzac Day was gazetted as a public holiday in New Zealand in 1920, through the Anzac Day Act, after lobbying by the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association, the RSA. In Australia at the 1921 State Premiers' Conference, it was decided that Anzac Day would be observed on 25 April each year. However, it was not observed uniformly in all the states.

During the 1920s, Anzac Day became established as a National Day of Commemoration for the 60,000 Australians and 18,000 New Zealanders who died during the war. The first year in which all the Australian states observed some form of public holiday together on Anzac Day was 1927. By the mid-1930s, all the rituals now associated with the day—dawn vigils, marches, memorial services, reunions, sly two-up games—became part of Australian Anzac Day culture. New Zealand commemorations also adopted many of these rituals, with the dawn service being introduced from Australia in 1939.

Gallipoli Campaign and Anzacs

Gallipoli Campaign; In 1915, Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of an Allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula, according to a plan by Winston Churchill to open the way to the Black Sea for the Allied navies. The objective was to capture Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, which was an ally of Germany during the war. The ANZAC force landed at Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Ottoman Army commanded by Mustafa Kemal (later known as Atatürk). What had been planned as a bold strike to knock the Ottomans out of the war quickly became a stalemate, and the campaign dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915, the Allied forces were evacuated after both sides had suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. The Allied casualties included 21,255 from the United Kingdom, an estimated 10,000 dead soldiers from France, 8,709 from Australia, 2,721 from New Zealand, and 1,358 from British India. News of the landing at Gallipoli made a profound impact on Australians and New Zealanders at home and 25 April quickly became the day on which they remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in the war.

Though the Gallipoli campaign failed to achieve its military objectives of capturing Constantinople and knocking the Ottoman Empire out of the war, the actions of the Australian and New Zealand troops during the campaign bequeathed an intangible but powerful legacy. The creation of what became known as an "Anzac legend" became an important part of the national identity in both countries. This has shaped the way their citizens have viewed both their past and their understanding of the present.

Anzac Day History

Anzac Day marks the anniversary of the first campaign that led to major casualties for Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. The acronym ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, whose soldiers were known as Anzacs. Anzac Day remains one of the most important national occasions of both Australia and New Zealand, a rare instance of two sovereign countries not only sharing the same remembrance day, but making reference to both countries in its name. When war broke out in 1914, Australia and New Zealand had been dominions of the British Empire for thirteen and seven years respectively.

Anzac Day

Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and suffering of all those who have served." Originally 25 April every year was to honour the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Anzac Day is also observed in the Cook Islands, Niue, Pitcairn Islands, and Tonga. It is no longer observed as a national holiday in Papua New Guinea or Samoa.

The Unknown Soldier

The Unknown Soldier; We do not know this Australian’s name and we never will. We do not know his rank or his battalion. We do not know where he was born, or precisely how and when he died. We do not know where in Australia he had made his home or when he left it for the battlefields of Europe. We do not know his age or his circumstances: whether he was from the city or the bush; what occupation he left to become a soldier; what religion, if he had a religion; if he was married or single. We do not know who loved him or whom he loved. If he had children, we do not know who they are. His family is lost to us as he was lost to them. We will never know who this Australian was.

Yet he has always been among those we have honoured. We know that he was one of the 45,000 Australians who died on the Western Front. One of the 416,000 Australians who volunteered for service in the First World War. One of the 324,000 Australians who served overseas in that war, and one of the 60,000 Australians who died on foreign soil. One of the 100,000 Australians who have died in wars this century.

He is all of them. And he is one of us.

This Australia and the Australia he knew are like foreign countries. The tide of events since he died has been so dramatic, so vast and all-consuming, a world has been created beyond the reach of his imagination. He may have been one of those who believed the Great War would be an adventure too grand too miss. He may have felt that he would never live down the shame of not going. But the chances are that he went for no other reason than that he believed it was his duty - the duty he owed his country and his king.

