Anzac day

[NZBlue]

Respect, for both the ANZAC heroes and the comments on here

 

[pride in battle]

I've found the memorial, I'd just be interested to know what happened between the beach landing and the August when he died.
View attachment 115889

Sad that, R.I.P

 

[Blue Llama]

We, the British, did nothing of the sort. Australia was a federated country by then and had considerable enthusiasm for the wars and indeed were pushing for it politically before the British even declared war. And neither the First or Second World War were "our wars", they were a response to geopolitical events that affected the entire world and were fought across the entire world.
Many Australian historians consider Gallipoli and the ANZAC participation in the First World War as absolutely key to establishing an Australian national identity separate to that of the British and the "We're All Australians Now" poem that school's recite was written about Gallipoli.

Another great poem about ANZAC day



And the full album is a great listen.

 

[Blue Mist]

We, the British, did nothing of the sort. Australia was a federated country by then and had considerable enthusiasm for the wars and indeed were pushing for it politically before the British even declared war. And neither the First or Second World War were "our wars", they were a response to geopolitical events that affected the entire world and were fought across the entire world.
Many Australian historians consider Gallipoli and the ANZAC participation in the First World War as absolutely key to establishing an Australian national identity separate to that of the British and the "We're All Australians Now" poem that school's recite was written about Gallipoli.

You believe your version, I'll believe mine. I am not proud of the British Empire and all those we killed to get it.
As a side note I am not proud of how we, the British treated first nation Australians.

 

[manclad]

We, Britain, nearly wiped Australia off the map.
Our 2 wars decimated the population so much, by the mid 60's the country was on its knees.
The £10 pom allowed the country to rebuild.
The point I am trying to make is we, the British should always remember what the Anzacs gave up and sacrificed for a war thousands of miles from home.
The Royal Service Legion Club near my sons still stand as the last post is played at 6pm EVERY DAY.

Every single Anzac in the First World War was a volunteer,so not one of them was conscripted into the armed services.
So they were all very brave men to actually volunteer to fight in " The War to End All Wars".
But they went into battle in the knowledge that they had volunteered to fight for their countries who were at war with The Axis Powers .

 

[Blue Mist]

Every single Anzac in the First World War was a volunteer,so not one of them was conscripted into the armed services.
So they were all very brave men to actually volunteer to fight in " The War to End All Wars".
But they went into battle in the knowledge that they had volunteered to fight for their countries who were at war with The Axis Powers .

I know they were volunteers. I know they were very brave.

 

[Gremlin]

Have you tried the Lancashire Fusiliers Museum in Bury. I've never been but I've heard that it has a lot of artefacts and there might be medical reports or even someone's diary that mentions him? I know how difficult it can be as a lot of the WW1 records in the War office were destroyed by fire in the second world war.

Also I was given a report of my grandfather's death (although it made me cry as he was 'blown to bits') from the Manchester and Salford Local History forum. There was a guy on there (although I'm going back before Lockdown now) who seemed to have a lot of information.

Home | The Fusilier Museum, Lancashire

The Fusilier Museum is home to the collections of the XX Lancashire Fusiliers and the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. Together they record over 300 years of history and heritage.

www.fusiliermuseum.com

Whilst in the wider world it is principally remembered in terms of the Anzac experience, it is also one of the principal battle honours of the Lancashire Fusiliers who famously won '6 VCs before breakfast' at W Beach in Gallipoli (as well . The museum is well worth a visit to find out more, though I should declare an interest in that I have a role in the organisation.

For those interested, here is the official citation:

"On 25 April 1915, the beaches of the Gallipoli Peninsula were stormed by an Allied force in an attempt to knock Turkey out of the First World War and to turn the flank of the stalemated Western Front.

The expedition moved to the Middle East full of a strange sense of exaltation; here was an almost sacred mission aimed at Constantinople and the ending of a terrible struggle. The young poet, Rupert Brooke, himself a member of the expedition, wrote: ‘Now, God be thanked Who has matched us with His hour’.

The land attack was a sequel to a naval attempt to force the Dardanelles a month previously. This put the Turks on their guard, and under a German General they had redeployed their forces and improved their defences.

86 Brigade, a Fusilier Brigade consisting of the 2nd Battalion Royal Fusiliers, 1st Battalions the Lancashire Fusiliers, Royal Munster Fusiliers and Royal Dublin Fusiliers, was the first to land on the Gallipoli Peninsula, to cover the disembarkation of the rest of 29 Division.

Battalion Headquarters and two companies of the 2nd Battalion Royal Fusiliers sailed in HMS Implacable, the other two companies in a minesweeper. The Battalion had been allotted ‘X’ Beach, a narrow ribbon of sand about 200 yards long, with cliffs some 100 feet high rising steeply from the beach. The men rowed to the beach in the ship’s boats and covered by the fire of Implacable’s 12-inch guns, waded ashore when the boats grounded.

Scrambling up the cliff, ‘W’ and ‘X’ Companies quickly captured the foremost Turkish trenches. ‘W’ and half ‘Z’ Companies were quickly then ordered to capture Hill 114, 1,000 yards away to their right, in order to join hands with the Lancashire Fusiliers who were landing at ‘W’ Beach.

