battle of lone pine - gallipoli...

Gallipoli Peninsula, TurkeyAugust 6-10, 1915

Battle of Lone Pine

2015

Gall

ipoli

Centen

ary

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Main features of the Anzac Cove area

The small Lone Pine battlefield, named after a single Turkish pine that stood there at the startof the fighting, was situated near the centre of the eastern line of the Australian and NewZealand trenches around Anzac Cove on a rise known as 400 Plateau. That plateau joinedBolton's Ridge to the south with the ridge along the east side of Monash Valley to the north.

Being near the southern end of the area around Anzac Cove, the terrain in the Lone Pineregion was comparatively gentle. The opposing trenches were separated some distance witha flat no-man's land intervening.

Due both to its location above the beachhead and the shape of the intervening ground, LonePine's importance lay in its position providing a commanding view of the ANZAC forces rearareas. From the 400 Plateau it was possible to observe as far south as Gaba Tepe. Itspossession would have given the Turks the ability to place the approaches to the SecondRidge under fire, preventing the flow of reinforcements and supplies from the beachhead tothe forward trenches.

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Battle of Lone Pine(The Battle of Kanli Sirt)

Gallipoli Peninsula, TurkeyAugust 6-10, 1915

by Bob Lawrence

Published by the Gallipoli Memorial Club, Sydneyin August 2015 to commemorate the Centenary

Gallipoli Memorial Club, 12-14 Loftus Street, Sydney NSW

(established by Gallipoli veterans)

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GG Lone Pine:GALLIPOLI Autumn 2005 18/06/15 3:11 PM Page 1

The Battle of Lone Pine

Published 2015 by Chatswood Press

for the Gallipoli Memorial Club

12-14 Loftus Street, Sydney NSW 2000

ACN 001 038 740

www.gallipoli.com.au

�Gallipoli Memorial Club 2015

This publication has relied heavily on the published works of C.E.W Bean andthe resource information of the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, plus previousarticles printed in The Gallipoli Gazette, official publication of The Gallipoli MemorialClub, Sydney.

ISBN: 978-0-9943639-0-9

First published 2015

First Edition

Printed by Galloping Press, Kirrawee

Author: Bob Lawrence (1951-)

ISNI: 0000 0000 6765 7155

Other publications by this author:

• Benjamin Boyd, stockbroker, adventurer, pastoralist, parliamentarian, cannibalvictim

• The more they remain the same, a Concise History of NSW Farmer Organisations

• On a Lagoon near Coraki - The History of Main Camp Station

• The History of the Gallipoli Art Prize ~ 2006-2015

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Foundation of the Gallipoli Memorial ClubVarious groups were formed by Gallipoli veterans after World War One butnone endured until 1934 when, on September 6, a Sydney meetingresolved to form 'a legion to perpetuate the comradeship and preserve thespirit of Anzac'.

The constitution, adopted the following month, limited membership to AIFand New Zealand personnel who had landed at Gallipoli. Membership grewrapidly to 800 by the first Annual Meeting on January 30, 1935. The Legionmet in various premises, mostly at Empire House, Castlereagh Street andconducted commemorative and representational occasions. By mid 1937 ithad 1,400 members and had sponsored the formation of a VictorianBranch. In 1938 there were 1,550 NSW members and 1,000 in Victoria.

In 1935 there had been a move tocreate an 'Anzac Naval and MilitaryClub'. It did not proceed until 1937when, on October 1, a Gallipoli Legionof Anzacs Club was founded at WallHouse, Loftus Street. In 1938 it movedone street east to 16-20 Young Street.It was opened on November 26 byformer Prime Minister Billy Hugheswith 1,600 members, including non-Anzac 'associates'.

The Legion and the Club were separate entities with differing membershiprequirements. In practice, the Legion committee was in control of both,though the two were not formally joined until 1949. Club and Legion workedvigorously, especially during World War II, when repatriation and welfareproblems became important. A Brisbane branch was founded in 1940 anda monthly Gazette published. There were also branches at Newcastle, witha club, and at Lismore.

In February 1946, 12-14 Loftus Street was purchased and officially openedby former Prime Minister Billy Hughes on November 15,1947. The Legionand the Club progressed rapidly in the 1950's. Further branches of theLegion were formed and land for a bowling club was leased at NorthSydney in 1951.

In the 1960’s the Clubhouse was extensively renovated and then reopenedby the Governor, Sir John Northcott, on July 4, 1964 with 1,227 members– 625 from the Legion, 534 'ordinary', 38 serving personnel and 30 social.

In the 1970’s the structure of the Club required change due to newlicensing legislation, so the Gallipoli Memorial Club Limited was formed inJuly 1972 to take over the property with a new constitution designed tobroaden membership.

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OUR CREEDWE BELIEVE…

that within the community there exists an obligation

for all to preserve the special qualities of loyalty,

respect, love of country, courage and comradeship

which were personified by the heroes of the Gallipoli

Campaign and bequeathed to all humanity as a

foundation for perpetual peace and universal freedom.

THE GALLIPOLI MEMORIAL CLUB LTD


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Preface

This work was commissioned by the Board of Directors of the GallipoliMemorial Club to commemorate the Centenary of the August 6-10, 1915Battle at Lone Pine.

The publication is part of the ongoing commitment of the Club to keep alivethe sacred memory of all who fought and those who died during the GallipoliCampaign of 1915.

