Blog category - Battlefield Tours

Some fun moments – Simpson Prize 2011

04 May 2011 by Stuart Baines. No comments
Battlefield Tours, Simpson Prize 2011

As promised just a few moments that I thought were fun. Stay tuned for more.

The Last Days and Hours – Simpson Prize 2011

03 May 2011 by Stuart Baines. No comments
Battlefield Tours, Simpson Prize 2011

Well like most great things, they do have to come to an end. As quickly as it seemed to begin the Simpson Prize trip for 2011 has wound up. The last few days were a blur of buses, shopping and food. It seemed that everyone wanted to get their last empty spaces in their cases filled so we hit the Bazaar for the last time.

There was no stopping this gaggle of shoppers as they set their sites on last souvenirs and gifts. For some of us it was a necessity as we had slightly underestimated the underwear and sock count back home in Australia, for others part of the purchasing was buying bigger bags to carry home their loot. The Bazaar is an amazing place. Like markets everywhere there is a lot of the same and you can move along and buy the same things somewhere else and hopefully get it cheaper. Occasionally around the twisting alleys and brightly decorated lanes you find that little gem souvenir that you know will mean something special. We had all had bargaining experience now and enjoyed the game. Walking away mid negotiation was a favourite with the guys and the girls it was the sweet and innocent, braver men than I may say, “act”. In the end we came back with bags and armfuls and everyone had their fill of gifts, even Gene who has, like all good Italian boys, have many siblings and cousins that he just had to buy for. Our Turkish guide, Ozgur, had let me know about one of the hidden gems of the Bazzar so that was the last stop for me. It was a little area just outside of the main undercover area with second hand bookshops everywhere. Tucked away hidden in tis tucked away corner of the Bazaar was a great little antique shop. It was dusty and smelled funny and was full of all sorts of wonderful little items all with a rich history just waiting to be discovered. It will definitely be on my list of places to visit.

So the trip is over but the blog is not. I will sort through my photos and re-read the scribbled notes that I took down and hopefully I will post some of those great memories and highlights over the next few weeks. But just one last note of seriousness from me. Sometimes people do things in their job that is just something they do, just part of the gig and sometimes you get to do some pretty fabulous things as well. I think I have been lucky to do what I have and visit those battlefields. To experience some part of what it was like for those men who served there so long ago and be able to try and pass on that experience to young people is a privilege. Beyond that, I have to say that our goodbyes at the airport were difficult because of the wonderful kids that shared this experience with us. Each and every one of them were amazing people and each of them surprised me every day. It is comforting in many ways to know what good young people are around today. It was a fantastic experience that was highlighted by the people I was with and I hope that I can consider each and every one of the Simpson Prize winners this year a friend. I will miss you all.

Please go back and read about the trip if you have missed the previous posts.

Our Second Last Day in Turkey – Simpson Prize 2011

28 April 2011 by Stuart Baines. 1 Comment
Battlefield Tours, Simpson Prize 2011

Today we visited Hagi Sophia. Now a museum it was once one of the biggest churches in the world and then after the Ottoman Turks conquered the city became a mosque. It is an incredibly impressive building outside and in and walking in and looking up at the dome knowing that is the same width in diameter across the dome as an eleven story building is quite amazing. It is a museum now so it is not actively used for worship but it has taken nothing away from the grandeur of the place.

We also visited the Basilica Cistern, a huge underwater storage area that is now disused for anything but tourists and fish. It is atmospherically lit and walking around in the cold dampness really showed us cultural differences of the different people that have lived in the city and also at the engineering marvels that they were able to produce. Another surprise for me was the Suleiman Mosque. To me it had the same understated appeal that Chora Church but I had not seen the renovations on this mosque. It is beautiful and still being a functional house of worship it felt like it still had life and energy. The stark white and pinks of the walls and the shimmering black and gold glyphs makes it an amazing visula feast. It is not the most ornate or the biggest but there was just something magical about this place.

