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Published: March 23rd 2011
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It was a cold miserable wind that howled off the Aegean as we stepped off the tour bus, on our first of many stops on the Gallipoli Peninsular. Did I say it was cold, mate, it was bloody freezing !!!. All I can say is thank you Ian you that scarf & gloves you lent me.
We have hooked up with a couple of young North Americans with T.J's Tours (I'll come back to TJ later on) to visit the sites that many Australian & New Zealanders seek out each year, you might say a pilgrimage.
Just prior to getting off the bus, TJ has asked for a volunteer to read an extract of a letter from a signals officer, who was one of the first to land at ANZAC cove. I wont go into the details of the letter, however it was the young North American lass that we all volunteered to read.
Now before I go any further, this young couple have absolutely no idea what the meaning or significance of Gallipoli is. The only reason they are even on this tour, is because this was part of a package that they had signed up for,
to do a tour of Troy (you know, Greeks, wooden horse, Brad Pitt, Eric Bana - got the picture) .
Anyway, this young lass was choked up by the time she had finished reading & she hadn't even gotten off the bus yet.
This was the start of a 5 hr journey that is so very significant to the ANZAC history. For those of you that aren't of ANZAC heritage, please take a little time to "Google" the word ANZAC & Gallipoli. For the rest, you already know how the story ends.
But before the story ends, let me take you through our journey from Istanbul to ANZAC Cove.
We caught the 7am fast ferry, from Istanbul to Bandirma. This takes about 1hr 45min & costs TL40 each. From Bandirma we caught a bus to Canakkale (about 3hrs), which is the main port town on the Dardanelles & the main crossing point to the Gallipoli Peninsular, today is March 18.
There isn't a room to be had in Canakkale (population 100,000) & what we have failed to realise is that March 18 in the Turkish calendar is just as significant as April 25 is to
ours, only 1 slight difference, they won this battle.
On March 18, 1915, the British started its initial offensive against the Turks, by trying to break its way through the Dardanelle waterway, in order to secure Istanbul & hence eliminate Turkey from WW1. This was a complete disaster for the British & hence the need for a second offensive, which commenced on April 25.
The Allied landing and subsequent campaign on the peninsula during World War I is usually known in Britain as the Dardanelles Campaign and in Turkey as the Battle of Çanakkale. In Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Newfoundland and Labrador, the terms Gallipoli Campaign or just Gallipoli alone are used to describe the eight month campaign.
So without a bed in Canakkale we take the 25 min ferry ride across the Dardanelles to the small port town of Eceabat & find a room at the ECE hotel, very spartan but clean & the staff are more than friendly. From here we have an excellent view over the Dardanelles & watch as they parade their navy fleet, followed by a fly over of helicopters & fighter jets. The Turkish Prime Minister has reportedly made
an appearance to lay a reef at the Turkish War Memorial, which we will visit in a couple of days time.
We have arranged to visit the memorial sites using T.J's Tours. T.J holds joint Turkish & Australian citizenship,married to an Australian with a child, who live in Corowa & have a Turkish restaurant there. He travels back & forth every six months & is proud to boast that he was the first person from the peninsular to hold dual citizenship.
So we have booked our tour, but then the rain & winds set in, dropping the temperature from around18C to around 9C. Being on no real time limit we decide to hang around & wait out the weather.
After 2 days the rain has stopped but the wind has prevailed as with the cold temperature, now around 6 or 7C, so we decide to take off on the tour.
Have I told you how cold it was !!
Mind you less than 5 min off the bus & we're standing amongst the grave stones of some of the bravest men that have served our country & I feel more than a little embarrassed about
complaining about a little fresh breeze.
Whilst sitting back at the hotel, waiting for the weather to ease, I read a copy of a diary written by a Turkish army Lieutenant who was fighting on the front line. He described the conditions they had to deal with, in quite a colorful & often detailed vain. The weather conditions were at best deplorable, often having to contend with lice & fleas. Weeks of bitterly cold rains & snow & this is without the grenades, dumdum bullets & canon fire from HM's Navy. Dysentery & numerous other ailments caused nearly as many deaths as from being wounded. Unofficially over 250,000 Turks lost their lives during this 8 month campaign, as opposed to 8,700 Australians & 2,700 New Zealanders
So off we trekked, with TJ's commentary. I have to admit this is one of the best, most informative tours I have ever been on. TJ's knowledge & ability to project a feeling of respect & open honesty about the 8 month conflict was, to put it at best, astounding. We had the benefit of receiving a narrative not biased by one side or the other, just an honest portrayal of the
facts, with more than a touch of humility.
At Lone Pine cemetery, TJ produced a rustic brass key & led us into the large memorial that stands atop of the barren hill. Inside he asked that I read, to those around, an extract from a letter written by a Chaplin serving on the front. By the time I was finished there wasn't a dry eye in sight. From looking at the memorial book, that we were asked to sign, there aren't that many people who have the privilege to access to this part of the memorial.
From Lone Pine we moved onto the Nek, if you have seen the movie Gallipoli with Mel Gibson, this is where the movie basically finishes.
TJ showed us the grave stone of Jack Simpson "Australia's Favorite Hero". (Jack who you might ask?). Then you might remember the story of Jack & his donkey, who for 24 days rescued over 300 wounded before being fatally wounded himself.
At another point is quite a famous statue of a Turkish soldier carrying a wounded Australian Officer. The story, as verified by another Australian officer goes along the lines. In no mans land lies
a wounded Australian officer. He calls & begs for help but none comes, until a regular Turkish soldier removes his white underware & makes a makeshift white flag. He then walks out to no mans land, picks up the wounded officer & carries him back to the ANZAC line, where he places the wounded officer next to a trench to enable him to be retrieved. He then walks back to his own line. After several minutes of cease fire the battle recommences.
The many stories, to believed or not seem endless. What I do know is that this is a very special place & am just as humbled as the first time I visited, so many years ago.
Oh, and as as for the two North Americans. Well there are now another 2 people in the world that have a new found respect for the name Gallipoli.
BUT, it was bloody cold.
It's time for us to leave this place & tomorrow we head further south to visit the ruins of Efes
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Beth
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Just come home each night after work can't wait to see where you are and read the most interesting stories of where you have been and what you have see that day the photos are amazing maybe one day I will get to see it but there is always that air flight that might stop me you look very cold is it always that cold this time of year starting to get cold of a morning over here