In addition, the Board has commissioned sculptor, Kris-Ann Ehrich, toproduce ten bronze busts of the Victoria Cross winners from the Gallipolicampaign.

The ten men commemorated were:

1. Captain Alfred Shout

2. Lieutenant Frederick Tubb

3. Lieutenant William Symons

4. Corporal Alexander Burton

5. Corporal William Dunstan

6. Lance Cpl Leonard Keysor

7. Private John Hamilton

8. Corporal Cyril Bassett

9. Private Albert Jacka

10. Captain Hugo Throssell

These busts will become part of the display at the proposed GallipoliMuseum in the Gallipoli Memorial Club premises.

The members of the commissioning Board of Directors of the GallipoliMemorial Club were:

• Stephen Ware, President

• David Ford, Senior Vice President

• Ted Codd, Junior Vice President

• John Brogan. Honorary Treasurer

• Scott Heathwood

• Glen Tetley

• John Robertson

• Andrew Condon


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The bust of Captain Alfred Shout VC MCis one of the ten bronze busts of Victoria Cross winners

from the Gallipoli campaign commissionedby the Gallipoli Memorial Club.


The Battle of Lone Pine

The Battle of Lone Pine (also known as the Battle of Kanlı Sırt1) wasfought from August 6-10, 1915. It was one of the bloodiest conflicts ofthe Gallipoli Campaign and was designed as part of a diversionary

attack to draw Turkish attention away from the main assaults of the AugustOffensive against Sari Bair, Chunuk Bair and Hill 971.

Seven Australian soldiers were awarded the Victoria Cross for their actionsduring the battle. They were:

• Captain Alfred Shout • Lieutenant Frederick Tubb• Lieutenant William Symons• Corporal Alexander Burton• Corporal William Dunstan• Lance Cpl Leonard Keysor• Private John Hamilton• Corporal Cyril Bassett• Private Albert Jacka• Captain Hugo Vivian Throssell

Busts of these seven Lone Pine Victoria Cross winners, plus the two otherGallipoli VC recipients, Albert Jacka and Hugo Throssell have been producedfor the Gallipoli Club along with one of the only New Zealander to receive theVictoria Cross on Gallipoli, Corporal Cyril Bassett.

The ten busts will go on show at the Gallipoli Memorial Club's Museum whenit is completed.

The Lone Pine battlefield took its name from the single Turkish Pine that stoodthere at the start of the fighting. The pine was positioned near the centre ofthe eastern line of the ANZAC trenches around Anzac Cove on a rise called400 Plateau. Bolton's Ridge was to the south and Monash Valley to the north.

The terrain in the Lone Pine region, as it was the southern end of the areaaround Anzac Cove, was a gentle slope. The opposing trenches wereseparated by wide, flat no-man's land.

Historian C.E.W. Bean described the scene;

“The frontline of the Turkish trenches at Lone Pine could be seen from theAustralian front on the same plateau, its high-heaped parapet showingclearly over the sparse low scrub at a distance of 60-100 yards (metres).The surface of the plateau was almost level, and its northern half, wherethe grassy square of the Daisy Patch still lay between the lines wascompletely bare of scrub. But the Turks, by extremely laborious digging,

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1Kanlı Sırt translates roughly as Bloody Ridge


had established their line round the head of Owen's Gully, whence itwound 400 yards (metres) southwards through the scrub, skirting theDaisy Patch and crossing the plateau. From the southern edge of the Pine,the same trench, dipping lower, continued along Sniper's Ridge. Thecentre of the enemy's frontline was far less advanced than its two flanks,receding towards the Turkish rear and merely serving to connect theadvanced flanks."

It was the view offered by Lone Pine's ridge to the waterline that underpinnedits strategic importance.

Holding the 400 Plateau gave views south to Gaba Tepe. Whichever side heldit could shell the approaches to the ridges, preventing supply andreinforcement to the front trenches.

Central to the landscape at Lone Pine was an outward pointing section, orsalient. The front most point of the ANZAC line, known as The Pimple wasopposite the salient

East of the salient, the Turkish line extended from the head of a gully – knownas Owen's Gully by the Australians – south for 400 metres towards the neckof Bolton's Ridge and then further south along a spur named Sniper's Ridge.Due to the salient the Turks had focused on developing the trenches along theflanks of the position more than the centre, and had placed the firing positionsin the centre in depth in order to gain the advantage of being able to heavilyshell any advancing army.

A miscalculation by the Australians was caused by a shallow area behind theTurkish line, near Owen's Gully, called The Cup that was not visible from theAustralians' front position at The Pimple. Despite British reconnaissance air -craft surveying the area in June, the Australians were oblivious to both TheCup and the Regimental Headquarters positioned there, and the re -inforcements camped there waiting to be brought into battle.

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Also, the reconnaissance photos failed to show that the Turkish trench lineswere far longer, but covered by camouflaging roofing materials that were notobvious in the primitive aerial photos.

Prior to the August battle, there had been isolated fighting around Lone Pinefrom very early in the Gallipoli Campaign. At around 7.00am on April 25,1915, elements of the Australian Force had pushed through to Lone Pineseeking to destroy a Turkish artillery battery that had been firing down on thelanding beach. Before the Australians could engage the battery, the Turks hadwithdrawn to a ridge to the south-west, which the Australians later dubbedThird Ridge or Gun Ridge. Pressing further inland, troops from the 6thBattalion had attempted to reach the ridge, crossing a wide valley, eventuallychristened Legge Valley, but they were pushed back when the 27th Turkishregiment launched a successful mid-morning counterattack from the south-east towards Lone Pine to retake the 400 Plateau. The Australians retreatedto Pine Ridge, a finger of land that jutted south from Lone Pine towards GabaTepe.

