Gallipoli

Hi every body,

The next part of the series of our trip to Turkey and Istanbul.

The Gallipoli peninsula is surrounded from the east by the Dardanelles ,a strategic waterway to the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus and the Black Sea, and thus the control of Constantinople , now Istanbul.

Now the peninsula is an area of great beauty, with agriculture, pine forests and wonderful beaches. But at the beginning of the 1st World War, it became the scene of one of the bloodiest battles of that war.

The Allied Forces planned to occupy the Dardanelles, to prevent the Russians from taking over this strategic point, in ancient history known as the Hellespont, however the attack by ship failed and the plan was made for an invasion. On the 25th of April 1915 the ANZAC's ( Australia and New Zealand Army Corps) landed a little to the north of the tip of Gallipoli, where they fought a heroic battle but were unsuccessful in capturing the Turks. Many died, through drowning, from battle and disease. After 9 months the order was finally given to retreat.

The 25th of April has become Remembrance Day for the Australian people. It is a public holiday in Australia (similar to the 5th of May in Holland).

It was a moving experience for us "new Aussies" especially for Richard and Hanneke.

 

Arriving by tour bus at the tip of the peninsula .

Remembrance statue of the Turkish army.

An overview of the battles fought on the peninsula .

A map of the area with explanations of the various sites.

Explanation of the strategic points of the battle.

This is the beach where the ANZAC's landed. Now named Anzac Cove.

The Anzac memorial.

" proof" we were there.

One of the plaques on the wall near Anzac Cove, explaining the different sites of that part of the battle, where the Anzac forces fought.

Reading the story told on the wall.

Chunk Bair. Monument in honor of the men who died.

Graves at Anzac Cove.

Wall with the names of the men, who could not be identified or found, but fought in the battle.

One of the many graves.

Richard at the original monument of Anzac Cove.

Looking down to the beach, Anzac cove .

So serene, so beautiful ........

The memorial and graves at Lone Pine.

Richard on the wall at Lone Pine.

Pine tree planted there, below the story....

The story.

Turkish war memorial.

Goodbye Gallipoli.

It was a long day for us, but a day to remember.

That's it for now, next blog to follow soon.

Greetings, L&S xxx.