Hill 114 had been elaborately entrenched and was strongly defended, but after a stern fight the Fusiliers carried it at the point of the bayonet. Continuing their advance eastwards, they met further strong opposition on the reverse side of the hill, but they eventually dislodged the Turks from their trenches and dug in for the night.

The capture of Hill 114 turned the scale on ‘W’ Beach, and with linking of the two beaches a foothold was established on the peninsula.

Meanwhile ‘X’ Company on the left was being heavily counter attacked but in the end they beat off the attacks and the position was consolidated. An official historian wrote ‘The success of the Royal Fusiliers at ‘X’ Beach must be set down as a particularly memorable exploit’.

The Battalion’s casualties that day amounted to nearly half its strength, and included the Commanding Officer, the Second-in-Command, and all the Company Commanders.

The 1st Battalion XX the Lancashire Fusiliers were allotted ‘W’ Beach. This was a strip of deep, powdery sand about 350 yards long and 15 to 40 yards wide.

The Battalion set sail in HMS Euryalus, except for ‘D’ Company, who were in HMS Implacable. At 4am they transferred to the ship’s cutters, which were first towed, then rowed by sailors to the beaches.

At 5am the naval bombardment of the beaches began; there was no reply from the enemy. Shortly after 6am, the boats touched the shore, and immediately the Turks opened fire. Rifles, machine-guns, and pom-poms kept up a ceaseless hail of shot. Many soldiers and sailors died in the boats; of those who struggled ashore through barbed-wire entanglements and deep, soft sand, few were unscathed. One much wounded Fusilier, struggling to get through the wire joked to a nearby officer: ‘Thou’st given me a bloody job’!

‘D’ Company, on the left flank, surprised the Turks, bayoneted the machine-gunners there, and relieved the pressure. The few remaining officers rallied the remainder of the Battalion, and they pressed on behind ‘D’ Company. Other Battalions linked up now from other landing places, and together, the high ground behind the beach was carried.

The Turkish counterattacks continued long after dark, but they were successfully beaten off. The cost was high; at the end of the day only 11 officers and 399 other ranks remained fit for duty.

Six members of the Battalion were later awarded Victoria Crosses; Capt R R Willis, Capt C Bromley, Sgt A Richards, Sgt F E Stubbs (killed leading his platoon), LCpl J Grimshaw (for gallantry in signalling) and Pte W Keneally.

Gen Sir Ian Hamilton, Commander of the expedition, ordered that ‘W’ Beach should be renamed ‘Lancashire Landing’. He wrote in his despatch:

‘…So strong, in fact, were the defences of ‘W’ Beach that the Turks may well have considered them impregnable, and it is my firm conviction that no finer feat of arms has ever been achieved by the British Soldier - or any other soldier - than the storming of these beaches from open boats on the morning of 25 April. The landing at ‘W’ Beach had been entrusted to the 1st Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers (Maj Bishop) and it was to the complete lack of the senses of danger or fear of this daring Battalion that we owe our astonishing success…’.

‘Gallantly led by their officers, the Fusiliers literally hurled themselves ashore, and fired at from right, left and centre, commenced hacking their way through the wire. A long line of men was at once mown down as by a scythe, but the remainder were not to be denied…’.

Vice-Admiral de Roebeck, in his despatch on the naval aspect of the operation wrote:

‘…It is impossible to exalt too highly the service rendered by the 1st Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers in the storming of the beaches; the dash and gallantry displayed was superb…’.

And HMS Euryalus signalled:

‘We are proud as can be to have had the honour to carry your splendid Regiment. We feel for you all in your great losses as if you were our own ship’s company but know the magnificent gallantry of your Regiment has made the name more famous than ever’.

Gallipoli Sunday: The Sunday nearest 25 April is observed in Bury by the Regiment as the Annual Regimental Commemoration Sunday to commemorate ‘Lancashire Landing’ or more correctly ‘Landing at Helles’."

 

[asgoodasitgets]

I've found the memorial, I'd just be interested to know what happened between the beach landing and the August when he died.
View attachment 115889

I’ve been to that memorial.
Nearby are the guns facing into the channel that the ships sailed into .

My great grandad was also killed in Gallipoli and his grave is in the Redoubt Cemetery which is a couple of miles inland . It’s a beautiful place, well tended to and very peaceful. The local people are very friendly and take a great pride in looking after the area.
You enter under a dramatic arch of trees into a sun kissed area. Quite the setting and very poignant.

 

[Gray]

I visited Gallipoli in the mid 70s, incredible place, empty and eerily silent.

Broken , rusting wrecks of landing craft still in the water and bullets, human remains could still be found in the dunes above the beach.

Incredibly beautiful war graves incredibly well looked after near the shore line.

I was a young kid at the time but the experience had a huge impact on me.

I have been there, it is very moving and the graves are maintained superbly.

 

[Eccles Blue]

I have been there, it is very moving and the graves are maintained superbly.

Yes the Commonwealth Graves Commission do take pride in maintaining the graves and the memorials. :-)