New Zealand units were brought up as reinforcements and in the afternoon asecond Turkish regiment, the 77th, arrived. There was heavy hand-to-handfighting before the counterattack was stopped. Further fighting around Lone

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Victoria Cross Winners

Seven Australians were awarded the Victoria Cross for their actionsduring the fighting at Lone Pine including four men from the 7thBattalion, which had been rushed forward to help relieve the 1st

Brigade at the height of the Turkish counterattacks.

Captain Alfred Shout VC, MC (August 8, 1882 – August 11, 1915) a NewZealand born Australian soldier who was awarded theMilitary Cross during the landing at Anzac Cove in Apriland received the Victoria Cross posthumously for hisactions during the Battle of Lone Pine in August. Shoutwas also Mentioned in Despatches, making him the mosthighly decorated soldier of the Australian Imperial Forceduring the Gallipoli Campaign

The citation read: For most conspicuous bravery at Lone Pine trenches, inthe Gallipoli Peninsula. On the morning of the 9th August, 1915, with a verysmall party Captain Shout charged down trenches strongly occupied by theenemy, and personally threw four bombs among them, killing eight androuting the remainder. In the afternoon of the same day, from the positiongained in the morning, he captured a further length of trench under similarconditions, and continued personally to bomb the enemy at close rangeunder very heavy fire until he was severely wounded, losing his right handand left eye. This most gallant officer has since succumbed to his injuries.


Pine continued throughout the early stages of the campaign, but a stalematedeveloped in which neither side could advance and static trench warfare tookover.

In early July 1915, while making plans for an offensive to break the deadlockthat had developed around the Gallipoli Peninsula following the initiallandings, the commander of the ANZAC troops, Lieutenant General WilliamBirdwood, determined that an attack at Lone Pine could be used to divertTurkish attention from a main attack launched further north around Sari Blair,Chunuk Blair and Hill 971.

The Australian 1st Infantry Brigade of 3000 men, commanded by ColonelNevill Smyth, was chosen to start the attack.

The 1st, 2nd and 3rd Infantry Brigades were part of the Australian FirstDivision headed by Brigadier General Harold Walker, aBritish officer who stepped up as temporary commanderafter Major General Bridges was killed by a sniper on May15. Walker opposed the idea of launching an attack at LonePine, let alone a mere diversion. However, the BritishCommander, General Sir Ian Hamilton, insisted the attackproceed. By thorough planning, Walker tried to give histroops the best chance of success possible on such anunfavourable battleground.

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Brigadier GeneralHarold Walker

Lieutenant (later Major) Frederick Tubb VC (November 28,1881 – September 20, 1917) was aged 33 years when he wasawarded the VC for his actions in holding a newly capturedtrench which was being counter-attacked by the enemy. Two ofhis corporals Alexander Burton and William Dunstan alsoreceived the Victoria Cross for their joint action in defying theenemy.

The citation read: For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty at LonePine trenches, in the Gallipoli Peninsula, on 9th August, 1915. In the earlymorning the enemy made a determined counter attack on the centre of thenewly captured trench held by Lieutenant Tubb. They advanced up a sap andblew in a sandbag barricade, leaving only one foot of it standing, butLieutenant Tubb led his men back, repulsed the enemy, and rebuilt thebarricade. Supported by strong bombing parties, the enemy succeeded intwice again blowing in the barricade, but on each occasion Lieutenant Tubb,although wounded in the head and arm, held his ground with the greatestcoolness and rebuilt it, and finally succeeded in maintaining his positionunder very heavy bomb fire.

He later achieved the rank of major and died of wounds suffered in battle atPolygon Wood, in the Third Battle of Ypres, on September 20, 1917. He diedat a military dressing station and was buried in Belgium.


The Turkish Forces opposing the Australians at Lone Pine consisted of twobattalions from the 47th Regiment, commanded by Tevfik Bey. Thesebattalions totalled about 1,000 men, of which half were positioned in thetrenches along the front, the others were positioned further back in depth.Sitting even further back in divisional reserve, to the north-east on MortarRidge was a battalion from the 57th Regiment, which had been relieved fromits position on the front line north of Lone Pine by an Arab battalion of the72nd Regiment. The positions north and south of the Turkish line at Lone Pinewere held by the 125th Regiment at Johnston's Jolly in the north and the 48thRegiment in the south along Pine Ridge.

Preparation

General Walker decided the best point of attack was about one-third of theway along the Turkish line, toward the eastern edge, even though it onlyallowed a front of about 150 metres which was only room for three infantrybattalions.

The Australian troops started the campaign at brigade strength, butmaintaining numbers during the slaughter of the campaign was difficult.

Bean record's that three battalions:

"the 2nd, 3rd and 4th – should make the assault, and one – the 1st – actingas reserve. The 3rd was to seize most of the deep central objective; the 4thand 2nd the northern and southern flanks respectively.....In order that the

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Lieutenant William John Symons VC (July 10, 1889 – June24,1948) was a 26-year-old Second Lieutenant in the Victorianbased 7th Battalion. On August 8-9, 1915, at Lone Pine,Symons was in command of a section of newly capturedtrenches.

