Day 4 - Gallipoli

After dancing the night away with Turkish families and each other in the Kum Hotel dining room, we began the day eating breakfast with our new Turkish friends before getting onto the bus to head south down the Peninsula. Our first stop was the Turkish Memorial, dedicated to the men from across the Ottoman Empire who died defending their homeland. 

Bruce explains the Turkish memorials to the group

The vast size of the memorial came as a shock with a ‘graveyard’ of glass memorials containing the names of the 60,000 men known to have been killed in the war (although some estimates say upwards of 100,000 died on the Turkish side).  The site also contained a huge stone memorial of four columns supporting of a roof painted with the Turkish flag. This memorial was built by the Turks to dominate the peninsula as it could be clearly seen from across the Straits.

SOAPs below the sculpted relief on the Turkish memorial

The Turkish memorial

We got back onto the bus to head towards the French Memorial. Which was hard to find, because it is not clearly signposted and rarely visited by the French. We missed the turn and got lost. We had to go back via the Turkish memorial to find our way, stopping to ask a soldier armed with a machine gun for directions.

When we arrived it was easy to see how we missed the memorial the first time we went past, as it was surrounded by a high, whitewashed wall on the top of a hill. Once inside we were struck by the difference to the Australian memorials we had seen previously. The French memorial was filled with fleur-de-lis shaped crosses, fashioned out of star pickets and wire painted black with a large art-deco style tower that commemorated the thousands of French men who died there.  This memorial is one of the more neglected on the Peninsula and the French’s involvement remains a lesser-known chapter in the history of the Gallipoli Campaign.

We stopped in a small village to warm up with some Turkish cay (tea) and coffee. Some of us enjoyed it more than others – namely Tom - who downed three cups of the stuff, which bore a strong resemblance to mud. Our next stop was the British memorial which consisted of an obelisk on a very windy hillside. It had been constructed with a shiny, white rock as to be clearly seen by boats passing through the Dardanelles. On its sides, the names of the British soldiers and sailors killed in the campaign were inscribed in the stone. Just down the hill from the memorial was the landing site of the British ship the Clyde which was pinned down by fire from two forts on either side of the beach, trapping the men attempting to land from the boat. It was said in one account that the water had run red with blood for 50 metres.

We then headed to Krithia for lunch, which featured a rather interesting drink made of yogurt, water and salt that was nearly as ‘tasty’ as the Turkish coffee. We headed into the countryside to the site of the Battle for Krithia. Bruce then led us on a field excursion into a pine plantation to show us one of the hidden gullies that had made the Allies advance toward Krithia so difficult.

After exploring the south of the peninsula we headed to the Northern Sector past ANZAC Cove, stopping at Hill 60 (no, not the one you’re thinking of which was made into a film) and Hill 10, braving the chilling winds to pay our respects at the cemeteries. As we went north past Suvla Bay, Bruce was shocked to notice the size of the birds next to the road until he realized that they were actually goats (guess that’s why he doesn’t teach vet science).

SOAPs on the balcony of Attaturk's Bigali house

Our final stop for the day was the villages of Bigali where Ataturk stayed during the war and where his house is preserved as a tourist attraction to this day. It was interesting to see the inside of a traditional Turkish house with its rickety wooden stairs and low ceilings. We had a cup of tea with the locals and a game of super ninja in the village square before heading back to the Kum for a night of secret rehearsals (see tomorrow’s entry to find out more).

Day 3 - Gallipoli....continued....

The third day of our trip had an overwhelming theme of commemoration. Throughout the day there were ten commemoration ceremonies held for the Australia and New Zealand diggers who we’d “adopted” and researched in our preparation for the study tour. As each student paid their tribute, we heard moving accounts of the lives of a range of gallant young men, from Privates to Reverends and Majors, each with their own story. These tributes were completed by the Last Post, the recitation of the Ode and the Rouse, played on the bugle by Hadley Black.

This fantastic day of touring the battlefields began with a group photo at the famous ANZAC sign at North Beach. We then traveled to Embarkation Pier, where we heard a tribute from David Lewien, who is a Vietnam veteran and a member of the State Executive of the RSL. He paid tribute to Reverend Andrew Gillison, a chaplain to the 14^th Battalion. From there we went onto 2^nd Post Cemetery. Thanks to Bruce’s knowledge of the area we were able to view the remains of a WW1-era barge on the shores. We spent the rest of the day along the 2nd ridge which was for the most part the front line at Gallipoli.

The most memorable part was the visit to the Lone Pine Cemetery. Gazing upon the thousands of names inscribed on the wall was truly heart wrenching. This experience was capped off by six tributes to diggers accompanied by Amazing Grace on the pipes and the Last Post and Rouse on bugle. At Lone Pine we also explored subsided trenches from the campaign.

Liz Sandbach at Lone Pine

After a tribute at Quinn’s Post we moved on to The Nek. This is a narrow strip of land, not much bigger than a tennis court, where three waves of Australians charged Turkish machine gunners. I found it hard to believe that while there are more than 200 men buried at The Nek – only 10 could be identified. The rest had literally been shot to bits. Here we met Turkish tourists from Istanbul and of all people, a school group from Horsham, Victoria. Here we heard stories from men who fought at the Nek. Bruce got Bob, our tour leader, and Nick, one of the teachers to read an extract from the film script of Gallipoli. This inspirational experience was followed by an amazing but terrifying view from Walkers Ridge down a steep cliff into Mule Gully.

