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The Graveyards of Gallipoli; A Digger History Associate Site |
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A Tribute to the Men of all the Nations that took part in the Gallipoli Campaign of 1915 |
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Timeline of Major Events affecting the Gallipoli Campaign |
| 1914 | |
| Jul 27: | Enver Pasha and the German ambassador meet secretly to talk about a Turko-German alliance |
| Aug 2: | The secret Turko-German alliance is signed |
| Aug 3: | Churchill informs the Turkish authorities that the 2 warships they had ordered in England will not be released and are confiscated by the English |
| Aug 4: | England declares war on Germany |
| Aug 10: | The German warships Goeben and Breslau steam through the Dardanelles into the Marmara. The Dardanelles are closed for Allied ships |
| Oct 28-29: | Three Turkish torpedo-ships with a German crew attack Odessa and the Goeben does the same at Sebastopol, a provocation to draw Turkey further into the war at Germany's side |
| Nov 3-7: | Declarations of war arrive at Constantinople from Russia, England, France, Montenegro, Japan and Belgium |
| Nov 3: | British ships bombard the forts of Seddulbahir and Kum Kale without causing any serious damage |
| Dec 13: | Lieutenant Holbrook dives in his submarine under the minefields in the Straits and sinks the old Turkish battleship Messudieh |
| Dec 29: | The disastrous battle of Sarikamish : of Enver's 100,000 strong army, only 18,000 survivors returned to Turkey |
| 1915 | |
| Jan 2: | Czar Nicholas of Russia appeals for an Allied demonstration to relieve pressure from the Russian front |
| Jan 3: | British War Council discusses aid to Russia |
| Jan 8: | During a meeting in London, Admiral Carden informs Churchill that a naval attack with an appropriate strength in warships might force the Straits |
| Jan 13: | War Council approves plan for Royal Navy forcing Dardanelles |
| Jan 28: | The definitive plans for an attack on the Dardanelles are officially accepted |
| Jan 29: | The Allied Fleet is assembled |
| Feb 3-4: | Djemal Pasha attacks the Suez Canal after an advance through the desert, but is easily beaten back |
| Feb 9: | The British War Council agrees to send troops to support the Naval operation |
| Feb 16: | War Council decides to concentrate troops in vicinity of Dardanelles |
| Feb 19: | British and French battleships under Carden bombard outer forts at Dardanelles |
| Feb 25: | Further bombardments of Turkish forts |
| Feb 26: | Battleships reach entrance of Narrows during bombardment Landing parties of Royal Marines destroy Turkish guns in forts |
| Mar 1: | Four battleships enter Straits and bombard intermediate defences. Demolition parties land and destroy more guns. Four French battleships bombard Bulair Lines from Gulf of Saros |
| Mar 2: | Dardanelles bombardment continues |
| Mar 3: | Landing party in Helles area destroys gun battery |
| Mar 4: | Australian 3rd Infantry Brigade arrives at Lemnos Island |
| Mar 4-7: | Naval operations continue against Dardanelles defences |
| Mar 10-11: | Naval bombardment at Bulair and Dardanelles |
| Mar 10: | The British War Council decides to send the 29th Division to the East |
| Mar 11: | General Sir Ian Hamilton is appointed as commander-in-chief for the operation |
| Mar 13: | Hamilton receives final instructions from Kitchener |
| Mar 15: | Minor Naval activity at Dardanelles |
| Mar 17: | Hamilton arrives at Tenedos |
| Mar 18: | Major naval attempt to force the Straits by 16 British and French battleships - 3 lost to mines, 3 others put out of action. |
| Mar 19: | Naval action not renewed. Telegram from Hamilton to Kitchener, stating that only combined naval and infantry action could be successful |
| Mar 22: | Decision for a combined naval and infantry operation is taken |
| Apr 11: | Hamilton's staff members arrive in Alexandria |
| Apr 13: | Battleships Queen Elizabeth and Queen reconnoitre Gallipoli Peninsula coastline with Expeditionary Force commanders and staff |
| Apr 25: | Landings at Kum Kale by the French, near Ari Burnu (Anzac) by the Australians and New Zealanders and at Helles by the English |
| Apr 26: | Turkish counter attacks beaten off at Anzac |
| Apr 27: | 6 battalions of French troops arrive at Helles and occupy the right flank near the Kereviz Dere |
| Apr 28: | First Battle of Krithia |
| Apr 29: | Heavy Turkish attacks all along the Anzac line |
| April 30: | Australian submarine AE2 sunk in sea of Marmara |
| May 1-2: | Night attack by 21 Turkish battalions at Helles breaks into French and British positions and is only stopped with great difficulty |
| May 4: | Australian raid on Gaba Tepe is beaten off |
| May 5-6: | Australian 2nd Brigade and N.Z. Infantry Brigade leave for Helles |
| May 6-8: | Second Battle of Krithia, involving combined French, British and Imperial Forces |
| May 10: | Unsuccessful attack by Australians at the head of Monash Valley |
| May 14: | H.M.S. Goliath sunk at mouth of the Straits |
| May 15: | General Bridges mortally wounded |
| May 19: | Turkish attack at Anzac is beaten off with 10,000 Turkish casualties |
| May 20: | Turks first ask for an short truce to bury the dead |
| May 24: | Truce to bury the dead |
| May 25: | H.M.S. Triumph torpedoed off Gaba Tepe |
