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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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The Sands of Gallipoli 2006 Collection. |
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| Anzac and Gallipoli are words indelibly burnt into history by 51,472 of the finest soldiers Australia and New Zealand ever produced. 10,721 made the supreme sacrifice. Given an almost impossible task and beset by poor planning and bad luck they nevertheless set new standards of courage, tenacity and determination. Side by side in the face of terrible adversity they bought a new sense of nationhood to both Australia and New Zealand, they fought against overwhelming odds and paid for it with blood, and sacrifice. They created the ANZAC Spirit. We salute them. They are heroes, every one. | |
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| Above. The
Header Medallion of the 2006 Collection.
Above right. The magnificent display stand that shows obverse and reverse (front and back) of the entire collection of six medallions mounted under a header medallion. The stand is swivel mounted. Right. Each medallion is available on a single display stand with the header coin above. The stand is swivel mounted. Each medallion is available singly as well. |
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Items displayed on this page can be purchased from the manufacturer. |
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| Artillery At ANZAC the Allied artillery was hampered by a shortage of ammunition, the narrowness of the ANZAC position and the steep and rugged terrain, which provided few positions to site their guns. The gunners displayed the same level of fortitude, courage and resourcefulness as other troops, even hauling their guns into the front lines to provide fire support. They too fought, endured, sickened and weakened under the harsh Gallipoli conditions and left many of their number in cemeteries across the peninsula. | |
| Obverse images | Reverse images |
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| Infantry Australian and New Zealand infantry fought side by side at the Landing and their combined defence of the ANZAC perimeter created firm bonds of mutual respect. Australian infantry are best known for their actions at the Landing, Krithia and at Lone Pine, in the latter suffering 2277 casualties and being awarded seven Victoria Crosses. The New Zealand infantry also fought at the Landing and Krithia, but their best known achievement was the capture and defence of Chunuk Bair on 8 August, from where they looked down at the Dardanelles and for a vital day held 'open the door to victory'. Of the 700 men of the Wellington Infantry Battalion who took the crest that morning, only 70 walked off it when relieved by men of the Otago Battalion and New Zealand Mounted Rifles that night. | |
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| Mounted In May 1915, members of the Australian Light Horse and New Zealand Mounted Rifles, after leaving their horses in Egypt, began to arrive at Gallipoli to replace casualties among the infantry. They were to fight dismounted throughout the campaign. Like the infantry, they garrisoned the trenches and fought in many actions, the most tragic and famous for the Australians being the charge at the Nek on 7 August, where they suffered nearly 400 casualties. On the night of 6/7 August, the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade, supplemented with soldiers from the New Zealand Maori Pioneer Battalion, 'opened the door' for the August offensive by capturing Turkish posts in the foothills north of ANZAC in a series of attacks described as an unsurpassed, 'magnificent feat of arms'. By the end of the month this 2400 strong brigade had been reduced to only 365 men. | |
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| Navy.
The Royal Australian Navy's contribution to the Gallipoli campaign was small but dramatic. As the first ANZAC troops landed on the
h ostile enemy coast, the submarine AE2 became the first allied vessel to penetrate the Turkish Dardanelles defences. She was scuttled by her
Captain after encounters with the enemy in the Sea of Marmora four days later. Her crew was captured and imprisoned for three and a half years. The RAN Bridging Train served with the British forces at Suvla Bay, where they constructed piers, wharves and other structures and developed a reputation for being able to build anything that was required. Members of the Bridging Train were among the last evacuated from Suvla, and were probably the last Australians evacuated from Gallipoli.
No New Zealand ships served at Gallipoli, though HMS Philomel, with a largely New Zealand crew, escorted the first troop convoy to leave New Zealand waters and many New Zealanders served in the Royal Australian Navy and the British Royal Navy. HMS Philomel also bombarded, and landed shore parties against Turkish positions in the Mediterranean. |
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| Medical. A soldier wounded at ANZAC became involved in a process of care that stretched from the firing line to hospitals in Malta, Egypt, Lemnos, Britain, Australia and New Zealand and included treatment by doctors, nurses, stretcher bearers and others. His first treatment may have been provided by a stretcher bearer or medical officer of his own battalion or regiment, he may then have been carried to a casualty clearing station or field hospital by the field ambulance and evacuated by hospital ship, In hospital he may have been visited by volunteers of the Voluntary Aid Detachment or Red Cross. Poor staff work before the landings in April caused great delays in treatment and much suffering and death. The Australian Army Medical Corps suffered 94 deaths and hundreds of other casualties at Gallipoli. | |
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| They Also Served Fighting was not the primary role of all the troops at Gallipoli. Signallers served in the trenches or at headquarters near the beach. Engineers supported the troops in the front lines, cut roads, sank wells and built piers. Other troops, such as those of the Army Service Corps, stockpiled and distributed supplies to the fighting troops and men of the ammunition columns supplied them with ammunition, while mule teams carted stores up the gullies and ridges. Despite this support, much of the labouring work still fell to the fighting troops. Nowhere at ANZAC was safe, and even men working on the beach were killed and wounded by enemy shell-fire. | |
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Other items in the 2006
range include
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| Sands of Gallipoli is a registered trademark of Market Link Solutions Pty Ltd. Trademark No 907324 |