Because the Great War was a mad, brutal, awful struggle, distinguished more often than not by military and political incompetence: because the waste of human life was so terrible that some said victory was scarcely discernible from defeat; and because the war which was supposed to end all wars in fact sowed the seeds of a second, even more terrible, war, we might think that this Unknown Soldier died in vain.

But in honouring our war dead as we always have, we declare that this is not true. For out of the war came a lesson which transcended the horror and tragedy and the inexcusable folly. It was a lesson about ordinary people - and the lesson was that they were not ordinary. On all sides they were the heroes of that war; not the generals and the politicians, but the soldiers and sailors and nurses - those who taught us to endure hardship, show courage, to be bold as well as resilient, to believe in ourselves, to stick together. The Unknown Australian Soldier we inter today was one of those who by his deeds proved that real nobility and grandeur belong not to empires and nations, but to the people on whom they, in the last resort, always depend.

That is surely at the heart of the Anzac story, the Australian legend which emerged from the war. It is a legend not of sweeping military victories so much as triumphs against the odds, of courage and ingenuity in adversity. It is a legend of free and independent spirits whose discipline derived less from military formalities and customs than from the bonds of mateship and the demands of necessity. It is a democratic tradition, the tradition in which Australians have gone to war ever since.

This unknown Australian is not interred here to glorify war over peace; or to assert a soldier’s character above a civilian’s; or one race or one nation or one religion above another; or men above women; or the war in which he fought and died above any other war; or one generation above any that has or will come later.

The Unknown Soldier honours the memory of all those men and women who laid down their lives for Australia. His tomb is a reminder of what we have lost in war and what we have gained. We have lost more than 100,000 lives, and with them all their love of this country, and all their hope and energy. We have gained a legend: a story of bravery and sacrifice, and with it a deeper faith in ourselves and our democracy, and a deeper understanding of what it means to be Australian.

It is not too much to hope, therefore, that this Unknown Australian Soldier might continue to serve his country. He might enshrine a nation’s love of peace and remind us that, in the sacrifice of the men and women whose names are recorded here, there is faith enough for all of us."

Boy Soldiers

Anzac Boy Soldiers; Amongst the people across the world who greeted the declaration of War in 1914 with enthusiasm were many underage boys, some as young as 12 years old from just about all the allied countries involved. Everyone knew that the 'War would be over by Christmas" and here was an opportunity for great adventure.

Notable amongst these boys was Victor Silvester perhaps better known in his later life for his orchestra which featured in more than 6500 BBC Radio broadcasts and his record sales which eventually exceeded 75 million!

This is his story:

The mood of the country was one of almost hysterical patriotism, and no excuses were accepted for any man of military age who was not in uniform. Rude remarks were made about them in the streets. Sometimes they were given white feathers.

I was fourteen and nine months on the morning I played truant, and went up to the headquarters of the London Scottish at Buckingham Palace Gate. A sergeant in the recruiting office asked me what I wanted, and when I told him I had come to join the regiment he questioned me about my Scottish ancestry.

"My mother's father was a Scot," I said.

That seemed adequate, so he asked me my age.

"Eighteen and nine months."

"All right," the sergeant said. "Fill in this form and wait in the next room for the medical officer to look at you."

Victor Silvester soon discovered that the war was very different to what he expected:

We went up into the front-line near Arras, through sodden and devastated countryside. As we were moving up to the our sector along the communication trenches, a shell burst ahead of me and one of my platoon dropped. He was the first man I ever saw killed. Both his legs were blown off and the whole of his face and body was peppered with shrapnel. The sight turned my stomach. I was sick and terrified, but even more frightened of showing it.

That night I had been asleep in a dugout about three hours when I woke up feeling something biting my hip. I put my hand down and my fingers closed on a big rat. It had nibbled through my haversack, my tunic and pleated kilt to get at my flesh. With a cry of horror I threw it from me.

We marched to the quarry outside Staples at dawn. The victim was brought out from a shed and led struggling to a chair to which he was then bound and a white handkerchief placed over his heart as our target area. He was said to have fled in the face of the enemy.

