Day 4 -Gallipoli - holy ground for Anzacs and for Turks. Found things had changed since the last visit in 2005 - now a super- 4 lane autobahn down the middle of the peninsula, with tunnels under the hills, and a fabulous huge suspension bridge over the Dardanelles near Gelibolu - all courtesy of Erdogan currently facing an election. Seems that all the Turks we’ve met are not happy with their current President - especially his restrictive Islamic regime.
Arrived in Eceabat around 11.00, sorted out the details with tour company Crowded House including meeting our tour guide WW1 expert Bulent. Bulent turned out to be an gem - absolute expert guide who had lead such luminaries as Chris Pugsley and Peter Jackson around the Peninsula. The Anzac area was in the throws of preparing for the 25 April remembrance ceremony- it reminded me of a rockshow - looks like the whole thing has become very security conscious and maybe even too commercialised .
It was a grey day, showers then sunshine later on - couldn’t help remembering we were there around the time of the original attack. A young forest is growing up through the battlefield site - wilding pines much we have in the McKenzie country. They spoil some of the views and are subject to fires during the late summer. We went to the NZMR Memorial at Hill 60 - known as Bomba Tepe to the Turks (Bomb Hill - because so many grenades etc were hurled around during the 2 week battle). We also visited the 7th Field Ambulance Cemetery and placed a small South Island greywacke pebble on Trooper George W Smith’s grave. George was in the Canterbury Mounteds and the uncle of my old vet school Professor Neil Bruere. It took about 50 years but we’ve eventually worked out that Neil, his son Stuart and I all share an interest and family connection with Gallipoli. Turned out that Neil’s father was in the 6th Reinforcements with my Grandad Bert Barnes. The 6th arrived at Gallipoli in early November 1915 and stayed there til the evacuation. I remember as a kid at my Grannie’s farm the “Bruere” name was treated with a great deal of respect - never took much notice the time but no doubt it all went back to Gallipoli.
We rolled on up the Conkbari road, where the old 1915 frontline was , Lone Pine, Johnston’s Jolly, Quinn’s Post, The Nek, and finally Chunuk Bair - at the moment desecrated by temporary seating rock-show type preparations for the 25th commemorations.
Then back to Eceabat, over the Narrows the Cannakkale and a beer. Big day.