After lunch the kids were finally let loose on the Bazzar. Wow, they can really shop. Everything from scarves, shirts, tracksuits, spices… you name it they have bought it, including suitcases to bring it home in. It is a great cultural experience to walk the criss crossing streets of the Bazzar which is filled with people and sound and everywhere you look another bargain and another assault of colour and smells for your senses. It is a very easy place to get carried away in and we did our best to keep a lid on the spending. Some Simpson prize records were broken again at the Bazzar, 75 Camels were offered for Chelsea and I think J.P. may have come close to the most amount of shopping by a guy on the trip. All in all it was great day and all that remains is to wave the city goodbye by mid morning… just enough time for a early morning trip to the shops.

ANZAC Day at Gallipoli – Simpson Prize 2011

25 April 2011 by Stuart Baines. 3 Comments
Battlefield Tours,Family history, ANZAC Day, Gallipoli, Simpson Prize 2011

Well today was the day, the pinnacle of the experience and certainly a big part of why these students entered the prize.

The day started for us with a midnight wake up call. We needed to allow plenty of time to beat the traffic and certainly to get as close as we can to the service. When you consider that our hotel is the closets hotel to the dawn service and that we are only about 8 kms away, you can start to imagine how hard it is to get people into the site for this commemoration. So it was a heart starter coffee and on the bus by 1 am and the anticipation from the students was palpable. They certainly recognised the significance of what they were about to do. I think they were all excited before hand as well because despite our best advice of when to sleep, it went unheeded and they played poll and Backgammon right up until it was time to go. They are paying for it now though as most of them practically fell asleep in their lunch.

Arriving at the service we went through the usual security checks and then it was on to our reserved seating. We knew we had a long wait and we rugged up, got some sleeping bags and wore half our suitcases at once. Four hours in the cold before the service was to start so we didn’t want to be under dressed. I didn’t have a sleeping bag and Lauren lost hers somewhere (turns out it was on the bus) but Chelsea was kind enough to unzip hers and share. I think they made a psychological difference more than a physical barrier from the cold. All around the centre of the site was a sea of long coloured sleeping bags and the backpackers cocooned inside them. Oddly enough it made me crave snake lollies. The big screens showed snippets of documentaries about the campaign and the Air force band played some nice tunes. As the morning went on it grew colder and colder and activity had to happen to take our mind off it. We walked down around the food stalls and smelled the beautiful BBQ’d meats and coffee and looked at the market stalls. It was all you would probably expect, t-shirts, jackets, blankets and the food was mainly kebabs, hot chips, skewers etc. On the boards of more than one food van, under the high priced food list was a dish called “Observation”. Despite our best efforts we still don’t know what observation was and if it was tasty but it was 10 Turkish Lira and some sort of obscurely miss translated food.

The service was beautiful and very solemn. The crowd were in the spirit of the occasion and it looked to be a good size crowd. We sat at the front of the seated section and watched the dignitaries walk along next to our stand to make their entrance. All the speeches were great and as seems to be the case the last post moved many to tears. Just as the light started to gently wash over us and as quickly as it had all begun it was over and those thousands of visitors shuffled out quietly to the sound of waves lapping at the shore of the beach.

We then started our long trek up the artillery road to the Lone Pine service. This service would have special meaning for all the Simpson Prize kids as they would play and active and very important role in the service. They were to act as the wreath orderlies. What an exceptional job they did. They had been well drilled by Andrew and I and I am sure that the organisers were a little shocked, but pleasantly so, that the students knew exactly what they were doing. This ceremony kicks off mid morning and is a different kind of ceremony. IT is much more relaxed and in some ways the relaxed and more intimate commemoration touched a few of the students more than the dawn. The Fanatics were there and very well behaved and good to see their numbers still good for this important day. At the end of the service the students lay their own wreath and to me it seemed like a very fitting way to mark the end of the day and cap of their experience.

