On t
his day, the 25th of April, 96 years ago, Australian soldiers, many very young, stormed ashore in the immortal landing at Gallipoli.
Their destiny was to create history and to show the world the strength and determination of a new young country.
With their New Zealand brothers in arms they were to bring the name ANZAC to the attention of the world by their bravery, honour and courage.
Severe casualties were suffered in the landing and the fighting. The ANZACS were constantly pinned down by the well-entrenched Turkish defenders with the advantage of the high ground.
From the moment they stepped on the beach the Australians and New Zealanders were raked with gunfire from the heights of Gaba Tepe.
By the end of the first day they realised they were fighting against well-organised and brave opponents.
Within five days of the landing more than 800 Australians were dead.
To try to understand what Gallipoli was like I would offer these words written by John Masefield. They were first published in September 1916; I quote,
“Those who wish to imagine the scene must think of twenty miles of any rough and steep sea coast known to them, picturing it as roadless, waterless, much broken with gullies, covered with scrub, sandy, loose, and difficult to walk on, and without more than two miles of accessible landing throughout its length. Let them picture this familiar twenty miles as dominated at intervals by three hills bigger than the hills about them, the north hill a peak, the centre a ridge or plateau, and the south a lump.
Then let them imagine the hills entrenched, the landing mined, the beaches tangled with barbed wire, ranged by howitzers and swept by machine guns, and themselves three thousand miles from home, going out before dawn with rifles, packs, and water bottles, to pass the mines under shellfire, cut through the wire under machine gun fire, clamber up the hills under the fire of all arms by the glare of shell bursts, in the withering and crashing tumult of modern war, and then to dig themselves in, on a waterless and burning hill while a more numerous enemy charge them with the bayonet.
And let them imagine themselves enduring this night after night, day after day, without rest or solace, nor respite from the peril of death, seeing their friends killed, and their position imperilled, getting their food, their munitions, even their drink, from the jaws of death, and their breath from the taint of death, and their brief sleep upon the dust of death.
Let them imagine themselves driven mad by heat and toil and thirst by day, shaken by frost at midnight, weakened by disease and broken by pestilence, yet rising on the word with a shout and going forward to die in exultation in a cause foredoomed and almost hopeless.
Only then will they begin, even dimly, to understand what our seizing and holding of the landings meant.” |
At ANZAC Cove after the 1st May 1915, trench warfare began in earnest.
By the 18th May the Turks had reinforced and regrouped around ANZAC Cove in preparation for a major attack. Some 42,000 Turkish infantrymen prepared to drive some 17,360 ANZAC defenders into the sea.
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Australian soldiers in captured Turkish trenches at Lone Pine after the battle of 6-9 August 1915. This famous image taken by Australian journalist Philip Schuler shows Captain Leslie Morshead, 2nd Battalion (New South Wales) looking up at the dead lying on the lip of the trench. |
In the early hours of the 19th May the Turks attacked along the whole of the ANZAC front. They were met with predominantly very heavy small arms fire and resolute defence.
By midday some 10,000 Turks had been killed or wounded. The ANZACS had suffered casualties of 160 killed and nearly 500 wounded.
But the Turks still held the high ground and the few local counter attacks mounted by the Australians and New Zealanders drew such heavy fire in reaction that all movement between the opposing lines ceased.
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Anzacs and Turks work together to bury the dead on May 24, 1915.
PHOTO/ Phillip Schuler. Australian War Memorial |
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For five days the dead and wounded of both sides lay in No-Mans land. An armistice was arranged to allow both sides to bury their dead. It is documented that the mutual respect of ANZAC for Turk and Turk for ANZAC grew from this battle and subsequent armistice.
In early August, as part of the overall operational strategy for Gallipoli peninsular - whilst British and French forces were planning a new landing, diversionary attacks were carried out by the ANZACS.
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71 Pte W.H.R. Woods, 1st LHR, died of wounds 15 May 1915 |
One of these was the attack on the 7th August at the Nek by the 3rd Light Horse Brigade consisting of the Victorian 8th Aust Light Horse Regt and the 10th Aust Light Horse Regt from WA.
Supporting artillery fire lifted early and a lack of communications hindered any change to plans. The attack still went ahead.
In some four to six minutes both Regiments virtually ceased to exist, yet no man held back, all went with their mates into a horrendous storm of machine gun and small arms fire.
Heavy fighting on the peninsular continued throughout August with probably the fiercest fighting taking place in the area of Lone Pine.
After the ANZACS assaulted fortified Turkish entrenchments at Lone Pine dead bodies were piled five high on the edges of trenches. In just three days seven Victoria Crosses were won for deeds of heroism and utter fearless bravery in heroic company.
To gauge the continued ferocity of the fighting - in one of the later major battles of the Gallipoli campaign the following was written by 2nd Lieutenant Pinnock of the 57th Battalion. It was in a letter penned in 1915, he said:
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“You can’t imagine what it was like. Really too awful to write about. All your pals that had been with you for months and months blown and shot out of all recognition. There was no chance whatsoever of us gaining our point, but the roll call was the saddest, just fancy, only 47 answered their names out of close on 550 men. When I heard what the result was I simply cried like a child.”
– Lt Pinnock was subsequently killed in action on 19th August 1916 in France.
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By late 1915 it became obvious there was no chance of defeating the Turkish forces.
The withdrawal from the Gallipoli Peninsular was probably the only well planned and executed military strategy of the entire campaign. By the 20th December the frontline trenches had been vacated and 80,000 men, 5,000 horses and 200 artillery pieces were withdrawn without the Turks realising.
The casualties were horrendous.
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Azmak Cemetery near Suvla Bay in the Gallipoli Peninsula |
Of the total Allied casualty figure of 147,000 Australia was to lose over 8,700 killed with over 19,000 wounded. The New Zealanders lost over 2,700 killed and nearly 5,000 wounded.
The Turkish losses were considerable and they seldom fought so well again.
The ANZACS were not victorious but they did gain a reputation as being extremely brave, determined soldiers and skilful fighters who fought together as mates.
As they recovered back in Egypt, the men realised that a new spirit had been born: the ANZAC Spirit.
The ANZAC Spirit would become a symbol of unity and comradeship among fighting men and a powerful symbol in the Australian culture.
On this morning we reflect on the enormity of the loss of Australian lives and pay tribute to those brave young men whose final resting place is so far from home. We remember, give gratitude and show national pride for all our men and women who have fought and died in all conflicts.
We remember the servicemen and women who have followed in the footsteps of the ANZACS, defending the ideals of freedom, democracy and mateship that we enjoy today.
LEST WE FORGET