Today has been sensational in so many ways. Again we left the hotel by 8 am in bleak, cold and wet weather around 6 degrees and as we drove towards the ferry again we could see Gallipoli peninsula in the distance covered in low cloud and rain. At Canakkale ferry we parked right beside HMAS ANZAC, one of our warships that has sailed over to be here this week. Next thing we see a large number of police and security cars arrive at the dock and either our Prime Minister or Governor General board the warship. A navy inflatable boat raced past and looked like it could have been on Sydney Harbour or Port Hacking except that it had a machine gun set in its bow and that reminded us of how many important dignitaries will be here and also just how politically unstable this part of the world is at the moment.
Our first site visit today was a place called Shrapnel Gully. History tells us that this was truly a murderous place and we made the same climb up the steep hill that so many ANZAC’s had to make on a daily basis. In some ways it was like a walk through some parts of the Royal National Park with similar terrain, soils and low, woody vegetation. What was noticeably different was the sense of history and national identity that we all felt as we walked to the top for some outstanding views back over the landing beach towards Greece in the background. Back to the bus and a quick trip to Quinn’s Post. Again, we were told of the significance of this place that we can all see located on any map of ANZAC, but know we know firsthand just how close it is to the beach and how many lives were lost at this site.
Next we went to Lone Pine Cemetery for a special Cronulla High challenge. Mr Cherry received a call during the holidays from a retired lady up the north coast of NSW who told him that her dad was a Gallipoli veteran. She sent him some details of a story about her dad’s best mate being killed at Gallipoli and a request for all of us to find this soldier’s grave and take a picture for her.
The whole bus set off on a super challenge to find Private R. W. Allen (no. 1508) who died on 19th June 1915. This means he lasted only 7 weeks before he was killed. The sad thing is the dad suffered appendicitis and was taken out of battle just before his mate was killed and it haunted him his whole life.
It was so eerie when we arrived at Lone Pine because an Australian performer, band and choir (no, not as good as Jazmaree and Thomas) were rehearsing for their role as a dawn service mirror site. So we had beautiful and appropriate background music as we searched for the grave and also as Sydney and Jazmaree laid the 2 remembrance poppy flowers sent to us by Mrs Rankin. It gave everyone goose bumps it reinforced just how much the story of ANZAC is a part of everyone’s lives in some way or other. It’s going to give us all so much pleasure to be able to send an image of the gravestone and some images of 40 students and staff paying their respects 100 years later to the best mate of a lady we have never met.
Well as if that wasn’t enough of an emotional struggle, we headed off to The Nek. John explained to us that this is possibly the most famous piece of real estate in Australia’s military history. On a section of land about as wide as 2 tennis courts, the famous Australian Light Horse division were butchered when their watches were set about 7 minutes slower than the navy canon operators on the ships located just off the coast. Some people say that the ‘very best’ of Australia’s young men were lost on this day. Channel 7 had just finished an interview with Ben Roberts Smith V.C. when the whole place went deathly quiet as another one of our new friends from the tour brought out a 100 year old bugle and with ANZAC Cove through to Suvla Bay and the Greek island of Lemnos as a backdrop, played the Last Post. We all know how this tune moves us at school or in Munro Park Dawn Service so multiply that feeling by about 1000 and you have some idea how the 5 of us felt at The Nek. One more unforgettable moment and another pull on our emotional reserves that we will never forget.
To balance all these experiences, we then visited the Turkish Memorial site and found it full of hundreds of Aussie visitors. Such is the special bond of respect and admiration between these two nations that we could really feel it. Young Turkish children were marching through the crowds singing patriotic songs and in the shadow of a massive statue of Mustafa Kamal Ataturk (the famous Turkish war leader) we knew that Australia’s long dead ANZAC’s were definitely resting in peace.
To round off the multinational flavour of this visit so far we next visited the NZ grave site and Chunuk Bair. With most visitors dressed in All Blacks footy jumpers and silver fern flags we talked to our mates from ‘across the ditch’ about shared stories and experiences that bind our two nations together in a way that cannot be broken by underarm bowling incidents, world cup cricket floggings and reversal rugby results. 100 years ago NZ soldiers captured and held Chunuk Bair for a short time. They were the only ones who made it far enough up the hill to get a glimpse of the Dardanelles Strait and to remember that this was the original objective for the whole campaign. So of all the 26 000 allied soldiers who landed on Gallipoli over the 8 long months of boiling summer and snow filled trenches of winter, only a handful of NZ men actually saw the supposed prize. Then 2 days later the Turks recaptured Chunuk Bair.
So that is it for the journey so far. We can’t help but feel that it is somehow blessed with good karma and great fortune. If it rains we seem to have just got on to the bus. When we arrive at a site it somehow stops raining and the sun shines on us. The music at Lone Pine seemed like it was organised by Mrs. Geldart, conducted and performed by Mr. Hodder and Mr. Tennikoff. The bugle at The Nek was unforgettable. Turkish kids want photos by the thousands and Turkish adults love to test their English language skills on us at any opportunity. Whilst there are thousands of people in a multitude of tour groups, EVERYONE wants to talk to us. We have been told by so many older visitors that seeing 128 members of a group proudly and respectfully absorbing all that Gallipoli has to offer is an impressive sight. Seeing HMAS ANZAC surrounded by Turkish naval ships gave us a sense of security as does the presence of so many police and military personnel.