Hadley playing the Last Post at Quinn's Post

Walker's Ridge looking into Mule Gully

SOAPs and Horsham Secondary College

 

A short bus trip followed, up to Baby 700, the sight of teacher chaperone Nick’s adopted digger tribute. Our tour of the 2^nd ridge was completed with a visit to Chunuk Bair. Chunuk Bair was an ANZAC objective of the first day at Gallipoli but would only be briefly captured during the August Offensive. This offensive by New Zealand soldiers would cost of many hundreds of lives. One amongst these was Tom’s adopted digger Colonel Malone, the leader of the new Zealanders who took Chunuk Bair.

This amazing day at Gallipoli was finished by cultural entertainment at Hotel Kum. The students enthusiastically took the opportunity join Turkish party and to learn traditional dances. A truly cultural experience.

Day 2 - The Gallipoli Peninsula

We start our second day of the tour with a five hour drive to the Gallipoli Peninsula. After our epic flight the day before, a long drive wasn't appealing but once we got underway the trip went quickly. Let me list what went down:

•    Super mega ninja destruction at the roadhouse.
•      Who has the hat? YOU have the hat!
•     An epic game of cheat.
•     The Turkish spotter game.
•      Stopping in Gelibolu and learning about the AE2 submarine.
•      Our beautiful Turkish lunch!

Once we got there, our first stop on our tour of Gallipoli was at the legendary ANZAC Cove. We took pictures by the sign and walked along the beach to the Beach cemetery. It was there Rachel had her commemoration of Richard Maynard, her adopted digger. We also saw John Simpson's grave. Walking where the ANZACs walked was surreal, especially since it was the first battlefield we encountered.

Study Tour group at ANZAC Cove

We then went to Shrapnel Gully, with its peaceful cemetery just a short walk from the beach. From there we clambered up to Plugge's Plateau. Interspersed throughout the cemeteries and points, Bruce Scates, the history professor from Monash, explained the ANZACs experience with the land we walked on. After Plugge's, we got back on the bus and headed to Lone Pine so that we could walk down to Shell Green. We were only supposed to have a look through Lone Pine, (which was covered in scaffolding and seating ready for the ANZAC service) but we missed the big sign pointing to Shell Green and walked a while down the wrong road. After realising our mistake, the group headed off to Shell Green on the right track.

Shell Green cemetery

At Shell Green we had Elizabeth's commemoration of Miles Neal Turner. 

Liz Smart pays tribute to her adopted digger, Pte Turner

Hadley played the Last Post as the sun set over the Aegean Sea. It was a deeply moving experience, and I think the tone and solemnity of adopted digger tribute really set the mood of the rest of the commemorations for the trip. We watched the end of a beautiful sunset, then got in the bus to arrive in the Kum Hotel.

At the Kum, we had a lovely dinner of Turkish food. Certainly a memorable moment was when Laura's clear retainer, which she'd put on her side plate, got taken away by the waiting staff. Thankfully, the retainers were returned. We then went into our rooms, discovered the treacherous showers and, in Liz's and my room, discovered the broken toilet, which Bob organised to have repaired immediately. 

We all got a warning about not being too noisy. Then, it was time for bed.

Bridget

Day 1 - Discovering Istanbul

After a sleepless flight we were all very relieved to arrive in Istanbul! Once through a very trying Turkish customs, we bused to the Eresin Crowne Hotel which was fabulously located in the heart of Istanbul. After marvelling at the splendour of the hotel's lobby (which also displayed fascinating relics) we had a quick much needed shower before hitting the streets with our guide, Burcu. The weather was appalling, but we braved the bitter wind and heavy rain armed with umbrellas embodying the ANZAC spirit. Our first encounter with Turkish street sellers, was quite comical when they insisted we purchase more umbrellas!

The Blue Mosque dominated the city skyline with its noticeable six minarets. Built in 1631, the interior of the Mosque provided welcome shelter from the pelting rain and also exceeded our expectations with its stunning decoration. The floors were carpeted and the walls and high roofs beautifully mosaic-ed predominantly with blue tiles, giving the mosque its name. We heard men chant calling the faithful to prayer.

Our first Turkish meal,consisting of dolmades (rice wrapped in vine leaves)and a range of other Turkish delicacies, was lunch. This was followed by the traditional Turkish dessert baklava and a cup of apple tea.

Then we walked to Topkapi Palace, former home of the Sultan. Huge and elaborate, the rain did not detract from the beauty. Different parts of the Palace served various purposes, including rooms filled with precious jewels and artefacts and rooms for circumcision!

A surprise visit to the Basilica Cistern, which was an enormous underground chamber that had provided the ancient city with its water supply. Built in 565 by an Emperor, amongst the columns were two Medusa heads for support.

We then moved on to the Spice Market which was alive with friendly stall holders and exotic cuisine. The Turks particularly loved our Akubras and kept calling us cowboys and asking where our horses were! We also received a few proposals of marriage...! Turkish delight was a particular favourite for all, with flavours ranging from Rosewater to Pistachio. It did not take us long to discover that Turkey has a very distinct, lively culture like no other.

We then headed back to then hotel, exhausted and very much looking forward to a real bed.