Lest We Forget

Lest We Forget the landing of Gallipoli. On 25th April in Australia before the break of dawn, tens of thousands gather to remember one of our darkest battles. By the flicker of candles many honour the ultimate sacrifice made by our diggers on the shores of Gallipoli over 100 years ago. Through their selfless service, devotion to duty and fighting for all that is fair, the conflict was ended, our freedom won and the Anzac legend was born.

One of those legends was my Grandfather, Leslie Houston Turner who served in both World War I and World War II. Previously a Railway Fireman he enlisted as a young 20 year old on 10th September 1914. He joined the 12th Battalion as a Private within three weeks of the declaration of war. Two months later on 2nd November his Battalion embarked from Fremantle, Western Australia on board A7 Medic, bound for Egypt, arriving 2nd December. He ‘celebrated’ his 21st birthday in Egypt, away from friends and family members and after a training period in the desert the Battalion was committed to the Gallipoli Campaign.

My Grandfather (centre) with my two uncles

At 4.28am on 25th April 1915 the Anzac landing took place, under a hail of Turkish machine gunfire and mortars. The peaceful beaches of Gallipoli were now turned into a gruesome, bloodied sea of dead. 8,709 Australian men lost their lives in Gallipoli, many of them only boys. These men and boys bled and died, but the Diggers refused to give up, forging the Anzac legend and values that are cherished today.

Australia’s involvement in the Gallipoli campaign was seen as a defining moment for our nation. We were for the first time being seen as a nation in our own right and no longer a colony of Britain. To the rest of the word, our Diggers were being seen as brave and spirited fighters, who throughout the hardships endured and the courage and endurance displayed, could always find a joke to laugh about in the face of a hopeless situation. It was during these war times Australia’s mateship and the patriotic stereotype of the bronzed Anglo Saxon soldier came about.

There were stories surfacing about James Charles, who at 14 years and nine months was the youngest Australian to have died in WWI, only six months after enlisting. A story of Private William Foon, who had his parents sign his permission form to allow him to serve, and about a year an a half into his service he celebrated his 16th birthday on the Western Front. Another about John Simpson Kirkpatrick, a field ambulance stretcher bearer who carried wounded comrades on his shoulders, he would whistle and sing to overlook the bullets flying around him. He found a donkey and began using it to carry the wounded, earning the admiration of everyone. Three weeks after carrying out this invaluable and fearless task amid shrapnel and rifle fire he was killed in the line of machine gunfire. Simpson and his donkey are part of the Anzac legend of mateship, the Anzac camaraderie, where a mate would fight for you, stand by you, live for you and die for you.

Four months later, to break the deadlock, a diversionary attack on Lone Pine was planned for the 12 Battalion. After a grueling nine months serving on the Gallipoli Peninsula they were evacuated in December and returned to Egypt in January 1916. In March the division was moved to the Western Front. Their first deployment and major action in France was in July at Pozières and later Ypres in Belgium.

My Grandfather finally returned to Australia 13th December 1917. He was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medals and later served in WWII from 12th October 1939 to 19th October 1945.

You don’t have to have a relative who fought at Gallipoli to appreciate the sacrifice these young men made or the hardships they endured. Many Australians, New Zealanders and Turks have a family connection to Gallipoli and a calling to visit the very peaceful peninsula to reflect, to give thanks, to remember. The peaceful beaches of Gallipoli are now a ‘must visit’ stamp in the passport for travellers who want a share of our history. Many have a unifying sense of gratitude, grief and thanks as they stand in the places of conflict to ponder the lessons and futility of war. Now when we go to Gallipoli, we get to walk those beaches in warm clothes, with a content stomach away from the gory scenes of 100 years ago. Today when we go to Gallipoli, the Turks are protecting us, not shooting at us. In 1915 our forefathers stepped onto those shores as fascinated by overseas travel as we are today, but instead of shooting rifles, we are shooting with cameras.

As the world marks the 100th anniversary of the events of World War One (WWI), we remember the 32,000 West Australians who enlisted for WWI. A quarter of those who landed at Gallipoli were from WA, 10% of our WA population. As Australians gather, here and in Turkery to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings, Australians will also gather in France to remember the more than 295,000 Australians who served on the Western Front. Anzac Day is a very special day in Australia and New Zealand, and we see it as not just a day of respect for our fallen soldiers, but a day to remember who we are as a nation and what is so memorable about our culture.

Anzac Day goes beyond the landing, it is the day we remember the Australians who served and died in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations. Anzac Day was marked across the country by attendance at dawn services and marches. Perth Dawn Service at Kings Park had 80,000 attend the iconic service that Perth is famous for. 1023 red helium balloon were released to honour the 1023 West Australians killed at Gallipoli. Albany, Western Australia drew records crowds as the last place in Australia tens of thousands of the Anzacs saw before departing for WWI. Over 4,500 attended the Dawn service at Mount Clarence which was transmitted to Peace Park. Today the Australian War Memorial, Canberra hosted an estimated 120,000 visitors to the Dawn Service. 100,000 people braved the rain at the Shrine of Remembrance, a small sacrifice compared to those at Gallipoli. In major cities and rural areas alike there were services held, they even had Dawn services onboard cruise ships.

There is a long and close relationship between Australia and New Zealand and our shared goals in peace and war. Anzac is not merely about loss, it is about courage, endurance, duty, love of country, mateship and good humour, survival, and a sense of self worth and decency in the face of dreadful odds.

So here’s to Leslie Houston Turner, roll number 984, WWI and W243168 WWII, my Grandfather who was a Sergeant, originally in the 12th Battalion, who gave himself selflessly to his country. Thankfully he came back and after again serving in WWII was discharged from services 19th October 1945. I only had the pleasure of knowing him for my first five years and have very few memories of him. I cannot thank you enough Papa. You will always be remembered. Lest we forget.

Lest We Forget

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