His citation read: On this night Symons commanded the rightflank of some newly-captured trenches and repelled severalcounter-attacks with great coolness. Next morning the enemy attacked anisolated trench, killing or severely wounding six officers in quick succession.Symons led a charge which retook the trench, shooting two enemy with hisrevolver. The trench was under fire from three sides, so Symons withdrew tonearby head cover and under heavy fire built up a barricade. His coolnessand determination finally compelled the enemy to discontinue their attacks.

Symons returned to Australia in 1916, then embarked in June with the 37thBattalion as a company commander. He was badly gassed during the battleof Messines in June 1917, but after a break to recover fought on the Sommein 1918. After the war he settled in Britain with his wife, serving with the homeguard from 1941 to 1944. He died in London in June 1948.


first blow should be an exceedingly heavy one, three lines – each acompany strong – were to be launched by each battalion simultaneously,one behind the other."

Bean noted that while there was a 150 metre width at the front of the attack,the distance between the two trench lines was only about 50 metres. Toreduce the distance to be crossed, the Australians projected a number oftunnels towards the Turkish trenches from The Pimple. Once the attackstarted, one of these tunnels was to be opened along its length to make acommunications trench through which reinforcements could advance withoutthe danger of crossing exposed ground, although some attackers would haveto make the advance over open ground from the Australian trench line. Toprovide some protection, three mines were set by engineers to make cratersbeforehand in which the men could seek shelter.

The preliminary bombardment was stretched over three days to blow awaythe Turkish barbed wire entanglements – initially confined to a limited "slow

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Corporal Alexander Stewart Burton VC (January 20, 1893 – August 9,1915) and Corporal William Dunstan VC (March 8, 1895 – March 3, 1957)

Alexander Burton and William were with Lt Tubb in the actionthat saw all three men awarded the Victoria Cross, with Burtonbeing the only one to receive a posthumous award.

Burton, born in Kyneton, Victoria, in 1893, was an ironmongerbefore joining the AIF and being posted to the 7th Battalion. Hemissed the landing on Gallipoli, watching it from the deck of ahospital ship, while being treated for a throat infection. A week later he wasin the trenches.

Dunstan, a 20-year-old corporal at Lone Pine was in a newlytaken trench with Lt Tubb and Corporal Burton. Each manreceived the same citation, which read:

In the early morning of 9th August the enemy made adetermined counter-attack on a newly-captured trench heldby Lieutenant Tubb, Corporals Burton, Dunstan and a few

men. They advanced up a sap and blew in a sandbag barricade, but Tubband the two corporals repulsed the enemy and rebuilt the barricade. Strongenemy bombing parties twice again succeeded in blowing in the barricade,but on each occasion the enemy were repulsed and the barricade rebuilt,though Tubb was wounded and Corporal Burton killed while most gallantlybuilding up the parapet under a hail of bombs.

Dunstan was blind for almost a year after Lone Pine. He later achieved therank of Lieutenant. After the war he entered the newspaper industry andbecame the General Manager of the Keith Murdoch run The Herald andWeekly Times Group.


shoot" of 125 shells over the three days. After only a "medium result" on thefirst day and "not much damage done'' on the second, the battery was orderedto use shrapnel shells, set to burst on percussion against the ground and tocontinue firing until the entanglements were destroyed. The up-tempo thirdday was successful in cutting much of the barbed wire that the Turks hadplaced in front of their position.

On the night of August 5-6 star shells were fired to illuminate the sky andprevent the Turks repairing the damaged barb wire lines.

The preparation stage of the attack began at 2.00 pm on August 6 when theAustralians detonated the three mines they had dug in front of the Turkishlines to create cover for the advancing troops. Two and a half hours later thefinal heavy preliminary bombardment commenced, with Australian, Britishand New Zealand artillery batteries firing on the Turkish trench line, with navalgunfire support from HMS Bacchante, the flagship of the British Mediter -ranean fleet's cruiser squadron. This provided counter-battery fire onTurkish artillery positioned along Third Ridge. Retreating into tunnels whichhad been cut as part of mining operations, the majority of the forward

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Lance Cpl Leonard Maurice Keysor VC (November 3 1885– October 12, 1951) was a British-born Australian whoenlisted soon after migrating to Australia from Canada. Keysorlanded at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915. He was promoted tolance corporal two months later. He became a master bombthrower and many times proved his skill. As Turkish bombslanded in his trench at Lone Pine, Keysor would eithersmother the explosions with sandbags or clothing or, if time allowed, throwthe bombs back. He sometimes caught them in mid-flight before lobbing themback into the Turkish trenches. He was twice wounded but refused medicalaid, maintaining his efforts for 50 hours. His actions saved the trench andremoved the enemy from the position.

His citation read: On 7th August 1915, Keysor was in a trench which wasbeing heavily bombed by the enemy. At great personal risk he picked up twolive bombs and threw them back at the enemy. Though wounded hecontinued throwing bombs, thereby saving a most important portion of thetrench. Next day Keysor bombed the enemy out of a position from whichtemporary mastery of his own trench had been obtained. Although againwounded he declined eva cuation, volunteering to throw bombs for anothercompany, which had lost all its bomb-throwers. He continued to bomb theenemy until the situation was relieved.

From Gallipoli Keysor went on to serve in France, where he was twicepromoted and twice wounded in 1918. He had always considered himself aLondoner and he returned to Britain to live after the war. He died there inOctober 1951


Turkish troops were able to find shelter from the bombardment that lasted foran hour.

