Original graves & grave markers from Anzac, Gallipoli

One of the most "famous" of Australia's Anzac gravesites is in Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory. It is that of Major General Sir William Bridges. He was wounded on the battlefield, died of his wounds, was buried and later his remains were shipped to Australia to be buried at Royal Military College Duntroon ACT which he had founded.

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Most of these graves have since been moved into one or the other of the official CWGC Cemeteries.

They have all had newer and longer lasting headstones added to them.

Unfortunately between the evacuation in December 1915/Jan 1916 and 1919 when CEW Bean and others returned to Gallipoli many of the timber grave markers had disappeared . This was due to many reasons including weather, fire and locals scavenging for fire wood. Others had become illegible. This is part of the reason that many burials are "unknown". Also creating a problem was the original non-metal identification disks worn by troops of the British Empire & Commonwealth. They were pressed fibre and over time they simply rotted away and disappeared.

Multiple burials were common at Gallipoli. The burials were not handled by special Units tasked to do the job but had to be done by troops as just another part of their duties as well as fighting.

Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey. 1915.

An Australian officer visiting a comrade's grave at Lancashire Landing Cemetery.

The graves are marked with a wooden cross.

Left front is the grave of Seaman F Fairweather, HMT Karoa, who died on Saturday 28 August 1915.

Gallipoli, Turkey. c.1915-06.

A row of graves marked by stones and crosses where a few of the thousands of Australian soldiers killed at Gallipoli are buried.

The graves are those of Captain Sydney Raymond Hall, 10th Battalion, killed in action (KIA) on 25 May 1915 (or possibly 25 April 1915),

Lieutenant Clarence William Wolfenden 1st Division Artillery, 4th Battery, KIA on 7 May 1915, Major Walter White Ellis, 13th Battalion, KIA 3 May 1915 and Lieutenant Colonel George Frederick Braund, Commanding 2nd Battalion, KIA 4 May 1915. (Donor T. Brown)

Gallipoli, Turkey. c.1915-06. A row of graves marked by stones and crosses where a few of the thousands of Australian soldiers killed at Gallipoli are buried. The graves are those of 1659 Private Frederick Herbert Thompson, 13th Battalion, killed in action (KIA) on 29 May 1915, 925 William Bickerton Whitehead, 13th Battalion, KIA 23 May 1915,
and 1443 Charles Henry Piggott, 13th Battalion, died of wounds 23 May 1915. (Donor T. Brown)

Australian graves on a hillside near Anzac Cove. The central cross commemorates 202 Private John (Jack) Simpson Kirkpatrick (who enlisted as John Simpson), 3rd Field Ambulance, who was killed in action on 19 May 1915. Pte Simpson entered the Australian folklore as the "man with the donkey."

Graves of members of the 10th Battalion in an Australian cemetery, several of whom were killed in action on 25 April 1915. Legible in the right foreground are the inscriptions marking the graves of (left to right) 522 Sergeant William Henry Munro; Lieutenant Albert John Byrne; Major Edward Castle Oldham; 13 Private
Claude Walter Abbott, killed in action on 29 May 1915; 916 Bombardier Percy Samuel Hooppell, killed in action on 30 May 1915; and Captain Keith Eddowes Green.

Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey. 1915.

The cemetery on Queensland Point (Hell Spit).

The men paid very great attention to this and other cemeteries during the last few days of the occupation.

The graves of Captain Bage, Lieutenant (Lt) William Henry Dawkins, and Major C. H. Villers-Stuart can be seen. Lt Dawkins was a graduate of the first intake of cadets of the Royal Military College, Duntroon, and was the first officer of No. 2 Field Company, Royal Australian Engineers, to be killed on Gallipoli on 12 May 1915. Bage was a pre-war polar expedition hero.

The graves of 13 Australian soldiers from the 10th Battalion who, unless stated otherwise, were killed in action on 19 May 1915. From left to right, the graves are those of 1398 Private Charles Olsen; 1037 Private William Cocks, killed in action on 23 May 1915; 894 Private Albert Henry Davey;
1751 Private Joseph Gurry; 984 Private Charles Henry Allen; 1558 (?) A Beswick (not found in the Nominal Roll); 101 Private Walter Batley Seaman; 801 Private Arthur Sydney Johnson; 1357 Private Sydney Brooke Holt, killed on 29 May 1915; 299 Private Thomas Arthur Atwill; 1184 Private Benjamin Thomas Thorpe; 1163 Private John George Murphy; 1452 Private William Altree, killed on 29 May.

Anzac Area, Gallipoli. 1915. War graves of Australian soldiers.

The nearest grave is that of Lieutenant C. N. R. Huntley of the 1st Field Company Divisional Engineers, AIF, who died of wounds on 1915-05-04. (Donor H.J. Lowe)

A block of Australian soldiers' graves.

The headstone on the plot at the front bears tribute to four members of the 4th Australian Light Horse Regiment killed in action during August 1915.

They are Lance Corporal Humphrey Osbourne Moule of Brighton, Vic; Troopers F.C. Bridgeland, S. Perry and M. N. Turner.

Gallipoli. 1915.

War graves of three Australian soldiers, S.R. Hall on the left, Lieutenant C.W. Wolfenden centre rear and Private A. Forrest on the right. Lieutenant Wolfenden was with the 1st Divisional Artillery, AIF, and was killed in action on 1915-05-11.