Somber History Lesson

The Gallipoli Peninsula lies to the north of the Dardanelles.  There was a major campaign in the First World War was fought there and today is known as the place where 50,000 Allies and almost twice as many Turks were killed for control of the shipping traffic of the Dardanelles.  It is also where Mustafa Kemal Ataturk rose to power and became a house hold name in Turkey.

We took the ferry across the Dardanelles to meet our tour guide. Outside of the Crowded House Hotel (which is an Australian hostel type of hotel where we were told to meet) was a fish shop and this cat seemed to know exactly where to go.

This was our tour guide at the first stop.  He has been giving Gallipoli tours for 15 years now and was very into sharing everything there was to share about the campaign.  The tour cost, 55TL per person, included and English speaking guide, ferry transportation to and from Canakkale/Gallipoli, bus transportation to all of the memorials and battlegrounds, and lunch. 

We stopped at a small museum to begin the tour and learned that the Allied forces were trying to gain control of the Dardanelles.  Winston Churchill was in charge of the plan and they highly underestimated the Turks.  The British and French troops began to enter the Dardanelles with their ships and were unsuccessful because the Turks had laid underwater mines like this one along the entrance of the straights.  After those blew up and sunk a few ships and the current and land fighting sent them back, the Allies decided to call for reinforcements.

A WWI shank!  It was actually a bayonet.  This fight was one of the bloodiest and worst hand to hand combat fights of WWI.

This is Anzac Cove.  So when the British realized they needed more help, they called in the assistance of the Australians and New Zealanders.  Now when we looked at a map, Dad and I could not figure out the geographical logic of enlisting the Anzac’s for this particular mission, but it was done.  They were supposed to land on Brighten Beach which was a flat coastal area, but because they were coming in at night and had navigational errors they landed here instead.  Looking at a nice rocky cliff face that they had to climb up and over to get to the top ridge.

This is on the mountain side of Canakkale.  May 18, 1915 is the day the Turks commemorate the war.  There was 9 months of trench warfare but only 2 main fighting dates that stand out in history, May 18^th for the Turks and April 25^th for the Anzacs.  On the 25^th the Anzacs made it to Chunk Bair (the objective highest point on the peninsula) and on May 18^th Ataturk claimed the point back.

This statue of a Turkish soldier carrying and Anzac was a nicer story that we heard that day.  The Anzac soldier was wounded and on the Turkish side of the line pleading for help, the Turkish soldier left his trench to pick up the wounded soldier and place him back on his side of the line so his people could help him get better.  The Turks were fighting for their land, but in such terrible conditions, they were both essentially fighting for someone else and had moments of humanity.

This is the Australian Memorial at Lone Pine Cemetery.  It bears the names of the Australian and New Zealand soldier with unknown graves killed during the war.  This was as far as the Anzacs got the entire war.  The single pine tree comes from the single tree left on the battlefield after the others were all cut down for fire wood.  The tree shown is actually a great great grandtree of the original tree that was standing during the battle.

This is the one American who fought during the campaign.  He had moved to Australia and was killed at age 21 during the May 15^th battle.  The youngest soldier was only 14 and had lied about his age to “Travel to exotic lands and see Europe” like the government was advertising.

There are over 50 Turkish mini-memorials scattered around the battle fields and this is on erected at Anzac Cove.  It reads, “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 at peace.  After having lost their lives on this land, they have become out sons as well.” – Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

This is the Turkish Memorial on Chunk Bair.  This is what the Allies wanted to occupy, but never got the chance.  Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) became a hero when he told his men, “I order you not to just fight, but to die” which is exactly what they did.  The line managed to hold and the Turks won, with over 200,000 of their men killed, wounded, or missing. 

I wore my Ataturk t-shirt since once we are out of Turkey, I won’t have many places to wear it.  This is still part of the Chunk Bair memorial, but it took a bus to get there.  Behind me is Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) who told everyone else to die and would have except when he got shot the bullet hit the pocket watch over his heart.  Dad was noticing how the highest ranking casualty listed on the Turkish side was major and then stopped. 

This is a view of the peninsula from the ferry across.  You can see another of our friends, the big ship, and a memorial on the side of the mountain.  It apparently translates to, “Stop, O passerby. This earth you tread unawares is where an age was lost.  Bow and listen, for this quiet place is where the heart of a nation throbs.”

It was a very educational and somber day of touring for us.  We learned a lot about the campaign and the guide was very thorough so it felt like we were there. 

A fun side note was that on the tour was a professional basket ball player who normally plays on one of the Turkish teams.  He is from either Australia or America (we couldn’t tell) and was about 6ft 11in maybe?  Huge guy who was injured and I guess touring with his girlfriend. 

We had Burger Turk for lunch before the tour (uncertain of what we would be served and I was happy I had the chicken sandwich when our juice box and goat cheese sandwich came out) and for dinner we found London Kebap which served the BEST chicken doner I have had yet.  The chicken was seasoned just right and there was a lot of it in the wrap.  It was delicious.