Winding up for the Dawn Service – Simpson Prize 2011

25 April 2011 by Stuart Baines. 1 Comment
Battlefield Tours, Simpson Prize 2011

Today is a quieter day as we all need our rest to head out at midnight ready for the dawn service. We decided that the best plan of attack would be to wear the kids out so we headed out early to walk the length of Rhododendron Ridge. This was an important supply route within the NZ sector and is quite a good hike. We skirt right along the top of the ridge line and get some spectacular views of the rest of the cove and other ridges.

The walk was exhilarating and we kept the pace up to hopefully exhaust everyone so we could have an afternoon kip. We always have our eyes out for battlefield litter and anything that we can find to bring back to the Hotels growing collection. No such luck today but we had a blast in the process. Many times we had to resist the urge to duck of the track to see what interesting things we could find but you didn’t always need to duck off the track. As we walked passed a bush there on the edge of the track was a shaft about 6 feet deep with 2 horizontal tunnels leading out of it. We talked about the lengths that these men had to go to stay safe, tunnelling programs and to see effectively a cross section of the earth with layers of dirt clay and rock, really gave the students a feel for how hard to would have been to dig a trench.

After that it was off to Bigali, a small village where Attaturk stayed for several nights during the campaign. There is a great village tea house where the group had some traditional Turkish coffees and teas. When we returned to the Hotel for lunch there was a crowd of police vehicles and men with business suits and earpieces. They stood around hand clasped behind their backs or carrying submachine guns all anticipating the arrival of a dignitary, a dignitary who’s identity is still a mystery. No matter to us we bowled into the restaurant for lunch polished off our food and trundled past the guards towels in hand and swimmers on ready for the long promised swim in the Aegean Sea. Of we went diving in on mass and as the 7 degree water hit our bodies an audible squeal rang out. I think the girls may have made a noise too.

We are all eagerly awaiting the dawn service and the Lone Pine ceremony and hopefully you will log in and read all about this special very occassion.

Krithia, the Cape and Anzac by Sea – Simpson Prize 2011

24 April 2011 by Stuart Baines. 1 Comment
Battlefield Tours, Simpson Prize 2011

Today’s trip was a chance for us all to look at the role that other nations played in the campaign and experience the different ways that they commemorate. We started the day by driving down to Cape Helles to walk the beaches and cemeteries that house the British troops killed in the campaign. It was particularly moving for everyone to see where the River Clyde came ashore. Knowing what those Brits went through it really bought a respect for the bravery that they fought with.

We went to the French cemetery next. This is one of my must sees on the peninsula for a few reasons. It is to me the most haunting of places as it is not beautiful like the cemeteries of ANZAC it is quite cold with rows and rows of crosses made from star pickets and the Memorial at the top of the slope looking down over these black crosses. There are four large white marble boxes, like giant planter boxes. Each is a mass grave to 3000 brave Frenchmen, mostly colonial troops, and each reminds us how cheap life can be. The other sadness I feel for this cemetery is that it always seems to be empty, like the British cemeteries, the only visitors seem to be the same faces that stay at the Kum Hotel with us.

Today is International Children’s Day in Turkey, a day that marks the opening of parliament. To mark the day there was a special ceremony at the Turkish Memorial. This is a monolithic structure on a point that looks out over the see. It can be seen for miles, in fact it was in full view from Troy. The ceremony had hundreds of people and we arrived just as half had decided to leave. As we struggled up the steep path towards the Memorial itself I felt like a salmon swimming against a tide of people. This is a great opportunity for the students to meet local kids. They were literally swamped with kids of all ages and lets face it, some adults as well. They were very keen to have their photos taken with the foreigners and there was lots of giggling, gesturing and bumbling sign language to be able to communicate but there seemed to be a connection there. We even managed to attract a Turkish man with a mullet. Clearly the mullet has spread.

