Gallipoli
post by allana and scott
To access the battlefields of the Gallipoli penninsula there are a few options of where to stay. We chose the quaint little fishing village of Eceabat which is a short drive away from ANZAC cove and the other important sites. Although this place gets overrun with Aussies and Kiwis around April (and Turks during their naval victory day), it was nice and quiet when we were there. There is a great park on the water with monuments and a life size historical replica of the trenches showing just how close they were in places. Statues of ANZAC and Turkish soldiers are frozen in battle just 8m away from each other, with bodies littering the small amount of space in between.
3/9/13 Today we joined a bus load full of young Aussies and one Kiwi for a tour of Gallipoli. It was awesome to see all these young people caring so much about their heritage, 100 years has passed but it still means so much for young and old ANZACS alike to pay their respects. The landscape is so beautiful, crystal clear water and golden hills stretching in every direction. We left Eceabat after lunch and first stop was Brighton Beach, where the troops should have landed. One could see why, easy entrance, no cover for the Turkish troops, spacious landing spot.
Next was ANZAC cove, where it all happened. We had watched Gallipoli the night before, and the scenes from the movie fresh in our minds helped us to appreciate the horrors endured here. Looking at the tiny cove and the rugged cliffs standing vertically behind made it obvious, they were doomed from the start. The photo below is taken from 'Queensland Point'. Unfortunately recent road works along the coast have drastically reduced the already small area to just a thin strip of beach.
The ANZAC commemorative site was next, with more graves of very young men. Lone Pine was a beautiful memorial, we were impressed with how all the memorials were so well-cared for. Lots and lots of recognisable names along the wall of honour. The lone pine standing in the middle of the grounds is third generation from the original pine tree that stood in the battleground. Aussie soliders took some pine cones and from these their families managed to grow the tree back home. From those trees, the government took saplings and replanted one here at the site.
The next place we visited was Johnstons Jolly - the trenches. We drove along the road and were shocked- Australian trenches on the left, Turkish trenches on the right… about 8m apart. They would have been close enough to hear each other snoring at night time. In the quiet periods the soldiers would even throw notes to each other, or swap food and cigarettes. The Aussies troops, sick of bully beef every day, threw some bully beef over with a note hoping for something new in exchange. After a few friendly exchanges the Turks were also sick of the horrible tinned meat. They sent a can of bully beef straight back with a note, half English half Turkish, “Bully beef no more, but chocolate or biscuits yes”. It’s heart wrenching to know how these guys from opposite sides were forced to live in ditches so close to each other, they respected each other and even shared food and ciggies. But when the orders came, they had to go straight back to killing each other.
Then we visited the main Turkish memorial, a really beautiful place overlooking the Dardenelles they defended so courageously. There was also an impressive bronze statue of the last standing Gallipoli veteran and his granddaughter, a Turkish man who amazingly survived four wars. He died 19 years ago at the age of 110, ending Turkeys last living link with their Gallipoli veterans. The last Aussie veteran, Alec from Tazzie, died in 2002 at the age of 103.
This statue shows a 34 year old lieutenant Mustafa Kemal who played a key role in the Turks’ victory in Gallipoli. The plaque tells the story in his own words of how during the battle for Chunuk Bair he was hit by a piece of shrapnel in the chest, but remarkably his life was saved by a pocketwatch which was over his heart and smashed to pieces by the metal shard. This amazing piece of good fortune proved was to have profound consequences for the future Turkey, because after the Ottoman defeat in the war Kemal went on to fight for Turkish independence and became the country’s first president, adopting the name Ataturk which means “Father of the Turks”.
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It is very special to have visited this place that forged the Australian identity. We didn’t realise that the same can be said for Turkey. Two separate national identities were born of the same battle, although from completely different outcomes. The mutual respect between the countries involved is almost tangible as you walk through each memorial. Ataturk’s words still provide solace, even for us young Aussies so far removed from what happened:
“Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives, you are now lying in the soils 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.”
Ataturk, 1934
Ataturk, 1934
gallipoli day 2
Today we took the public bus back across the Gallipoli peninsula for a day of exploring the area at our own pace. Joining us were our new mates Tom (an Aussie) and Cameron (a Kiwi). From the bus stop we hitched up the coast to the Anzac memorial site where there is a sunken WW1 wreck lying just off the coast in about 3m of water – a perfect excuse for a snorkel! Apparently it was an old cargo boat deliberately sunk there to protect ANZAC cove from swell. The water was crystal clear blue with visibility about 15-20m, allowing us to see into all the nooks and crannies of this 100 year old boat. It was really fantastic and made us appreciate the area for its natural beauty as well as the historical significance.
After drying off we strapped on the boots and headed up Plugges plateau (the first hill taken by Anzacs after landing on 25 April) and across the ridge leading towards “the sphinx”. There are tracks most of the way but don’t seem to be used that much because the thorny shrubs had grown across in many areas. We had our eyes peeled for anything metal and found a few old pieces of shrapnel, a tin lid and the opening key off a can of bully beef. From the top of the ridge we could see lone pine across “shrapnel valley” so we dropped down into the valley and got torn to shreds by the shrubbery while following the dry creek bed. We were having a hard enough time of it just walking through this terrain, so I can’t imagine how tough it must have been with heavy packs, poor rations, little water and bullets raining down upon you.
From lone pine we headed back down to the coast road and back to Brighton beach where we enjoyed the beautiful warm ocean one more time before taking the bus back to our base of Eceabat. On the bus we spoke with a woman from Istanbul who was raving about the great time she had on the nearby island of Gokceada - which is our destination tomorrow morning!