Mortified by the sight of the poor wretch tugging at his bonds, twelve of us, on the order raised our rifles unsteadily. Some of the men, unable to face the ordeal, had got themselves drunk overnight. They could not have aimed straight if they tried, and, contrary to popular belief, all twelve rifles were loaded. The condemned man had also been plied with whisky during the night, but I remained sober through fear.

The tears were rolling down my cheeks as he went on attempting to free himself from the ropes attaching him to the chair. I aimed blindly and when the gunsmoke had cleared away we were further horrified to see that, although wounded, the intended victim was still alive. Still blindfolded, he was attempting to make a run for it still strapped to the chair. The blood was running freely from a chest wound. An officer in charge stepped forward to put the finishing touch with a revolver held to the poor man's temple. He had only once cried out and that was when he shouted the one word 'mother'.

He could not have been much older than me. We were told later that he had in fact been suffering from shell-shock, a condition not recognised by the army at the time. Later I took part in four more such executions.

WW1 saw the manifestation of an illness never before experienced - - - Shell-shock.    The army did not recognize it for some time. Even then, some senior officers took the view that claims of shell-shock were simply cowardice. There were differing views on its cause and it was suggested that the only cure was a complete rest away from the fighting.

Between 1914 and 1918 the British army identified 80,000 men (2% of those who saw active service) as suffering from shell-shock. A much larger number of soldiers with these symptoms were classified as 'malingerers' and sent back to the front-line. In some cases men committed suicide. Others broke down under the pressure and refused to obey the orders of their officers. Some responded to the pressures of shell-shock by deserting. Sometimes soldiers who disobeyed orders got shot on the spot. In some cases, soldiers were court-martialled. Official figures said that 312 British soldiers were court-martialled and shot.

A common punishment for disobeying orders was 'Field Punishment Number One'. This involved the offender being attached to a fixed object for up to two hours a day and for a period up to three months. These men were often put in a place within range of enemy shell-fire.

Simpson and his donkey

Simpson and his donkey; John "Jack" Simpson Kirkpatrick (6 July 1892 – 19 May 1915), who served under the name John Simpson, was a stretcher bearer with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) during the Gallipoli Campaign in World War I. After landing at Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915, he obtained a donkey and began carrying wounded British Empire soldiers from the frontline to the beach, for evacuation. He continued this work for three and a half weeks, often under fire, until he was killed. Simpson and his Donkey are a key part of the "Anzac legend".

Early life

Simpson was born on 6 July 1892 in South Shields, United Kingdom,  the son of Robert Kirkpatrick and Sarah Simpson Kirkpatrick. He was one of eight children, and worked with donkeys during summer holidays as a youth.

Military service

After deserting from the merchant navy and travelling around Australia, prior to the war, Simpson apparently enlisted as a means to return to England. One account alleges that he dropped "Kirkpatrick" from his name and enlisted as "John Simpson" to avoid being identified as a deserter. He was accepted into the army as a field ambulance stretcher bearer on 23 August 1914 in Perth. This role was only given to physically strong men.

Simpson landed on the shores of the Gallipoli Peninsula on 25 April 1915 as part of the ANZAC forces. In the early hours of the following day, as he was bearing a wounded comrade on his shoulders, he spotted a donkey and quickly began making use of it to bear his fellow soldiers. He would sing and whistle, seeming to ignore the deadly bullets flying through the air, while he tended to his comrades. The donkey came to be named Duffy.

Colonel (later General) John Monash wrote: "Private Simpson and his little beast earned the admiration of everyone at the upper end of the valley. They worked all day and night throughout the whole period since the landing, and the help rendered to the wounded was invaluable. Simpson knew no fear and moved unconcernedly amid shrapnel and rifle fire, steadily carrying out his self imposed task day by day, and he frequently earned the applause of the personnel for his many fearless rescues of wounded men from areas subject to rifle and shrapnel fire."

