A beautiful sunset saw us nod off on Sunday 21st August knowing that the next day would be a doozy. Sure enough with backpacks full to overflowing we waited for our taxi to return us to the airport to collect our hire car. The trip a week before from the airport took 3 hours so we set off early but this return trip was only 45 minutes and a lot cheaper than the first ride. Don’t tell me the first guy took us for a ride literally. Strangely most of the more striking architecture in Istanbul is on the Asian side of the Bosphorous. From the cab we could only elicit a few photos for you to see.
Anyway we finally got our hire car. A sporty red Fiat 1400 cc 6 speed manual. I mention the gears because while I am used to left hand drives after the USA I was not used to changing gears right handed in a manual car with such a crappy gear box. The Fiat wanted me to go from 1st to 6th gear in about 100 metres. Fortunately the drive to Gelibolu was mostly rural and on a great motorway at up to 130kph limits. Nonetheless by the time we got to our hotel we were stuffed so we settled in to our 4th floor room and looked out over the beach with a beer in hand. (That’s the first 7 photos covered.)
Tuesday morning and we were both chomping at the bit to fulfill a lifetime’s dream to visit Gallipoli. With Karen and Adrian both being 4th generation military this was an important journey for us. I just hope the authorities in Australia forgive us for bringing home a handful of sand from ANZAC Cove.
As Australians we have learnt the tales of our forebears who gave their lives for our freedom but until you actually come and see the harsh terrain you have no real idea just what our boys were up against. It was a very emotional tour and seeing the names and ages of our heroes bring home their sacrifice. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is to be congratulated for the brilliant effort they put in here to maintain a fitting tribute to our soldiers.
But we have also been told how when the Turkish people come to Gallipoli they embrace their ANZAC counterparts as brothers. This too was brought home to us by the comments and meetings we had with locals who like us were paying tribute to the soldiers on both sides. I saw one Turkish mum scold her boys for playing around a cemetery. She told us Gallipoli was as important to Turks as it was to Aussies and how revered were the troops of both sides. This she assured me was the importance of Gallipoli to all the population.
After a stop at ANZAC Cove the first cemetery we visited was Ari Burnu by the beach and just 400 mtrs from where we commemorate ANZAC Day every April. We then moved on to Lala Baba cemetery before visiting Canakkale Destani, a Gallipoli war museum set up by the Turkish Government. Akbas Sehitligi was the next memorial before we headed to Lone Pine Cemetery.
Lone Pine is one of our most important and poignant cemeteries on the peninsula. I was in awe of the hereos that were buried here like Sgt Shepherd aged 18 and Pte Flemming aged 16. These were but 2 of the men who lost their lives for their country. I wonder if the 18 year olds of today could face such a tough duty. Next came Johnston’s Jolly where you could literall throw stones at each other the trenches were so close. At some places they were seperated by no more than 15 mtrs. This was also a place to see tunnels dug by both sides to get to the enemy to gain the upper hand. Right across the road is the Turk’s most important memorial espousing the bravery of one Kamal Attatuk, Commander of the 57th Turkish Regiment whose initiative and courage caused the Allied Forces to not win their objectives. His actions here and at Chanuk Bair and the Nek secured victory for the Turks in the most feircely fought battle of the entire campaign.
From here we ventured to the Beach Cemetery where we found the gravestone of one Private John Simpson Kirkpatrick. Better known to many as “The man with the donkey” Kirkpatrick saved many lives by walking through enemy fire and collecting the wounded. He then hoisted them on a donkey he had earlier found and rescued his injured comrade bringing them back to safety again through a hail of enemy fire.
With the weather closing in on us we had a too short of a stop at Helles Point the southern most part of the Peninsular where the British Troops landed before rushing back to our hotel at Gelibolu.
We’ve decided that today would be a quiet day of recovery. About all we’ll do is have a quick walk around town with lunch on the waterfront. Tonight we pack to move on to Izmir via the city of Troy where Hector mortally wounded Archilles and the famous wooden horse was delivered. We are looking forward to these ancient ruins.
That’s it for this post. Watch for more as we still have more Turkey to go before hitting Greece, Italy, France and Bali.
2 more reports read and approved, obviously Istanbul is a place the camera doesn’t do it justice but all the same looks very interesting, of course Gallipoli would be a place of many emotions, pride, sadness and anger, the same emotions I have on Anzac Day as I march but probably more intense, France will be just as intense I imagine …………………. Have to have a break, reading your travel wears me out as if I’m hoofing it with you, tucker looks nice as well ……………….. Side note they are restoring an old RAAF SAR boat for Point Cook Museum, just forget which one ……….. Ian.
Geez mate don’t overdo it. You’re no spring chicken anymore. Just glad to have you onboard. Yes Gallipoli certainly was emotional. My son, Adrian, was there a few years back. His hotel manager took him to Gallipoli by boat and Adrian landed on the beach as our forebears did. He said he almost collapsed when he hit the sand. He himself wasn’t that long returned from his own tours of Timor and Afghanistan. (We’re very proud that both he and his sister Karen are 4th gen Aussie Military).
The SAR boat would have to be either 109 or 113 (from old memories). After I left I believe Dennis (the old W.O.) broke the back of one boat in Newcastle while the other was paid off. The Townsville boat is (I’ve been semi-reliably informed) is moored far up the Ross River here. And the Pt Cook boat was a more modern boat that I never saw or really heard much about. In the Marine Section, Pt Cook was more of a ‘punishment’ draft (who wants to be on Pt Phillip Bay in winter?). They tried to post me there but I was discharged MUFFS. The W.O. didn’t like that my Pussers time gave me more cred than he ever had.
Thanks for reading and especially for commenting. Cheers, Garry