We could go on about the Russian submarine we saw right in front of us but you may not believe it.
So until next time cheers from Team Gallipoli 2015.
Our first site visit today was a place called Shrapnel Gully. History tells us that this was truly a murderous place and we made the same climb up the steep hill that so many ANZAC’s had to make on a daily basis. In some ways it was like a walk through some parts of the Royal National Park with similar terrain, soils and low, woody vegetation. What was noticeably different was the sense of history and national identity that we all felt as we walked to the top for some outstanding views back over the landing beach towards Greece in the background. Back to the bus and a quick trip to Quinn’s Post. Again, we were told of the significance of this place that we can all see located on any map of ANZAC, but know we know firsthand just how close it is to the beach and how many lives were lost at this site.
Next we went to Lone Pine Cemetery for a special Cronulla High challenge. Mr Cherry received a call during the holidays from a retired lady up the north coast of NSW who told him that her dad was a Gallipoli veteran. She sent him some details of a story about her dad’s best mate being killed at Gallipoli and a request for all of us to find this soldier’s grave and take a picture for her.
The whole bus set off on a super challenge to find Private R. W. Allen (no. 1508) who died on 19th June 1915. This means he lasted only 7 weeks before he was killed. The sad thing is the dad suffered appendicitis and was taken out of battle just before his mate was killed and it haunted him his whole life.
It was so eerie when we arrived at Lone Pine because an Australian performer, band and choir (no, not as good as Jazmaree and Thomas) were rehearsing for their role as a dawn service mirror site. So we had beautiful and appropriate background music as we searched for the grave and also as Sydney and Jazmaree laid the 2 remembrance poppy flowers sent to us by Mrs Rankin. It gave everyone goose bumps it reinforced just how much the story of ANZAC is a part of everyone’s lives in some way or other. It’s going to give us all so much pleasure to be able to send an image of the gravestone and some images of 40 students and staff paying their respects 100 years later to the best mate of a lady we have never met.
Well as if that wasn’t enough of an emotional struggle, we headed off to The Nek. John explained to us that this is possibly the most famous piece of real estate in Australia’s military history. On a section of land about as wide as 2 tennis courts, the famous Australian Light Horse division were butchered when their watches were set about 7 minutes slower than the navy canon operators on the ships located just off the coast. Some people say that the ‘very best’ of Australia’s young men were lost on this day. Channel 7 had just finished an interview with Ben Roberts Smith V.C. when the whole place went deathly quiet as another one of our new friends from the tour brought out a 100 year old bugle and with ANZAC Cove through to Suvla Bay and the Greek island of Lemnos as a backdrop, played the Last Post. We all know how this tune moves us at school or in Munro Park Dawn Service so multiply that feeling by about 1000 and you have some idea how the 5 of us felt at The Nek. One more unforgettable moment and another pull on our emotional reserves that we will never forget.
To balance all these experiences, we then visited the Turkish Memorial site and found it full of hundreds of Aussie visitors. Such is the special bond of respect and admiration between these two nations that we could really feel it. Young Turkish children were marching through the crowds singing patriotic songs and in the shadow of a massive statue of Mustafa Kamal Ataturk (the famous Turkish war leader) we knew that Australia’s long dead ANZAC’s were definitely resting in peace.
To round off the multinational flavour of this visit so far we next visited the NZ grave site and Chunuk Bair. With most visitors dressed in All Blacks footy jumpers and silver fern flags we talked to our mates from ‘across the ditch’ about shared stories and experiences that bind our two nations together in a way that cannot be broken by underarm bowling incidents, world cup cricket floggings and reversal rugby results. 100 years ago NZ soldiers captured and held Chunuk Bair for a short time. They were the only ones who made it far enough up the hill to get a glimpse of the Dardanelles Strait and to remember that this was the original objective for the whole campaign. So of all the 26 000 allied soldiers who landed on Gallipoli over the 8 long months of boiling summer and snow filled trenches of winter, only a handful of NZ men actually saw the supposed prize. Then 2 days later the Turks recaptured Chunuk Bair.
So that is it for the journey so far. We can’t help but feel that it is somehow blessed with good karma and great fortune. If it rains we seem to have just got on to the bus. When we arrive at a site it somehow stops raining and the sun shines on us. The music at Lone Pine seemed like it was organised by Mrs. Geldart, conducted and performed by Mr. Hodder and Mr. Tennikoff. The bugle at The Nek was unforgettable. Turkish kids want photos by the thousands and Turkish adults love to test their English language skills on us at any opportunity. Whilst there are thousands of people in a multitude of tour groups, EVERYONE wants to talk to us. We have been told by so many older visitors that seeing 128 members of a group proudly and respectfully absorbing all that Gallipoli has to offer is an impressive sight. Seeing HMAS ANZAC surrounded by Turkish naval ships gave us a sense of security as does the presence of so many police and military personnel.
We could go on about the Russian submarine we saw right in front of us but you may not believe it.
So until next time cheers from Team Gallipoli 2015.