On 19 May 1915, Simpson was struck by machine gun fire and died. At the time of his death, Simpson's father was already dead, but his mother was still living in South Shields, England.

The paintings

One of the paintings by Horace Moore depicting a man and a donkey, formerly thought to be a portrait of Simpson, now known to portray Henderson.

A painting of Simpson and his donkey, sometimes titled The Man with the Donkey, has immortalised his deeds at Gallipoli and been widely reproduced as sculptures and memorials. It was painted from a photograph by Horace Jones, a New Zealand artist who took part in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force’s Landing at Anzac Cove in Gallipoli. He made at least six versions of the painting. However, the photograph he worked from is not of Simpson but of a New Zealand school teacher, Dick Henderson, who was a stretcher bearer in the New Zealand Medical Corps at Gallipoli.

It is commonly reported that following the death of Simpson, Henderson took over his role and used the donkey Murphy to repeatedly rescue wounded soldiers from the battlefield (he was later awarded the Military Medal). The photograph that Moore used, of Henderson with the donkey wearing a Red Cross band around its muzzle, was taken by Sergeant James G. Jackson of the NZMC on 12 May 1915, a week before Simpson's death.

In descriptions of the paintings and derivatives over the years, there has been confusion over the name of the donkey which has been mainly called Murphy, but occasionally Duffy or Abdul as well. Even Simpson himself was sometimes called Murphy. Interviewed in 1950 by the Melbourne Argus, Dick Henderson said the legend that Simpson was called Murphy was incorrect and he wanted to clear up the matter. He said Simpson found the donkey wandering on a shell-torn beach and had named it Murphy.

The theme of the paintings has appeared widely down the years and a variation of it (drawn from a sculpture) was included on three postage stamps issued in Australia in 1965 to mark the 50th anniversary of Gallipoli - on the five penny, eight penny and two shillngs and three pence stamps.

Murphy the donkey has been widely recognised also, and in 1977 a donkey joined the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps, being allocated the regimental number MA 0090 and assigned the name Private Jeremy Jeremiah Simpson. In 1986 the donkey was permamanently adopted as the official mascot of the corps.

In May 1997 the Australian RSPCA posthumously awarded its Purple Cross to the donkey Murphy for performing outstanding acts of bravery towards humans.

Legacy

A commemorative statue of Simpson and Duffy

The "Simpson" legend grew largely from an account of his actions published in a 1916 book, Glorious Deeds of Australasians in the Great War. This was a wartime propaganda effort, and many of its stories of Simpson, supposedly rescuing 300 men and making dashes into no man's land to carry wounded out on his back, are demonstrably untrue. In fact, transporting that many men down to the beach in the three weeks that he was at Gallipoli would have been a physical impossibility, given the time the journey took. However, the stories presented in the book were widely and uncritically accepted by many people, including the authors of some subsequent books on Simpson.

The few contemporary accounts of Simpson at Gallipoli speak of his bravery and invaluable service in bringing wounded down from the heights above Anzac Cove through Shrapnel and Monash Gullies. However, his donkey service spared him the even more dangerous and arduous work of hauling seriously wounded men back from the front lines on a stretcher.

Popular Culture

A popular silent film was made of his exploits, Murphy of Anzac (1916). The story was also an episode of the anthology television show Michael Willessee's Australians (1988). There is a song about him, "John Simpson Kirkpatrick", on the album Legends and Lovers by Issy and David Emeney with Kate Riaz (Wild Goose Records WGS344).

Victoria Cross

There have been several petitions over the decades to have Simpson awarded a Victoria Cross (VC) or a Victoria Cross for Australia. There is a persistent myth that he was recommended for a VC, but that this was either refused or mishandled by the military bureaucracy. However, there is no documentary evidence that such a recommendation was ever made. The case for Simpson being awarded a VC is based on diary entries by his Commanding Officer that express the hope he would receive either a Distinguished Conduct Medal or VC. However, the officer in question never made a formal recommendation for either of these medals. Simpson's Mention in Despatches was consistent with the recognition given to other men who performed the same role at Gallipoli.

