Blog category - Battlefield Tours
Reflections on first visit to Anzac Cove
24 April 2009 by Andrew Gray.
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Battlefield Tours, Gallipoli, Simpson Prize
Simpson Prize students on the Cannakale FerryBy Eleanor Lourey (Simpson Prize winner):
Being here for Anzac Day seems so much more important now that I have learnt so much about WWI and the Gallipoli campaign. Seeing so many Australian graves makes the whole day more purposeful to remember and commemorate their lives. Seeing what some of the relatives had written on the gravestones made it seem so much more real and made me think about their families they had left behind at home.
When I saw how large the set-up is for the Dawn Service made me realize how important the day is, not only for Australians but also for New Zealanders and Turks. I am now looking forward to the Anzac Day services more than I was before, all because now I am here on the Gallipoli Peninsula.
First day at Gallipoli
23 April 2009 by Andrew Gray.
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Battlefield Tours, Gallipoli, Simpson Prize
Grave of Major EC OldhamA very pleasant drive down to the Gallipoli Peninsula through fields of bright yellow canola crops and pine forested mountains had us arriving at the Kum Hotel in time for lunch. It was the first taste of the fabulous food and hospitality of this hotel, which is only 10 minutes drive from the Anzac area. Our rooms are small, but comfortable, and once we had mastered the mysteries of plumbing, wrestled with our door locks and understood the purpose of the hole in the bathroom (ventilation) we all felt at home. read on
Thoughts from our two days in Istanbul
23 April 2009 by Andrew Gray.
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Battlefield Tours, Simpson Prize
Simpson students and teachers in front of the Blue MosqueHeading down to Gallipoli we had a chance to reflect on our introduction to Turkey from our two days in Istanbul. The hotel in Taxim Square was a great location – busy, chaotic and full of life. It’s a very cosmopolitan part of the city with thousands of people moving through the square and down Istiklal Street.
In this area are plenty of familiar brand-name shops you would see in Australia, but tucked away in little malls you find a huge range of Turkish products. We sampled Turkish delight, nuts, dried fruit and tea. Lauren checked out a busking group performing with an instrument called a Saz – lute shaped with three pairs of strings – and another musician on a small hand-drum.
Throughout the day is the call to prayer, broadcast from the many mosques around the city. Some of us find the 5.30am call to prayer a very peaceful and gentle way to wake up, while others would rather keep sleeping.
In the old part of the city, one of the most amazing places to visit is the Basilica Cistern – an underground water storage with huge pillars and brick ceiling. Lighting, music and a small amount of water on the bottom create a magical atmosphere. The Blue Mosque has an incredible ambience inside, something that cant be captured in a photograph – definitely one of those places you have to experience in person.
At Topaki Palace we saw jewels, swords, thrones, daggers and other ornaments from the treasury, while in the holy relics section the display included a footprint of the Prophet Mohammed and parts of his beard. In this area Muezzins (preachers) deliver a sermon from the Koran 24 hours a day.
The Simpson Prize trip 2009
21 April 2009 by Andrew Gray.
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Battlefield Tours, Gallipoli, Simpson Prize
The Simpson Prize is a competition for high school students from around Australia, with a winner from every state and territory getting the opportunity to travel to Turkey and attend the services on ANZAC Day at Gallipoli. The students this year are Varun Sundar (ACT), Lauren Tang (NSW), Madeleine Foote (TAS), Johanna Stott-Williams (SA), Megan Proutt (QLD), Nicholas Dyer (WA), Eleanor Lourey (VIC) and Erin Moriarty (NT). The accompanying teachers are Sharon Mann and Peter Sharrett with myself, Andrew Gray, as tour guide and we have the wonderful Turkish guide Ozgur (or Fred) looking after our group.
We have just finished our first two days in Istanbul which has been a great introduction to Turkish history and culture. The amazing Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and Basilica Cistern, as well as a very relaxing cruise on the Bosphorus. We also ran the gauntlet of the shop-keepers in the Spice Market and haggled with the best of them. The weather has been brilliant with warm sunny days, though the forecast is for a wet change. We’ve got to know each other over the last few days and are having a great time together.
