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.

Four weeks, two hospitals and one hair-raising adventure!

19 April 2011 by Robyn Siers. 2 Comments
Exhibitions,Nurses: from Zululand to Afghanistan

Question: What’s the definition of “tough”?

Answer: Australian service nurses

In early April 1941, the nurses and physiotherapists of 2/5th and 2/6th Australian General Hospitals (AGH), were transported to Greece with the men of the 6th Division. They were moved around frequently, often at short notice, as the Germans advanced down the Greek peninsula. Hospital supplies and food were in short supply, and many of the incoming wounded were suffering from frostbite. read on

A Rainy Day in Istanbul – Simpson Prize 2011

19 April 2011 by Stuart Baines. 3 Comments
Battlefield Tours, Istanbul, Simpson Prize 2011

A wet day in Istanbul.
Day two of the Simpson prize tour was soggy. The rain rolled in over the city last night, the sound soothing the tired travellers whilst we tried to sleep. Unfortunately when we woke the rain had not really let up so we new we would need our trusty ponchos and water proof jackets. The rain didn’t make the city any less beautiful, in fact it seemed to make things gleam and the drops dripping from the Tulips in between showers really only made it more special.
The day started with a typically lavish meal of pastries, cured meats and cereal, all washed down with some coffee and tea to steel our bodies for the rain. We started the day at the Blue Mosque and hippodrome where we stood on the site of ancient chariot races and marvelled at the age of the Egyptian monoliths that adorn the former stadium. The students met some of the locals and spent time taking in the buildings that surround the area. As the rain grew heavier we moved inside the Blue mosque, so called because of the beautiful rich blue and white tiles that cover the walls. The mosque is still an active place of worship and not only did we learn about the ritual of prayer we also witnessed a local going through his pre prayer ritual. Our Turkish guide, Fred we call him, helped us understand some of the practice of prayer and taught us all about the traditions of the mosque and how they have evolved. Inside the Mosque the busy and growing tide of tourists all seemed to be struck by the beauty of the space, their heads tilted back looking at the painted inner dome and its blue and red ornate patterns. This did mean that many a barefoot was trodden on because it seemed that all those that didn’t have a camera over there face were wandering slowly taking in this beauty and not their surroundings. After we left the mosque into a heavier down pour we detoured back to the hotel to collect ponchos and the straight back out to Topkapi Palace
Topkapi Palace was the main residence of the sultan. It is a stunning place. Not a palace like that you may find in France or Britain it a series of buildings which range from a 2500 staff kitchen to feed the local poor to treasury, Istanbul’s first mint, military meeting rooms, a lounge for the sultans ladies even a circumcision house. One of the key exhibits in the Palace is the spoonmakers diamond, so called because legend says that it was found in a rubbish bin by a poor man who traded it for 3 wooden spoons. It is 86 carats!
My off beat interesting fact for the day didn’t revolve around Sultans, Diamond or chariots, it was actually about dogs. There seem to be many stray dogs particularly around the hippodrome, they are beautiful animals that look well fed if not a little grubby. Most of these pooches are sporting a bright orange ear tag. Apparently Turks in Istanbul like animals but don’t like them in their homes so “strays” are generally treated quite well and often fed by the locals. The local authorities even catch the dogs and give them shots, tag them so that everyone knows they have had them and then let them carry on roaming the streets.

Simpson Prize 2011

18 April 2011 by Stuart Baines. No comments
Battlefield Tours, Simpson Prize 2011

The first day in Istanbul and the excitement and adventure of being in this wonderful city has kept away the fatigue from the long flight. After settling in at the hotel we decided that we should prepare ourselves for our excursion later in trip to the Bazzar by going and getting a little taste. The excuse was fresh air. The experience is amazing and although only a taste really shows the difference in culture. The mosque near the Bazzar is interesting and was interesting to learn how the Bazzar had grown from there.

The next stop was a cruise of the Bosphorous where we marvelled at the architecture particularly the places that lined the water’s edge. It was warm in the sun and the cold wind against our faces seemed to live everyone up for the day ahead. After coming ashore it was off to the military museum which has an enormous collection that reminded us all of how short Australian European history is.

The food is amazing and there is a lot of it. I am very glad that they don’t weigh us before we get back on the plane.

WWI letters & diaries at the Memorial.

18 April 2011 by Sue Jamesion. 4 Comments
Collection,Family history,News,Personal Stories, Commemoration, First World War, Private Records, WWI Centenary

With the Centenary of the Great War of 1914-1918 only a few years away, staff in the Research Centre at the Australian War Memorial are busily working on a variety of special projects aimed at supporting the Australian community’s commemoration of this momentous occasion. 

One such project involves the re-cataloguing and in-depth indexing of the Memorial’s remarkable Private Records collection from WWI.

The AWM holds over 5,000 personal records from the First World War, mainly letters and diaries written by Australian men and women on active service. While earlier cataloguing for these personal records provided an index of such things as the unit with which the collection’s maker served (e.g. 8th Light Horse Regiment), and the places in which he served (e.g. Gallipoli), the new standard of Private Records cataloguing involves far more detailed description.  Many more subject headings (like ‘mud’, ‘camels’, ‘prisoners of war’ and so on) have been added to the online catalogue record of individual collections, as well as biographical information about the collection’s ‘maker’ – information previously only available on a paper file.  To get an idea of what I mean, take a peek at 2DRL/0481 – (papers of Lt John Alexander Raws & Lt Robert Goldthorpe Raws, both of the 23rd Battalion, AIF.)

As a family historian myself, I feel the most exciting aspect of this project is identifying individuals named in letters and diaries.  I record the name of every person mentioned in each collection, even if the reference is only very brief.   This ensures these names are made ‘searchable’ on the Memorial’s online catalogue. 

It’s wonderful what these references can bring to light.  Take for example the case of 1120 Private Leonard Arthur Thomas Beggs of the 22^nd Battalion…from his official war service record, he would appear to have been less than a model soldier – but just look what his commanding officer had to say about him in a letter home from Gallipoli.

“[N]ot forgetting Beggs, a terrier of a chap, will do anything. Put up entanglements under fire, work…on sandbags at night, scout round for provisions for us at the beach, my word he’s the one to find the illicit canteens…He’s a real scout and will do anything to oblige us”. –
1DRL/0554 (papers of Captain Louis Carl Roth, MC, 2 Pioneer Battalion & formerly of 22 Infantry Battalion, AIF)

read on