In April 2011 the Australian Government announced that Simpson would be one of thirteen servicemen examined in an inquiry into "Unresolved Recognition for Past Acts of Naval and Military Gallantry and Valour". The tribunal for this inquiry was directed to make recommendations on the awarding of decorations, including the Victoria Cross. Concluding its investigations in February 2013, the tribunal recommended that no further award be made to Simpson, since his "initiative and bravery were representative of all other stretcher-bearers of 3rd Field Ambulance, and that bravery was appropriately recognised as such by the award of an MID

Anzac Sunday

Anzac Sunday; The landing at Gallipoli was on Sunday 25th April 1915. Many towns are choosing to hold a Remembrance ceremony on the day in addition to the Dawn services held on the date. Such a town is West Wallsend in New South Wales. On my arrival here on Sunday 22nd April I found that it had not changed much since I last visited 50 years ago.

Situated in the beautiful Hunter valley, it's origins, like so many surrounding towns, centred on the coal mining industry. A whole culture seems to have been plucked bodily from Wales in the UK and set into the Hunter valley to mine the rich lode of coal in the Newcastle seams. Nearby town names like Aberglassyn, Abermain, Pelaw Main, Stanford Merthyr and Aberdare provide witness to a strong Welsh presence.

On Sunday, 22nd April 2001, a grey, overcast day, there was a special commemorative service to remember 1857 Hunter Valley coal miners and 2678 Hunter Valley men who served in France and Belgium during World War 1. As possibly every other town in Australia the people of West Wallsend, on Anzac Sunday were gathering to honour their own.

Newcastle-based military historian, David Dial, spoke of how 1348 Hunter men were drafted into the 34th Battalion (known as Maitland's own) and 1330 Hunter men in the 35th (Newcastle's Own). Among the many battles in which the battalions fought with distinction were Messines in June 1917, Passchendaele in October 1917 and Villers-Brettoneux in April 1918. He told of the recruiting drive called the 'Wallaby March' covering hundreds of miles across New South Wales.

The recruits marched from town to town gathering in number as they went and swelling like a river in flood. There was a passion, fervour and excitement at the chance of 'Defending the Empire'.

Only the very fit lent themselves to this recruiting experience. And, fit they were; John Masefield, pointing out that the Anzacs had had no more than six months' training, wrote:

"They were, however, the finest body of young men ever brought together in modern times. For physical beauty and nobility of bearing they surpassed any men I have ever seen; they walked and looked like the kings in old poems, and reminded me of the line in Shakespeare, `Baited like eagles having lately bathed'."

The 'Roll of Honour" was read as a lone piper played 'Amazing Grace' and 'Waltzing Matilda' while around the Memorial page after page of names of those from the 34th and 35th Battalions were displayed. Against the name of each soldier who was killed in action (one in five) a small flag was embedded.

The ceremony concluded with a young trumpeter (perhaps 15 years old) playing the 'Last Post' and reveille. He was very nervous. I noticed his right leg shaking under his baggy trousers as he played. He did a sterling job.

All visitors were then invited into the nearby Worker's Club in West Wallsend for afternoon tea.

There were possibly less than one hundred people in attendance but the occasion was in no way diminished by such a small gathering.

It possessed the same degree of reverence which marks all the other ceremonies in towns, villages, hamlets and cities across Australia and New Zealand and in parts of Great Britain, at Gallipoli itself and at Villers-Brettoneux and many other parts of the world.

There is a respectful saying in Villers-Brettoneux, "Never forget Australia".

Lieut.General Peter Cosgrove, leader of the Australian peace-keeping forces in East Timor and Australian of the year for 2001 is quoted as having said about Anzac day: "It is now not the sole possession of the veterans, probably never has been. It's not the possession of the armed forces, although we are to some degree custodians of Anzac Day. It is where it ought to be and probably has been spiritually for generations, the possession of the peoples of Australia and New Zealand."

