Plod's Lycian Log: Countdown: 3!

Gallipoli: 28th March, 2014

A wonderful day on a Crowded House tour from Istanbul to Gallipoli, with overnight transfer to Selcuk - all for 70E. Can't recommend them highly enough. They even gave me a room with bathroom, in Eceabat, for my 6-hour wait for the bus to Selcuk, and breakfast and lunch was included.

Pleased to have visited Gallipoli with a Turkish guide. His stories differed from those I've been telling my students in interesting ways. According to him:

1) If the Anzacs had landed at the "right" beach (now called Brighton), the casualties would have been much greater, because Turkish forces were concentrated there. The Turks were clued up from a British spy-turned-counter-spy.

2) A diary entry suggests that the landing at Anzac Cove was intentional. In anticipation of strong defence at the right beach, someone (sorry, the guide spoke too fast) turned the wheel twice to the left to slightly change course and land elsewhere.

3) Contrary to the song, the Turks were not ready and waiting for them at Anzac Cove. They did not anticipate a landing there, because it was too difficult, and only numbered 160, against the 1500 in the First Landing. Two further landings during the day, took Anzac numbers to (15000??). The Turks had no machine guns and not much weaponry as they were only there to observe. After doing what they could to defend the area, they in fact had to retreat and the Anzacs achieved at least one of their objectives before the Turks could rally and re-group.

The whole Gallipoli Peninsula in now a Peace Park. No development is allowed, although farmers can use the land for grazing and crops. Canola is a big one.

Preparations are well underway now for the Anzac Day Dawn Service at Anzac Cove and a second commemorative service at Lone Pine. Surreal to walk in original, untouched trenches, with Turkish trenches, at one point, just 20m away. According to the guide, grenades sometimes swapped hands 3 times before they exploded.