| May 28: | Late at night, Turks fire mine in front of Quinn's Post |
| May 29: | Attack on Quinn's Post in which Major Quinn is killed |
| May 31: | Turkish blockhouse blown up in front of Quinn's by two sappers |
| June 4: | 3rd Battle of Krithia : slight advance made in the Helles sector at heavy cost (Allied 6,500 / Turkish 9,000). Night raid by Canterbury Infantry from Quinn's Post at night |
| June 5: | New sortie against German Officers' Trench in front of Courtney's Post |
| June 7-8: | Night sortie from Quinn's Post |
| June 8: | First monitor appears off Anzac |
| June 21: | French capture the Haricot Redoubt at Helles at heavy cost (Allied 2500 / Turkish 6000) |
| June 28: | Successful British attack on left flank at Helles (Allied 3,500 / Turkish unknown) |
| June 29-30: | Last Turkish attack on Anzac fails |
| July 1-7: | Secret treaty between Germany and Bulgaria signed |
| July 2: | Strong but unsuccessful Turkish attack at Helles |
| July 4-5: | Another Turkish attack at Helles beaten back with heavy casualties (Allied negligible / Turkish 16,000) |
| July 10: | Turks at Cape Helles ask for armistice to bury their dead, but the Allied Command refuses. |
| July 12: | General Masnou, commander of 1st French Division at Helles, is mortally wounded |
| July 12-13: | Allied attack at Helles over 1 mile front (Allied 4,000 / Turkish 10,000) |
| July 31: | Australians take Turkish trench opposite Tasmania Post |
| Aug 6-7: | British attack at Cape Helles. Australians attack at Lone Pine, Quinn's Post and the Nek. Old No3 Post retaken, Table Top and Bauchop's Hill taken by the New Zealanders. Damakjelik Bair captured by the Left Covering Force. |
| Aug 7: | 9th British Corps lands at Suvla Bay before dawn. Rhododendron Spur taken by the New Zealanders |
| Aug 8: | Wellington Battalion captures top of Chunk Bair. New army at Suvla remains inactive |
| Aug 9: | Gurkhas reach the saddle between Hill Q and Chunuk Bair. New Zealanders on Chunuk Bair relieved by New Army Troops. |
| Aug 10: | New Army Troops driven off Chunuk Bair by Turkish counter attack. Unsuccessful British attack at Suvla |
| Aug 11: | Stalemate at Suvla, caused by incompetence of commander Stopford |
| Aug 12: | The 5th Norfolks disappear during a fruitless attack at Suvla and enter history as "the Vanished Battalion" |
| Aug 14: | Telegram from Kitchener to Hamilton, with the proposal to recall Stopford |
| Aug 15: | Unsuccessful British attack at Suvla along the Kiretch Tepe |
| Aug 20 | Italy declares war on Turkey |
| Aug 21 | Battle of Scimitar Hill at Suvla and first attack on Hill 60 begin. As for troops engaged, the biggest action of the entire Gallipoli campaign |
| Aug 27 | Battle renewed for possession of Hill 60 |
| Aug 28 | New Zealanders hold and consolidate their position on Hill 60 |
| Sep 2 | "Southland" transport with 2nd Division troops torpedoed |
| Sep 20 | Bulgarian treaty with Turkey announced |
| Sep 25 | Allied offensive in France begins. Turkish-Bulgarian agreement |
| Sep 29 | British and Indian troops enter Kut-el-Amara |
| Sep 30 | 10th (Irish) Division leaves Suvla for Salonika |
| Oct 3 | 2nd French Division leaves for Salonika |
| Oct 5 | Allied troops land in Salonika |
| Oct 7 | Britain offers Cyprus to Greece |
| Oct 8 | First autumn storm causes damage to Allied harbours at Suvla and Anzac |
| Oct 9 | Attack on Serbia and Belgrade captured by Austro-Germans |
| Oct 11 | Lord Kitchener asks Ian Hamilton the estimated cost of evacuation. Hamilton thinks 50% casualties might be expected |
| Oct 12 | Sir Ian Hamilton replies that evacuation is unthinkable |
| Oct 14 | In the House of Lords, Lord Milner and Lord Ribblesdale urge evacuation of Gallipoli |
| Oct 15 | Britain and Bulgaria at war |
| Oct 16 | Kitchener telegram recalling Sir Ian Hamilton |
| Oct 17 | General Sir Ian Hamilton relinquishes command of Mediterranean Expeditionary Force |
| Oct 20 | General Monro, in London, receives instructions to proceed to the Near East and take over command of the M.E.F. |
| Oct 27 | General Sir Charles Monroe takes over command of Force |
| Oct 30 | General Monro first visits the Peninsula |
| Nov 13 | Lord Kitchener lands at Anzac, Churchill resigns from British Cabinet |
| Nov 24 | Period of silence is ordered to last 72 hours |
| Nov 26 | Major General Godley assumes command of Army Corps |
| Nov 27-28 | Commencement of the Great Blizzard |
| Nov 30 | End of the blizzard reveals that the Allied forces had lost 1/10th of their strength |
| Dec 3 | General Townsend besieged at Kut-el-Amara |
| Dec 7 | British Government orders evacuation |
| Dec 8 | General Monro orders Birdwood to proceed with the evacuation of Anzac and Suvla |
| Dec 10-11 | All sick, wounded, surplus troops, vehicles and valuable stores removed |
| Dec 12 | Announcement at Anzac that a winter rest camp at Imbros will be formed. Surplus guns removed |
| Dec 15 | Detailed orders for evacuation issued |
| Dec 16 | All ranks warned of impending operations |
| Dec 19 | Last night of Anzac and Suvla evacuation |
| Dec 20 | Anzac and Suvla evacuation completed without casualties. Troops brought to Lemnos |
| Dec 21-30 | Troops transferred to Egypt |
| 1916 | |
| Jan 9: | Helles evacuation completed. The Gallipoli Campaign is over. |
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