There are very few Australians indeed who would find quarrel with this statement.

John Woods 23/04/01

Prelude to Gallipoli

Prelude to Gallipoli; The tense political climate at the beginning of the twentieth century split Europe into two blocs: One Alliance between Germany and Austria-Hungary, and another, called the 'Triple Entente' was Britain, France and Russia.

When war seemed imminent the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) attempted to ally herself with the 'Entente'. On receiving a negative response to this she found herself obliged to join the Alliance of Germany and Austria-Hungary. A treaty was signed on 2nd August 1914. This has been seen as a failure of British diplomacy. However, the Ottoman Empire was not ready for war so it was decided to keep the treaty with Germany secret and adopt a stance of neutrality. The Ottoman Empire had the Dardanelles and the Bosporas. These straits between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean have been militarily strategic historically and no less so now for they represented for Britain and France a warm water route to their ally Russia. Russia needed war materials, Britain needed Russian wheat and there were 120 Allied merchant vessels in the Black sea.

Winston Churchill 1918

First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill and his colleagues in the war cabinet were acutely aware of all this as also were the Germans who needed greatly to change the direction of the war. If the Ottoman Empire entered the war, Germany's load would be decreased. So Germany decided to take some measures. Two German Warships then in the Mediterranean under the command of Rear Admiral Wilhelm Souchon, anchored at the entrance to the Canakkale Straits on the 10th August 1914. After much discussion the 'Goeben' and the ' Breslau' were accepted by the Ottoman Empire and an announcement made that they had been 'purchased' from Germany.

Lord Fisher, Churchill's First Sea Lord entered the navy in 1854. He was responsible for instituting the developmental work that perfected the torpedo, the building of the first modern all-big-gun battleship, the Dreadnought, encouraged the development of submarines and supervised the conversion of the navy from coal-fired to oil-fired steam power. His reforms proved crucial to Britain's wartime naval supremacy. He opposed the Dardanelles expedition.

On arrival in the straits, Rear Admiral Souchon lost no time in inspecting the Turkish 'fortresses'. He found poorly trained Turkish gunners with out-of-date equipment (old guns of different calibre and type, with poor range finding, fire observation and control).

He requested additional support, and approximately four hundred naval artillerymen and mine warfare experts under the command of Vice Admiral Guido von Usedom were dispatched to Turkey. These men were integrated into the Turkish service, (with the concurrence of Kaiser Wilhem II ) to maintain the appearance of Turkish neutrality.

Vice Admiral Usedom reported that there was not adequate large calibre ammunition to meet more than one major assault so he expanded the Turkish Mining effort creating a minefield of 343 mines in ten lines and spaced at regular intervals over a ten thousand yard approach to the narrowest part of the Dardanelles. These mines were defended by the fixed guns of the intermediate forts and by mobile battery.

After the announcement of the 'purchase' the name of the 'Goeben' was changed to "Yavuz' and the 'Breslau' became 'Midilli'. Uniforms of the soldiers were changed. The two ships sailed on to Istanbul carrying the flag of the Ottoman Empire.

During this time British and French ships were waiting in front of the straits for the two German Warships to emerge. On the orders of the Turkish General Enver, leader of the political party 'Ittihat ve Terakki' ( "Union and Progress" ) concerned with the military affairs of the Ottoman Empire, these ships then sailed on to Russia.

On 29th October 1914, the warships attacked the Russian Harbours of Odesa, Navroski and Sebastopol. Russia declared war immediately on the Ottoman Empire. Four days later Britain and France declared war and then on Nov 3rd 1914 shelled the guns at the entrance to the strait. (Sebdulbahir). Finally the Ottoman empire abandoned its stance of neutrality and replied with their declaration of war. After the post WW1 Allied carve up of the Ottoman empire it was General Enver who was blamed for initiating its demise.

