01 May 2008 by Robyn Van Dyk.
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Battlefield Tours, News, Gallipoli
The tour visited Shrapnel Valley Cemetery in the late afternoon and were touched by the sad expression of loss on the grave of Private John Edward Barclay of the 8th Battalion. He was killed in action on the 21 June 1915 and was the husband of Louisa Mary Barclay. He is buried at Shrapnel Valley Cemetery Anzac.
The grave of John Edward Barclay
01 May 2008 by Robyn Van Dyk.
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Battlefield Tours, Gallipoli
The Walk from Chunuk Bair down Rhododendron Ridge to the northern outposts gave the tour an appreciation of the difficulty of the terrain around this area of the peninsula.
Gallipoli terrain from Rhododendron Ridge
A bush fire several years ago reduced the vegetation, opened up the view and exposed parts of the landscape including old trenches. The vegetation has now grown back to about chest height which would have been its height at the time of the Anzac landing. Unlike the Anzacs most of us reaped the benefit of modern bush walking gear, fabrics that don’t snag and tear when walking through this spiny shrubbery. The scenic walk included the sounds of a rich bird life, breath taking views and the smell of wild thyme which was all over the path and released its scent when it became crushed under foot.
Rhododendron Ridge walk
The photograph on the right was taken by Peter Rubinstein who managed to walk this path and take photographs even though he confessed to a fear of heights. Rhododendron ridge was given its name from the plant Arbutis (top left). Arbutis is a common plant on the peninsula and was often mistakenly called rhododendron by the Anzacs. We also found this exposed tunnel from the campaign.
27 April 2008 by Robyn Van Dyk.
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Battlefield Tours, News, Gallipoli
A couple of days after the landing on the 25th April 1915 the weather turned bitterly cold for the ANZACs dug in at Gallipoli. Having been blessed with the weather so far, the battlefield tour received a good dose of what it would have been like for the diggers in 1915.
Most of us on the tour agree that we have just spent the coldest night of our lives camped out for the Dawn Service! We left the hotel at 12 am in order to arrive at ANZAC Cove ahead of the pack and reserve some seats for the service which was to start at 4:30 am. As the temperature at ANZAC Cove was forecast to fall to -3 degrees we dressed like “Michelin men”. When we arrived we realised that the pack were already there ahead of us and it was a struggle to get seats. Although in the end we all managed to find seating amongst the 12,000 strong crowd. Several of us managed to squeeze in with the large contingent who had been camping out on the grounds for several hours ahead of us. Those who did this all agreed that they had made the right choice as there is warmth in numbers. read on
27 April 2008 by Robyn Van Dyk.
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Battlefield Tours, News, Gallipoli
ANZAC Cove is the name given to this stretch of the west coast of the Turkish Peninsula where the Australians and New Zealanders made their landing on the 25 April 1915. The landing marked the start of an eight month campaign on the Gallipoli Peninsula. The ANZACs under General Birdwood were to make the northern landing. Once ashore they were to press inland.The Battlefield tour took a boat trip yesterday to the coast where the ANZACs made their famous landing on the morning of Sunday 25 April.
Panorama view of the coastline from the Aegean Sea. From here the Anzacs made their landing. Photograph by Matt Dare.
24 April 2008 by Robyn Van Dyk.
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Battlefield Tours, News, Gallipoli
Homer described the location of the city of Troy as situated at the entrance of the Dardanelles. The Gallipoli campaign was fought a few kilometres from the site of the ancient city. The historical connections between the ancient and modern battlefields were not lost on the Australians fighting in this region. Many ANZACs found pieces of ancient pottery when tunnelling into the hills.The battlefield tour took the opportunity to walk through the ruins of this ancient city and to take some group photographs. We are divided into two groups Green (top) and Gold (bottom).
Green (top) and Gold (bottom) group photographs amphitheatre Troy read on
24 April 2008 by Robyn Van Dyk.
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Battlefield Tours, News, Gallipoli
There are only five known Aboriginal servicemen buried at Gallipoli, however, it is estimated that 500-800 Aboriginal diggers served in the First World War. Ethnicity was not recorded in the enlistment process and research into indigenous service can involve trawling across many different sources, sometimes we may never know who these servicemen were.
23 April 2008 by Robyn Van Dyk.
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Battlefield Tours, Gallipoli
The first action by the Allies against the Ottomans began as a naval operation and occurred here on the Dardanelles. On the 18 March a large British and French fleet of 18 war ships advanced towards the Narrows, hoping to put the forts that defended the Dardanelles out of action, threaten Constantinople and open supply routes to Russia.The war operation began with preliminary bombardments of the Turkish forts in January and February 1915. The operation failed due to the impenetrable defences of this passage which included artillery and mines that were laid strategically in the narrows.
Mobile Howitzers were the key to the defences of the Narrows. Original Krupp L40 150 cm Howitzer defending the Dardanelles (left). Barrell from a mobile Howitzer at the Naval Museum Cannakale (right) Photographs by Colin Simpson.
23 April 2008 by Robyn Van Dyk.
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Battlefield Tours, News, Gallipoli
On the journey from Istanbul to the Dardanelles the Battlefield tour noticed this striking memorial on the slopes of the Kilitbahir Plateau. In English it translates to:
Stop passerby
The ground you tread on, unawares,
Once witnessed the end of a generation.
Listen in this quiet earth
Beats the heart of a nation.
Stop Passerby!
19 April 2008 by Robyn Van Dyk.
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Battlefield Tours, Gallipoli
The tour has been visiting some of the famous sites of the old city including the Hippodrome, Haghia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. These grand and glorious monuments tell us much of Istanbul’s long history. This city is the former capital of three successive empires Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman.
Egyptian obelisk at the Hippodrome(photograph by Rob Hegarty); Museum of Haghia Sophia (photograph by Rod Stewart) & The Blue Mosque (photograph by Robyn van Dyk)
17 April 2008 by Robyn Van Dyk.
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Battlefield Tours, News, Gallipoli
It turns out that Rod Stewart, one of our fellow travellers on the tour, is also a fellow blogger. Rod’s grandfather Edward John Howells served at Gallipoli where he was evacuated injured. He later re-entered the war and served in the Palestine Campaign where he was awarded the Military Cross for “great determination, skill and coolness under fire.” Rod will be blogging about his experiences on the tour.
A view of the pontoon bridge constructed by Australian Engineers in the face of opposition by the enemy, who were strongly entrenched. B02735
Before joining the battlefield tour Rod made a trip to Jordan and visited the site where his Grandfather, on the night of 21 March 1918, earned his Military Cross. The Jordan in 1918 was in high flood, halting the British forces who were unable to cross. Under heavy Turkish fire, Edward Howells with his men constructed the first bridge, a pontoon bridge, across the river. The bridge allowed the British forces to cross the river and attack the Turkish forces from the rear. One of the pontoons from this bridge is held in the Memorial’s collections.
The story is written in some detail in the Official History: H S Gullett, The Australian Imperial Force in Sinai and Palestine, 1914-1918.
Closed Sundays and ACT public holidays.
Free admission
