Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
-- the Ode, from 'For the fallen' by Laurence Binyon (1869–1943).
Gallipoli is a sacred place for Australians and New Zealanders. You may be wondering to yourself, 'why is this so important to them? After all, it is all the way in Turkey."
In March, 1915, the British and French were trying to secure a route from the west to Russia. This was during WWI, and the Ottoman Turks were allied with the Germans and Austro-Hungarians. The goal for the French and British was to eventually take Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire. This would secure a route from the Aegean Sea, through the Dardanelles, into the Sea of Marmara, through the Bosphorus (at Istanbul), then into the Black Sea.
Unfortunately, this was not as simple as it looked on paper. There were approximately 471,000 casualties in this area. For the Turks, this was an epic struggle as the Ottoman Empire was in its last days. The great Mustafa Kamal, Ataturk, was involved in the campaign here. He was shot in the heart, and the only thing that saved his life was his pocket watch.
For the young nations of Australia and New Zealand, this campaign marks the birth of national consciousness for their countries.
This is the Neck in the ANZAC Cove. You cannot really get a good sense of the steepness of the terrain.
This is a view towards the ANZAC Cove and the memorial here.
From the beach, you can see how steep the terrain is. Its sacred feel is very reminiscent to me of Gettysburg and Pickett's Charge, both needless slaughter of human life.
Right before entering a small cemetery near the ANZAC Cove, there is this monument. On it is inscribed the words of Ataturk from 1934.
"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 in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well."
I don't know how a person could read that and not have an emotional reaction to it. This set the stage for entering Ari Burnu.
I can't recall the number of ANZACs, Turks, and other groups are buried here. It is small compared to the number killed here.
A little note left at the foot of the cross in this cemetery.
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