The afternoon was getting ready for the big day. Rehearsals at Lone pine and then a quick dash to a boat to cruise down to Suvla Bay. It is quite amazing to approach the shores of Anzac forma boat like they would have so many years before. Quite incredible.

Naval Actions and a Broken Record – Simpson Prize 2011

23 April 2011 by Stuart Baines. No comments
Battlefield Tours, AE2, Dardanelles, Simpson Prize 2011

Today was a day spent away from the battlefields to give us a chance to learn more about the naval campaign. The day started visiting the ancient city of troy and although it is not directly related to the 1915 actions it is interesting because it really speaks to the history of the area and the value in holding these straits that the Commonwealth forces were so determined to break. The archaeology of the site is amazing and there were a lot of tourist groups leap frogging each other from area to area. We were immersing ourselves in this ancient city of crumbling walls and ruined marble stones at the same time as F-16 Fighter jets were practicing aerial displays, it was a strange contrast.

Moving on from Troy we made our way back to Çanakkale, a modern university town on the Asian side of the Dardanelles. We pulled off the main road just before the town and drove up a hill to the Dardanos Battery. This was the site of an important Turkish gun position that overlooked the site of the main naval battles of the campaign. There is no better place in the area to get a true understanding of the straits. We explored the battles leading up to and on the 18th of March and explored how the belts of mines worked and how effective they were. We also got a chance to really explore the Story of the AE2 and captain stoker. This was especially relevant given the recent media about the possibility of a posthumous VC for his leadership when he and his crew broke through those sea mines and attacked Turkish shipping in the Sea of Mamara.

We stopped for lunch in a seafood restaurant overlooking the Dardanelles and across to Kilitbahir Fort. It was a great meal and a relaxing way to break up the day. It was also a welcome relief from the cold wind that had been lashing us all morning. We have sunshine now which is fantastic but the wind is still making it pretty chilli. From this spot we went to visit the Naval Museum and step aboard the new replica of the Nusrat the Turkish vessel responsible for laying mines in the waters beyond. It was quite a well decked out ship and full of great stories and exhibits. The story it told and the experience that it offered was excellent. We walked from the museum to soak up some of the sights of Çanakkale and get a hit of civilization as we have been pretty isolated at the Kum. We stood in front of the Trojan horse that was used in the movie Troy and my only disappointment was that they had corrected the mistake on the plaque which used to talk about the famous actor from the movie “Brat Pitt”.

Back at the Hotel a bet that was laid down by the students was played out much to every ones enjoyment and certainly to much laughter. Chelsea, Zoe, Lauren and Tanvi had worked very hard all day to learn the words to the song “but I am a good girl” which struck a cord with them when they saw it in the movie Burlesque. In honour of that effort and of course to win their bet, they then performed the song when they got back to hotel in the cafe complete with choreography. Christina Aguilera they were not, but all credit to them, it was in tune and very, very funny. Also today, Conner had learned of a Kum hotel record and felt it was a challenge, no a duty, to break that record. Each night there is a series of delectable deserts laid out and a particular desert made form polenta I think and a sickly sweet honey syrup is a favorite amongst us all. They are only the size of a golf ball but the record in one sitting is to eat 12 or should I say it was. Conner managed to consume 13. Let me put this into perspective for you, most of us are so overwhelmed by the sweetness of these that we struggle to eat one, Conner ate his and washed them down with a can of coke and a bottle of water. Kids will be kids.

Going to the Front – Simpson Prize 2011

22 April 2011 by Stuart Baines. No comments
Battlefield Tours, Gallipoli, rugby, Simpson Prize 2011

There was just too much to tell about today so I will try and give you all a brief rundown and some of the highlights.