On the 3rd January 1915, Winston Churchill asked Admiral Sir Sackville Carden, commander of the combined British and French battle squadron in the Mediterranean, "Do you consider the forcing of the Straits by ships alone a practical operation?' He added " Importance of result would justify severe loss!" Kitchener already had this view as did Prime Minister Herbert Asquith.

So the plan which had been around since 1904 but both military and naval opinion was against it was accepted to force the straits by destroying the Turkish defences. The Australians role in this, by reason of the fact that they were untried troops, was to Garrison the forts as they were captured. Mobilisation began. Troops were gathered in preparation on the Greek Island of Lemnos. Turkish reconnaissance planes observed this daily so the Turks were very much aware of the numbers and strength of the forces gathering. Long range operations commenced on 19th February but were less than effective succeeding only in silencing the outer forts. Bad weather caused other delays and on the 9th March Admiral Carden reported to Churchill that he would concentrate on clearing the mines. Long range operations could not knock out the inner- forts. The mine-sweeping operations at night, manned by civilians were less than successful. This led Admiral Carden to plan a daylight attack to silence the intermediate and inner forts and permit the minelines to be swept. The order was given on 17th March by second in command, Admiral Sir John de Robeck. Admiral Carden had been relieved due to ill-health.

On March 18th,1915 the Allied fleet made its greatest attack at the Dardanelles which proved disastrous to the Allies. The outcome was the sinking of the Bouvet, the Ocean, and the Irresistible and the serious crippling of four other vessels.

The Turkish people remember this day as a great national victory, when the Allied warships were turned back by the bravery and steadfastness of the Turkish gunners of the Dardanelles forts. Here below is Gallipoli on that day, a month prior to the Australian landing. Please note the Railway tracks..

 

About 6 miles along the coast from Gallipoli is Kilid Bahir. Obviously, the rail tracks continued along the coast. These photos are by courtesy of Evren Isikozlu from Istanbul and perhaps have not been seen before in Australia.

March 18th 1915. The operation began at 11.30. The battleships silenced the forts and at approximately 1600 hours the trawlers moved forward to begin sweeping- only to withdraw again under fire from the mobile batteries. By the end of the afternoon the British and French had lost six of their eighteen battleships. Admiral de Robeck's after action report stated that he intended to renew the attack within three or four days, after a re-organisation of the minesweeping force which was now to be manned by volunteers from the battleships survivors. Two more battleships were dispatched to de Robeck with instructions: "It appears important not to let the forts be repaired or to encourage the enemy by an apparent suspension of the operation'.

On 23 March Admiral de Robeck completely reversed his plan of action. After a conference with the senior Army officer on the scene (General Sir Ian Hamilton), de Robeck proposed a joint operation in which the Army would secure the forts before the Navy tried to force a passage.

Sir Ian Hamilton later commanded the Gallipoli campaign from on board HMS Queen Elizabeth. His role throughout the campaign was brought under scrutiny. Military censorship prevented the true story being told but a young Australian journalist, Keith Murdoch smuggled the story about the scale of the Dardanelles disaster back to the Australian Prime Minister who sent it on to the British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, who was no friend of the British military establishment. It led directly to the dismissal of Sir Ian Hamilton who never again was to hold a senior military position.

After Admiral de Robeck's reversal, Lord Fisher then changed his own position, refusing to challenge the judgment of the on-scene commander. Even with the support of Prime Minister Asquith and Lord Kitchener, Churchill could not get the cabinet to order de Robeck to renew the attack immediately.

Lord Fisher resigned from the Admiralty.

The decision to conduct a ground campaign led to the disaster known as Gallipoli.

"For nearly six weeks, nothing of importance occurred at the Dardanelles. In spite of the dramatic warning given by the brief bombardment, the work of repairing the forts and garrisoning the area was not carried for ward energetically. On December 13th Mr. Engert, the American vice- consul at Chanak, was enjoying the warm morning in a small rowing boat in the Straits when the old battleship Messudieh, anchored south of Chanak in Sari Sighlar Bay, was suddenly rent with a gigantic explosion and sank in under seven minutes. The tiny British submarine BII, only 143 feet long and with a maximum submerged speed of 6.5 knots, manned by two officers and eleven ratings, eventually limped out of the Straits to the open sea, safety, and the first submarine V.C. for her commander, Lt. Holbrook. RN."

