• ThistledomeThistledomeThree coasts of Europe
    At North beach, the Anzacs were supposed to land here
    Anzac Cove2Memorial/Commeration for Frederick Clark at Chunuk BairAnzac Memorial at Chunuk Bair2Remains of Anzac trenches1The Sphinx, steep topography that the Anzacs had to climb up in the dark, off the boatMemorial Wall and Memorial at Chunuk Bair1Landing site at Anzac CoveLone Pine at the Australia memorialAnzac Cove memorial site

    Gallipoli - Chunuk Bair

    May 19, 2024 in Turkey ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Today we took a 15 hour return trip to Gallipoli, 4 1/2 hours each way to Ecebat (the nearest town) by mini bus. Well worth it even though we had unwittingly arrived on a public holiday, Memorial Day, 19th May, the anniversary of the day which had the most Turkish casualties, sort of the Turkish version of Anzac Day. However Anzac Cove and the N Z memorials were less crowded. Our Turkish guide was very scathing of the British who organized the campaign (and also of the Australian force). The tour was Kiwis and Aussies so we didn't see much of the Turkish sites. At the end of the campaign there were 500,000 casualties on each of the sides, both Allied Forces and Turkish.
    We found the memorial for Frederick Clark (Dad's uncle who was killed at Rhododendron Ridge, on way up to Chunuk Bair).
    The landscape was steep and as well as landing at the wrong beach location, in darkness, they had to climb steep cliffs, dodging bullets and shrapnel.    Read more