While the artillery prepared the ground for the attack, behind the Australianlines the assault formations moved up towards The Pimple. Smyth sited hisbrigade headquarters at Brown's Dip, some 200 metres south of the firingline. As soon as the 1st Battalion had taken up its position, the assaultbattalions moved through them towards the forward line at The Pimple. Once

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Private (later Lieutenant) John Patrick Hamilton VC(January 24 1896 – February 27, 1961) was a Sydney butcherwhose battalion landed in the second and third waves at AnzacCove on April 25 1915.

During the battle of Lone Pine, the Turks launched a violentassault with intense rifle and machine-gun fire. The nineteenyear old Hamilton, together with several other men, wasordered out of the trenches onto the parapet, in order to halt the enemyadvance. For six hours he lay in the open, protected only by a few sandbags,telling those in the trenches where to throw their bombs, while maintainingconstant sniper fire. For his coolness and daring example Hamilton receivedthe Victoria Cross, the only one awarded to his unit during the war.

His citation read: For most conspicuous bravery on 9th August, 1915, in theGallipoli Peninsula. During a heavy bomb attack by the enemy on the newlycaptured position at Lone Pine, Private Hamilton, with utter disregard topersonal safety, exposed himself under heavy fire on the parados, in order tosecure a better fire position against the enemy's bomb throwers. Hiscoolness and daring example had an immediate effect. The defence wasencouraged, and the enemy driven off with heavy loss.

The 3rd Battalion was decimated at Lone Pine. After the Gallipoli withdrawalthe battalion reorganised in Egypt and was redeployed to the Western Frontin March 1916 and joined the line at Armentieres. Hamilton was promoted tocorporal on May 3, and fought at Pozieres in July, Mouquet Farm in Augustand Flers in November. He was promoted to sergeant in May 1917 and thatyear his battalion served at Bullecourt, Menin Road, Broodseinde andPasschendale.

After officer cadet training at Cambridge, England he was commissioned aSecond Lieutenant in January 1919 and promoted Lieutenant in April 1919.He was discharged in September 1919 and moved to Tempe, Sydney. Heworked as a wharf labourer, shipping clerk, storeman and packer. DuringWorld War II he served as a Lieutenant with the 16th Garrison Battalion andseveral training battalions. In 1942 he was sent to New Guinea with the 3rdPioneer Battalion, then served with Australian Labour EmploymentCompanies until 1944 when he transferred to the Australian Army LabourService. He was promoted Captain in the Australian Military Forces inOctober 1944. He returned to Sydney in April 1946.


the attack was launched, half the force would go via tunnels that had beendug out into no man's land, while the other half would simply go "over the top".By 5.00pm all the troops were in position. As the barrage came to aconclusion, the tunnels were opened and final preparations were undertaken.

Each soldier in the first two waves had been issued 200 rounds ofammunition, plus one day of rations and a gas mask. The third wave hadreceived the same amount of ammunition, but was also issued picks andshovels to construct positions to defend the initial gains against the inevitablecounter-attack. In support, each battalion had four Vickers medium machineguns, with 3,500 rounds, and contributed a platoon whose job would be tothrow the allocated 1,200 grenades. A small section of engineers was onhand for demolition work.

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There was one Victoria Cross awarded to a New Zealander.

Corporal (later Lt Colonel) Cyril Royston Guyton Bassett VC (January 3,1892 – January 9,1983) wanted to join the navy, but hismother suggested the army due to his family's history withthe British Army. Initially rejected as too short, the 22-year-old bank worker joined the New Zealand ExpeditionaryForce's Divisional Signal Company as a sapper. He sawaction on the opening day of the Gallipoli Campaign, and itwas during the Battle of Chunuk Bair that he performed theactions that led to his being awarded the VC.

His citation read: For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty on theChunuk Bair ridge in the Gallipoli Peninsula on 7th August, 1915. After theNew Zealand Infantry Brigade had attacked and established itself on theridge, Corporal Bassett, in full daylight and under a continuous and heavyfire, succeeded in laying a telephone line from the old position to the new oneon Chunuk Bair. He has subsequently been brought to notice for furtherexcellent and most gallant work connected with the repair of telephone linesby day and night under heavy fire.

Medically evacuated due to sickness shortly after, he later served on theWestern Front and finished the war as a Second Lieutenant. He returned tothe banking profession and was recalled to active duty during the SecondWorld War. He served on the Home Front and by the time he was taken offactive duty in December 1943, he had been promoted to the rank ofLieutenant Colonel and was Commander of Signals in the Northern MilitaryDistrict.

Bassett remains the only signaller to have been awarded the VC and was alifetime member of the Corps of Signals Association. In recognition ofBassett's rank at the time he won the VC, the annual Bassett MemorialTrophy is awarded to the most outstanding corporal in the Corps of Signals.The trophy is a statue of Bassett on Chunuk Bair.


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Private (later Captain) Albert Jacka VC, MC & Bar (January 10,1893 –January 17, 1932)

Victorian Albert Jacka enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on18 September 1914 as a private in the 14th Battalion. After trainingin Egypt Jacka's battalion landed at Gallipoli on April 26, 1915. On19 May, the Turks launched large-scale frontal assaults againstANZAC trench lines above the beach positions, capturing a small section of trenchat Courtney's Post.

Initial attempts to expel them failed, until Jacka, taking advantage of a diversioncreated by bomb throwers at one end of the Turkish position, leapt in, killing mostof the occupants. He was awarded Australia's first Victoria Cross of the First WorldWar.