Today we tried to trace some of the key points on the ANZAC line. We tried to put ourselves in the shoes of those men early in the day by taking the steep climb to the top of Plugge’s Plateau. The hill is thick with dense shrubs which seem to all have sharp bits on their sharp bits. The track is well cut until you reach the cemetery on the seaward side but from there it is a case of find some semblance of a track, head towards the heights and mind the spiky bushes. Reaching the end of the plateau we were confronted with the same sight that those ANZACS were on the first morning, the Sphinx and the razor back. The razor back is the only piece of land at that height that connects the plateau with the first ridge. It stretches out maybe 120 meters and there would not be a flat piece of ground wider that the sole of my shoe. There was no way that they could get across and for the students to see that with their own eyes really gives them the understanding of what the troops must of felt when those first soldiers believed they were well on their way to their objective and then stopped at the last gasp.

We walked down to Shrapnel Valley cemetery and explored the many moving epitaphs. Some of these could move even the toughest soul to tears. Imagine standing in the shade of the Judus tree in the middle of the cemetery surrounded by chirping birds and beautiful flowers. The valley foliage of yellows, greens and purples climbs upwards all around you and a brilliant blue sky to top of the scene. You look down and see the epitaph “Tread gently on the green grass sod, a mother’s love lies here” it is hard not to be moved.

We took the time here and with the opportunity that the weather had presented to us, we decided to have a morning snack. We talked about what the men would have eaten on those first days and how they felt about the monotony of eating the same thing over and over again. We read some of the comments made by men about the rations and how they tried to jazz them up. Like everything on this trip our understanding of this campaign is about experience, so our mid morning snack was bully beef and hardtack biscuit. The hardtack was backed using the original recipe for authenticity and the bully beef was as close as we could get. One by one we all tried the biscuit and the beef and one by one we realised just how much better toast and vegemite with a cup of coffee would have been.

The afternoon was spent working our way from cemetery to cemetery from Lone Pine to Chunuk Bair. The students presented their research on a soldier and we had a small commemorative ceremony for each. Walking to each of the sites we had time to reflect on the loss of the campaign and really understand what the front line would have looked like. Stopping at the Nek was a moving experience. We sat the students down and told the story of what had happened in the tiny square of ground. We explored some of the stories of the individual men who had fought on that fateful day. Looking across the open ground from the site where the Australians would have been to the Turkish lines were it really is very clear of just how withering the fire must have been to stop every one of those hundreds of men before they could take those few dozen steps.
There was so much more to our journey today and I would encourage you to follow the student’s blog on the other site http://simpsonprize2011.wordpress.com for their perspective. No matter how many times you visit Gallipoli there is always a way that this place reminds you that this tiny peninsula and what has gone on here is incredibly powerful. Today I was able to walk into Baby 700 again and go the stone that tells visitors that Blair Inskip Swanell is somewhere in this small grassy patch on top of this hill. He was an officer, an international rugby player and a great leader. He died on the 25th of April, the first day of the campaign, leading his men to the objective of baby 700. He had said to Charles Bean the day before that “I will play this game like I play rugby, with my whole heart”. He did and he died doing so, his body left behind enemy lines as the Australians were forced from the hill. Seeing his name there on that wind swept grave yard once again moved me to tears.

Our first day in Gallipoli – Simpson Prize 2011

21 April 2011 by Stuart Baines. 2 Comments
Battlefield Tours, Gallipoli, John Simpson Kirkpatrick, Simpson Prize 2011

Leaving the lights and glitz of Istanbul behind us we made our way down to Gallipoli today. It is important for the students to get a feel and understanding for the Turkish culture and the people before they come to ANZAC cove and the battlefields. It was a fun bus ride, even though we talked about politics and religion, as we got to watch the world go by and see some of the beautiful sites along the Marmara coast line. We stopped at a service station for snacks and drinks, as you do on any good road trip, and we were surprised to learn that there was a small Zoo attached to the place. Apparently not uncommon in the area, all these petrol station stops look for the edge over their competitors and for them that edge came in the form of some chickens, guinea fowl, turkey, peacocks, two Ostriches and a Camel. It seems a novel idea to us but it must work.