Tomorrow we head down to Gallipoli and will have our first visit to the battlefield areas. Each day we’ll try and get an entry in with some pics to relate our experiences.
The History Teachers’ Association of Australia (HTAA), together with HTAA State affiliates, conduct this competition for year 9 and 10 students on behalf of the Australian Government. Read more about the Simpson Prize and this years winners.
Ypres, the Menin Gate and the Last Post
19 May 2008 by Robyn Van Dyk.
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Battlefield Tours, Western Front
And the last post for the Battlefield Tour Blog 2008!
Ypres & Passchendaele
Three major battles of the First World War were fought around the medieval town of Ypres. The first battle was a three week attack on British positions on the 18 October 1914. Here the British and French forces halted the German advance a few kilometres before the town. The town became a salient and the Germans continued to shell the town. The cloth hall at Ypres, one of the largest civil buildings in the Gothic style in Europe went up in flames on the 22 November 1914. The 22 April 1915 marks the second battle of Ypres. This date is infamous for the German use of gas as a weapon for the first time. All civilians were evacuated from the town by May 1915 and the town was reduced to rubble from shelling. read on
N’oublions jamais l’Australie – Never Forget Australia
16 May 2008 by Robyn Van Dyk.
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Battlefield Tours,News, Western Front
Villers-Bretonneux and Bullecourt are two towns on the Western Front that continue to have an ongoing connection with Australia. Due to the warmth and hospitality of the locals in receiving us, the battlefield tour will also not easily forget these towns.
The tiny town of Bullecourt includes a pub called Le Canberra and one of the finest private museums in Northern France. The Bullecourt Musée contains a jumble of rare and interesting collection items found in the local fields. It was started by the Mayor of Bullecourt, Jean Letaille in the 1980′s and was greatly expanded following his retirement. The tour joined Jean and some of the locals of Bullecourt for a lunch at the town hall. read on
Finding a relative on the Western Front
11 May 2008 by Robyn Van Dyk.
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Battlefield Tours,News, Western Front
Dawn and Geoff Harwood were surprised to find that they had a relative buried at Vignacourt British Cemetery. They recognised him as family by his home town and his unusual surname. Geoff and I sat together after dinner last night and using the memorial’s website and databases we were able to uncover a little bit more about George Radnell.
Lochnagar Crater
10 May 2008 by Robyn Van Dyk.
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Battlefield Tours,News, Western Front
When walking the battlefields of the Somme it is evident that most of the visible signs of destruction caused by the First World War have disappeared. The enormous Lochnagar Crater is one of the few surviving scars left on the terrain in this region. A monument to the devastation of war, this crater was caused by a 60,000 lbs mine and is 100 metres in diameter and 30 metres deep. It is hard to capture its sheer size in a photograph.
The land containing the crater was purchased privately in 1978 for preservation as a Memorial to those whose lives that were lost in the crater as well as on the Somme.
Touring the Somme 1916
08 May 2008 by Robyn Van Dyk.
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Battlefield Tours,News, Western Front
The major battles of 1916 took place on the Somme. The offensive began on the 1st July 1916 and would become one of the most costly episodes of the war. Between July and mid November the losses reached a total of 1,300,000 men.
On the 23 July, not long after the Battle of the Somme commenced, the Australians took over and captured the main German line at Pozieres. The Australian 1st Division Memorial at Pozieres stands over this line. At the cost of 23,000 casualties the Australians captured most of the main ridge. The tour viewed the German blockhouse ‘Gibraltar’ which became one of the only features on the razed landscape of Pozieres. From this point the Anzacs (and the tour) moved towards the windmill site and then advanced to Mouquet Farm.
D Day
06 May 2008 by Robyn Van Dyk.
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Battlefield Tours,News, Western Front
The battle field tour, following a strategic withdrawal from Gallipoli, is now touring the battlefields of France. Reinforced with fresh recruits from Australia we travelled to Normandy and viewed the Bayeux Tapestry and then on to the site of the Second World War D Day landings.