His citation read: For most conspicuous bravery on the night of the 19-20th May,1915, at Courtney's Post, Gallipoli Peninsula. Lance Corporal Jacka, while holdinga portion of our trench with four men, was heavily attacked. When all excepthimself were killed or wounded, the trench was rushed and occupied by sevenTurks. Lance Corporal Jacka at once most gallantly attacked them single-handedand killed the whole party, five by rifle fire and two with the bayonet.

Jacka quickly became famous – his likeness was used on recruiting posters andhis exploits featured regularly in newspapers. particularly in his native Victoria. Hebegan a rapid rise through the ranks, finally becoming a captain in March 1917,but rising no higher after frequent disputes with superior officers.

After Gallipoli he served at Pozières in (1916) and at Bullecourt (1917) where hewon the Military Cross and a bar to that award. The Australian official historian,Charles Bean, described his actions at Pozières, during which he recaptured asection of trench, freed a group of recently captured Australians and forced thesurrender of some fifty Germans, as "the most dramatic and effective act ofindividual audacity in the history of the AIF."

Jacka was severely wounded during this action and was hit by a sniper's bullet inJuly 1917. On each occasion he returned to the front, always furthering hisreputation as one of the AIF's most respected warriors. In May 1918 he receiveda career ending wound during a German gas bombardment near Villers-Bretonneux.

Jacka returned to Australia in September 1919. Greeted by a large crowd upon hisreturn, Jacka was described in one newspaper as "the symbol of the spirit of theANZACs." After being demobilised in January 1920 he went into business with twoformer battalion members and became Mayor of St Kilda in 1930, gaining areputation for assisting the unemployed. His business faltered and was liquidatedlater that year..

At this time Jacka's health began to deteriorate and he died from kidney disease.More than 6,000 people filed past his coffin as it lay in state and his funeralprocession, flanked by thousands of onlookers, was led by over 1,000 returnedsoldiers - the coffin was carried by eight Victoria Cross winners. Jacka was buriedwith full military honours in St Kilda cemetery. Jacka Boulevard, St Kilda was namein his honour.


Battle begins

At 5.30pm the first 1800 men of the Australian 1st Infantry Brigade attacked,while to the north, the 2nd Infantry Brigade laid down suppressing fire on thesupporting Turkish troops at Johnston's Jolly, while the 3rd Infantry and 2ndLight Horse Brigades held the line opposite Sniper's Ridge. As planned, halfthe force went via the prepared tunnels and the other half ran across the openground of the Daisy Patch between the trench lines. They were raked withTurkish artillery and small arms fire but suffered only light casualties as theirTurkish opponents were still sheltering from the allied shelling. From hisheadquarters overlooking the fighting, the Turkish commander Esad Pasaordered reinforcements and called down artillery.

On reaching the Turkish trenches the Australians found them roofed with pinelogs with no obvious entry. As the Turkish defenders recovered from theartillery barrage, they fired at the Australians through specially cut holes atpoint blank range. As the second and third waves of the attack came up, someof the Australians attacked from above, shooting, bayoneting or throwing handgrenades. Some Australians entered by lifting the logs, others gained entry byrunning past to the open rear trenches. Some 70 Turks were captured. SomeAustralians made it to The Cup where they faced hastily assembled Turksdefending their regimental headquarters. Nearly every Australian who reachThe Cup died.

Fears they might shoot their comrades saw Australians initially reluctant tofire their rifles, so the fighting in the Turkish trenches was with bayonets, plussome judicious throwing of grenades.

The very first Australians into the trenches were sitting ducks, but as thewaves of men swarmed in the Turks were overwhelmed before there could bean effective response. The Australians took control within thirty minutes andswung Turkish defensive positions to their own benefit. The newly wontrenches became the new Australian front line after the further out attack onThe Cup was overwhelmed by the unrealised number of Turkish soldiers. TheAustralians sand bagged the forward side of their newly acquired trenchesahead of any Turkish counter attack. The reserve troops of the 1st Battalionjoined them, but the size of their numbers meant they could not come via thetunnels, but had to cross open land.

This area was still subjected to heavy Turkish artillery and machine-gun firefrom elevated positions on the flanks.

Army engineers came forward and began extending the tunnels from ThePimple towards the new Australian line.

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Captain Hugo Vivian Hope Throssell VC (October 26 1884 – November 19,1933)

Throssell was a Western Australian farmer and son of a formerPremier of Western Australia, George Throssell.

He joined the 10th Light Horse at the outbreak of war, arrivingon Gallipoli in August 1915. He survived the regiment's ill-fatedcharge at the Nek on August 7.

Throssell was awarded the Victoria Cross for an action at Hill 60 on August29-30. The 10th Light Horse was brought into an offensive action to extendthe front line past Hill 60 in the early hours of August 29. Throssell and hismen became involved in a fierce bomb fight, which continued all night.Throssell was wounded twice but even with his face covered in blood herefused medical help, continuing to shout encouragement to his men. His wasthe first Victoria Cross awarded to a Western Australian in the war, and theonly one to an Australian light horseman.

His citation read: For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty duringoperations on the Kaiakij Aghala (Hill 60) in the Gallipoli Peninsula on August29-30 1915. Although severely wounded in several places during a counter-attack, he refused to leave his post or to obtain medical assistance till alldanger was passed, when he had his wounds dressed and returned to thefiring-line until ordered out of action by the Medical Officer. By his personalcourage and example he kept up the spirits of his party, and was largelyinstrumental in saving the situation at a critical period.