Source: Robert Rhodes James: "Gallipoli"

 

 

Holbrook NSW Australia

At home in Australia people were busy knitting socks and making Anzac biscuits to send to the troops, and renaming everything remotely German to something more acceptable, German sausage became 'Devon' sausage for instance and whole towns were renamed, such as the following:

Thought to be occupied by the Wiradjuri people prior to European settlement theTown of Holbrook, on the South West Slopes NSW, has had many names. Hume and Hovell (1824) called it Friday Mount and Camden Forest. In 1836 it was known as Therry's or Billabong. The first district leases were granted in 1836-37 and the first resident was German-born Johann Pabst who had arrived in Australia in 1825 as a sheep expert working for the Australian Agricultural Company. He settled here with his family in 1838.

The emergent settlement was known as 'The Germans' and a town reserve was declared in 1848. In 1876 the settlement was officially gazetted as 'Germanton'.

In 1914 the locals didn't like the name particularly considering the war in Europe and so the name was changed to Holbrook after Submarine Commander Norman Douglas Holbrook. Today a scale Model of the BII stands proudly in the town as tribute to Commander Holbrook's skill and daring which a German naval officer ruefully admitted to the enthralled Mr. Engert was, "a mighty clever piece of work".

Stoker's Submarine

Also nearby in the same park is a Mark VIII torpedo, commemorating the actions in World War 1 of Lieutenant H. Stoker, D.S.O., RX, and the crew of the RAN Submarine HMAS AE2. this submarine operated in the Marmara until April 30th 1915, when she was sunk, after a two hours fight, by a Turkish torpedo-boat.

Lt.-Commander Stoker's account of AE2's exploits, "Straws in the Wind", is one of the classics of submarine warfare. . ( and very hard to find..)

A new book, "Stoker's Submarine", by Fred and Elizabeth Brenchley, is being launched on April 19, 2001 at Garden Island with Opposition Leader Kim Beazley doing the honours.

The AE2's penetration into the Sea of Marmara played a highly significant and perhaps pivotal role in the outcome of the Gallipoli campaign. Her Commanding Officer Lieutenant Commander Harry Stoker, had written orders to penetrate the Dardanelles. He was to '...take measures necessary to block enemy traffic' and, if he succeeded in reaching Chanak (opposite Gallipoli), he should try to sink any mine-dropping vessels and 'run amok generally'. He did just that and torpedoed and sunk a small cruiser.

After the first day of troop embarkation, 25th April 1915, there was much discussion amongst senior officers about withdrawal. It was a time of decision for Sir Ian Hamilton considering the heavy casualties. The news of the AE2's success roused the optimism of the commanding officers, and is probably a factor in influencing Hamilton's decision. On the night of the 25th April 1915 he wrote to the troops:

 

"Your news is indeed serious. But there is nothing for it but to dig yourselves right in and stick it out. It would take at least two days to re-embark you as Admiral Thursby will explain to you. Meanwhile, the Australian submarine AE2 has got up through the Narrows and has torpedoed a gun-boat at Chunuk (sic). Hunter-Weston despite his heavy losses will be advancing tomorrow which should divert pressure from you. Make a personal appeal to your men and Godley's to make a supreme effort to hold their ground. lan Hamilton.

P.S. You have got through the difficult business, now you have only to dig, dig, dig, until you are safe. lan H."

The AE2 now lies at 72 metres in the Sea of Marmara. Efforts to raise the submarine are a collaborative effort between Turkish individuals supervised by Selçuk Kolay, of the Rahmi M. Koç Museum, who discovered the wreck and our Australian team led by Dr.Mark Spencer considered the Australian authority on deep shipwreck photography.