Back on the bus and we were away for the final part of the road trip. We arrived at the Kum hotel for a late lunch and some of us… ok… I ate my lunch fast in my haste to get the kids to get their first taste of ANZAC. Our first stop was Beach cemetery where we got some time to look around and the weather finally cleared and the sun beamed down. We let the students absorb their surrounds before we then all came together to talk about the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the importance of the relationship with and the generosity of the Turkish people. We stood by Simpson’s plot and explored his role in the ANZAC Story, as the name sake to the Simpson prize it had special meaning for us all. Gene, the ACT winner, talked about the epitaph that inspired him to write his essay and told us all about what he had discovered through his research. The Epitaph simply reads “Deeds not words”. Three very powerful words and they clearly resonated with Gene.

We moved down to Ari Burnu Cemetery and walked along ANZAC Cove itself. We sat and talked about the campaign and explored just how difficult that landing must have been for the men. We all truly got a sense of where we were when we hit that beach as I am sure did the young ANZACS almost 100 years ago. We had time to look around and explore and I was amazed that as I strolled along the beach I was finding parts of smashed rum jugs that have been there in the water and buried in the sand since the evacuation. On one part of the beach I found a large piece of shrapnel, as big as my forearm on another a quarter of a rum jug just sitting on the beach almost defying time to break it down and take it out to sea.

Before heading back to the hotel for dinner and backgammon, the day finished with the setting sun lighting the sphinx, and nature posing a very complex question, how can such a beautiful place have seen so much tragedy?

One of the Gems of Istanbul – Simpson Prize 2011

20 April 2011 by Stuart Baines. 5 Comments
Battlefield Tours, Istanbul, Simpson Prize 2011

Once again the day is started with a great meal. Breakfast is served in an underground area, an old cistern converted into quite a unique restaurant. The plan for today was to visit one of the gems of Istanbul and one of my personal favourites, Chora church. The little tucked away church was not so tucked away when we turned into the street and saw a dozen coaches of various sizes. We turned away and headed to the Istanbul technology museum. It is a museum that is run by a private family, an incredibly well off family, and it seemed definitely like a place where they were indulging there passions. A fantastic collection of cars, boats, computers, tractors… well let’s face it a bit of everything. It was fascinating and I think that the boys definitely enjoyed the big eclectic collection.

We made our way to Taxim Square for lunch and got to see an interesting display of how passionate the Turkish people are about their political processes. Hundreds of Police, hundreds of protesters but all very peaceful. Istiklal street runs into Taxim square and it is a 1.4 km strip of shops cafes and restaurants frequented by the younger Turkish crowd. It is always busy and the later it gets the more people crammed into the street. The kids had a lot of fun shopping and buying plenty of Turkish delight.

After lunch we made our way to Chora church. It is a museum now but we would call it in Australia a heritage building. It is a former catholic church, converted to a mosque and then converted back again. It is adorned with beautiful mosaics, a lot of the tiny tiles made from glass dipped in gold the walls shimmer as they tell their biblical stories. One of areas has magical frescos, the oldest outside of Italy, that have been restored and really give a sense of how important and how old this church really is. It is only a small church but there is something quite humble and unassuming about the place despite how brilliant the place is. Everyday here there seems to be something that just makes you smile that shows that great Turkish uniqueness. Sorry to give you another animal story but as we moved about in Chora we saw one of the many, many stray cats trot its way through the hundreds of legs and disappear threw a doorway. I half expected the security guards to chase it out but there was no commotion and no reaction. Seemingly anyway. When we walked into the next chamber, there in the middle of the room was the cat sitting on a marble square that was a feature block amongst the rest of the floor. The rooms other occupants were a bus load of tourists all wondering what was the better photo opportunity, the mosaic ,hundreds of years old, steeped in history and religious symbolism, or the cat licking itself.