Whilst recuperating from his wounds in London he was introduced toKatharine Susannah Prichard, who in 1919 became his wife. She became afamous Australian author and founder of the Australian Communist Party.

He eventually returned to active service, rejoining the 10th Light Horse in theMiddle East where he fought in a number of engagements, and achieved therank of Captain.

After the war he was an outspoken opponent of war. His stance on the futilityof war outraged many people, especially as they were coming from a nationalwar hero and the son of a respected and conservative former Premier. Hisvery public political opinions badly damaged his employment prospects, andhe fell deeply into financial debt. On 19 November 1933, he killed himself(while his wife was away on a trip to the Soviet Union) shortly after a pawnbroker would only offer him ten shillings for his Victoria Cross.

In his suicide note he entertained the hope that his wife would now qualify fora war widow's pension, which was approved.

In 1983 their son donated the Victoria Cross to People for NuclearDisarmament. The RSL bought the medal and presented it to the AustralianWar Memorial.


Turkish response

At nightfall the Turks attacked using newly arrived reinforcements. SomeTurkish soldiers regained entry to the tunnels. Dead bodies were stacked upby the Australians to prevent Turkish advances, and there were ludicrous handgrenade exchanges with the devices tossed back and forth before finallyexploding.

During that night of August 6-7, the Turks brought up reinforcements fromtheir 5th Division, which was directed to Chunuk Blair, and the German 9thDivision, which was assigned to Lone Pine. The Turkish and German forcesundertook three persistent combat offensives, but failed to recapture lostterritory. In total, three regiments were dispatched.

The Australians reinforced, advancing the 7th and 12th Battalions from the2nd and 3rd Infantry Brigades. On August 7, hand grenade duels dominatedthe fighting. Next day, the Turkish 47th Regiment counterattacked, butsuffering heavy casualties, including its regimental commander, Tewfik Bey forthe only gain of some of the ground in the north and around The Cup.

Bean wrote that Tewfik Bey was so sharply blamed by his superiors for theloss of the Lone Pine territory that 'in resentment he decided to head acounter-attack on the southern flank, and was killed.'

Tewfik Bey's death saw Ali Riza Bey, commander of the 13th Regiment, takecharge around Lone Pine. He began to prepare for a large-scalecounterattack, so the grenade warfare continued.

The Australians withdrew from positions overlooking The Cup, then fightingstopped briefly as both sides evacuated their wounded and removed the deadfrom the front-line.

The 1st and 2nd Battalions, which suffered major casualties withholdingcounterattacks on the southern flank, were withdrawn and replaced by the 7thBattalion. The 3rd, 4th and 12th Battalions remained, holding the north andcentre of the Australian line.

Further Turkish attacks were mounted mid-afternoon along the Australian line.After dark they focused on the 7th Battalion's position in the south and tookpart of the Australian line late in the night. Fierce hand-to-hand fightingfollowed until early on August 9 the Australians retook these positions.

As the Australian trenches around Johnston's Jolly came under fire, an attackwas launched at the junctions between the Australian battalions. The Turksbroke the Australian line at the centre and reached the 1st Infantry Brigade'sheadquarters, now brought forward from Brown's Dip following the initial gain.Brigade commander, Smyth, joined the successful defenders who drove themback.

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About noon, the Turks attacked again, but were repulsed. The Australiansouthern Australian flank was subjected to grenade attack, so the 5thBattalion was brought up to relieve the 7th. The 2nd Battalion, after a briefrespite, also came forward, replacing the 4th Battalion with the support of adismounted squadron from the 7th Light Horse Regiment. The fresh unitssettled in to prepare for renewed fighting which never came. Before dusk onAugust 9, the Turkish commanders called off further attempts to dislodge theAustralians. On August 10, fighting was reduced as both sides worked toconsolidate their positions.

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ANZAC voices - Improvisation at Gallipoli

The ‘jam tin’ bomb is the most famous example of improvisation at Gallipoli.As the military command devised the Gallipoli campaign as a diversion fromthe main campaign, that fight was always under-resourced. With insufficientgrenades, soldiers turned to the piles of tin cans and shrapnel around themto create needed weapons. Old tins were filled with explosives and pieces ofshrapnel; including nails, small pieces of shells and cut up barbed wire. A‘bomb factory’ was established above ANZAC Beach in May 1915 and byJune was producing over 200 bombs a day. Records show that on August 7,54 men worked to make the hundreds of bombs for the fighting at Lone Pine.Over 1,000 were sent up to the 1st Infantry Brigade late on August 7.


The Lone Pine fighting was among the fiercest of the Gallipoli campaign tothat point, but the ground gained was only 150 metres by 300 metres. Lt Gen.Walker, believed the result "disastrous", but his superiors saw it as a tacticalsuccess, but the wider repercussions of the attack at Lone Pine affected theoutcome at Chunuk Bair.

The German 9th Division which was initially ordered to Lone Pine wasordered to proceed on to Chunuk Bair as there was only one Turkish artillerybattery and a covering force of 20 infantrymen. The 9th Division arrived intime to seriously delay the New Zealand attack, and ultimately the wideroffensive failed. Thereafter, a stalemate ensued on the Gallipoli peninsula.

In September, the Australian 1st Division were relieved at Lone Pine by the23rd and 24th Battalions. Opposed by enemy troops from the 47th Regimentfor the remaining three months of the campaign, the two Australian battalionswould alternate their positions in the front. The stalemate continued until theAllied evacuation in December 1915 as both sides lacked the military powerneed for a decisive attack.

Casualties

Official estimates of Turkish losses in the August offensive were 5,000–6,000.Almost half of the 4,600 Australian forces were casualties with 2,277 menkilled or wounded. This was among the highest casualties of the Gallipolicampaign.

Memorials

Early in 1919 Bean returned to Turkey and studied the field of battle as theTurks had seen it and reported to the Commonwealth government on how theAustralian graves should be maintained. In May he returned to Australia. Onthat return trip he wrote his recommendations for an official war history andfor a national war memorial which would 'hold the sacred memories of theA.I.F.' The government accepted his proposals. Late in 1919 Bean, his staffand their crates of records moved into the homestead of Tuggeranong nearCanberra, to create The Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918.

Australia joined Britain in establishing the Commonwealth War GravesCommission. In the decade from 1921 the Commission built cemeteries inFrance and Belgium, Italy, Egypt, Palestine, Macedonia, Iraq and on theGallipoli Peninsula.

On Bean's advice the Australian government sought permission from thenewly formed Turkish Republic to establish an official war cemetery in thearea. In 1923 the Treaty of Lausanne was ratified, and through its provisions

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The cemetery at Lone Pine

the Lone Pine cemetery was established on the Daisy Patch. There are 1,167graves in the cemetery. The identities of one third of the bodies interred in thecemetery remain unknown. Within the cemetery is the Lone Pine memorial,the main Australian and New Zealand memorial at Gallipoli. Thiscommemorates all the Australians and some of the New Zealanders killed inthe campaign, including those with no known grave and others buried at sea.

Due to the significance of Lone Pine, it is the site of the annual AustralianAnzac Day Gallipoli Dawn Service.

Both the Australian War Memorial in Canberra and the New Zealand NationalWorld War I Museum in Wellington have permanent exhibits of the Battle ofLone Pine.

Outside the Canberra memorial is one of many Lone Pine trees, grown formseeds taken from the original Lone Pine tree.

Benjamin Charles Smith mailed the seeds to his, mother, Mrs G.T. McMullenof Inverell, to plant as a memorial to Benjamin's brother Mark AlexanderSmith, of the 4th Battalion AIF, who died at Lone Pine on August 6, 1915. Theseed was planted in Victoria Park, Inverell, in January 1930.

Later, Mrs McMullen provided seeds to the Australian War Memorial and atree was planted by the Duke of Gloucester (third son of King George V) inOctober 1934 during his Australasian visit.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The author acknowledges that this publication has relied

heavily on the works of the official war historian,

C.E.W. Bean and his associates, the published and

displayed work of the Australian War Memorial,

Canberra and thanks for their valuable assistance

Margaret Brown of the GMC staff and Marilou

Carceller and her team at Galloping Press.

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Due to concern that the tree was nearing its natural life, on ANZAC Day 2014,Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge planted an Aleppo Pine seedlingderived from seeds gathered after the battle of Lone Pine at Gallipoli.

The resulting tree is one of several 'Lone Pines' planted in Australia, includingone planted in Lone Pine Avenue, Chatswood by Willoughby CouncilAlderman J. Park in memory of his son Wallace (died August 8, 1915) and allothers killed at Lone Pine.

There are many places and streets in Australia named after the battle andLone Pine Barracks is part of the Singleton Military Area in New SouthWales.


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Kris-Ann EhrichAs part of the com memorations for the centenary of the 1915 Galli poli Cam -paign the Gallipoli Memorial Club called for entries from sculptors to pro ducelife size busts in bronze of the ten Victoria Cross winners of the Campaign.

The Brisbane-based sculptor, Kris-Ann Ehrich, was selected.

Kris-Ann, who was born in north Queensland, said her journey as a sculptorbegan following a career in fashion and interior design, leaning on a passionfor art formed in childhood.

In her sculpture she explores the limitless possibilities of the tactile thirddimension embodied in this 'living' art form. Her creative journey traverses alandscape richly populated with figures drawn from the traditions of myth,magic and the intertwining realms of heaven, earth and the darker elementsof the supernatural that inhabit and cloud the human heart.

Her studies began in 2004 under the tutelage of Brisbane sculptor GeorgetteSchwantes. Initially working in ceramic, she began casting in bronze in2006—an exciting, challenging medium that has added richness, breadth,and expression to her oeuvre.

She honed her skills on classical themes and form, before moving into themore exacting sphere of figurative themes, sharpened with a keener socio-political edge.

Kris-Ann's work is exhibited extensively throughout Queens land and hersculptures have also been displayed to acclaim elsewhere in Australia,including Canberra.

Her work has been selected for inclusion in Contemporary Masters, VolumeVII and ImportantArtists of the World,Volume 1.

Left: Kris-Ann Ehrichpreparing the

ceramic sculpture ofWilliam Dunstan VC

that is the artworkwhich produces the

mould into which thebronze is poured to

make each of thebusts.


Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives ...

You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country.

Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the

Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side

here in this country of ours ... You, the mothers who sent

their sons from faraway countries, wipe away your tears;

your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace.

After having lost their lives on this land they have become

our sons as well.

In 1934 Atatürk wrote atribute to the Anzacs killedat Gallipoli…


battle of lone pine - gallipoli...

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