Fed: Turkish side to the Anzac legend

AAP General News (Australia)
04-25-2008
Fed: Turkish side to the Anzac legend

By Mike Hedge, Senior Correspondent

MELBOURNE, April 25 AAP - Jo Hardy always had a special view of Gallipoli and the Anzac legend.

Through her grandfather Alec Campbell she learned bits and pieces of the dreadful events
that, Australians are told, gave their country its identity.

Mr Campbell was the last Gallipoli Anzac left before he died in May 2002 at the age of 103.

The soldier who became known to his mates as "The Kid" was only 16 when he landed at
Anzac Cove in October, 1915.

Typical of the men of his age and experience, he didn't say much about what happened in the war.

"I hadn't heard a lot of his stories until quite late in his life when I really got
to know him," Ms Hardy said.

But in those later years, as her grandfather became more inclined to reminisce, she
learned enough to make her an eager recipient of an invitation to discover more.

This time the stories came from the trenches that faced the sea above Anzac Cove -
the ones that contained the men who were defending their country and trying to kill her
grandfather.

Ms Hardy was one four Australian women who last month went to Turkey at the invitation
of Emime Erdogan, the wife of the Turkish prime minister.

With her were Karen Throssel from Melbourne, whose father Captain Hugh Throssel won
a VC at Gallipoli, Emma Slack-Smith from Canberra, whose great-grandfather Lieutenant
Clarence Lundy landed at Anzac Cove on April 25, 1915, and Ailsa Hawkins from Newcastle,
whose grandfather Private Robert Portley was there as a member of the 1st Light Horse.

For Ms Hardy, the opportunity to see even a small piece of the Gallipoli story from
the Turkish side has given her a fuller and deeper appreciation of an episode that helped
shape the character of two nations.

The centrepiece of the trip was the commemoration of what the Turks regard as their
most symbolic event of the Gallipoli campaign, the sinking of three British ships in the
Dardenelles on March 18, 1915, a month before the land campaign started.

Having experienced the alternative view, Ms Hardy marched for the first time in her
own right at Hobart's Anzac Day commemoration on Friday.

"I'd gone to the march with Alec before, to help him as he got older," Ms Hardy said.

"But this year I'll be marching for first time since he died."

To Ms Hardy, the trip to Turkey filled in some of the gaps and illuminated the stories
her grandfather had told her.

"I felt it most when we went to Lone Pine," Ms Hardy said.

"And when we went to Hill 60 and I was shown by a Turkish man the track Alec would
have gone up and down carrying the water to the men in the trenches.

"I'd say that the ceremonial side of it was as grand as anything I've ever heard of in Australia.

"But the greatest impression I got was of the immense friendliness shown to us.

"Everywhere we went the crowds came out, the media attention was incredible, it was
an amazing experience.

"We hear so much of the Australian story, it was a good thing to hear Turkish people
talk about Gallipoli from their side, to hear what they said about their people, as well
as about the Australians."

One of those who sought out Ms Hardy was Turgut Kamacz, the son of Turkey's last Gallipoli
veteran Huseyin Kamacz.

Turgut Kamacz had met her grandfather when he visited Gallipoli in 1990.

"I had heard a few stories from my grandfather, but it was quite an experience to hear
similar things from this man whose father had told him the Turkish stories," she said.

"One of the things that surprised me a little was how much they wanted to know about
our grandfathers, about our people.

"The thing that seemed to interest them most was that my grandfather had been only
been 16 when he landed at Gallipoli.

"They were also very clear that they were aware that Australia was fighting for Britain."

Which must have been a puzzling thing, even to men who were part of an empire that
had existed for the previous seven centuries and had ruled over more of the planet than
any in history.

By 1914 the decline of the Ottoman Empire was almost complete and Turkey had joined
with Germany in a bid to survive as a nation.

Australians have heard often enough how the dreadful events that began at the little
bay that came to be known as Anzac Cove on April 25, 1915, shaped a nation's character.

How it announced the young nation to the world.

How 8,709 of the country's young men died in the gullies and ridges above the beach
during the nine months of the Gallipoli campaign, along with 2,707 New Zealanders who
formed the other part of the Anzac acronym.

The biggest difference between the Turkish and the Anzac experience at the place whose
real name is Gelibolu was that it was worse in almost every way for the defenders.

They were poorly equipped, poorly trained and among more than 250,000 casualties, 85,000 died.

For Australia, there are few events that evoke emotion like Gallipoli.

For Turkey, the defeat of foreign forces under the charismatic command of the father
of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal, has mythic status.

The Turkish view isn't the only alternative to that of Australia.

British hackles often rise at the constant blame directed at their generals.

As deserved as much of it may be, it isn't as bad as was made out in Peter Weir's film, Gallipoli

Its contrast of cowardly and idle British troops and Anzac heroes is far from fair.

It can be argued that the British bore the brunt of the Allied fighting and of the
losses - more than 21,000 dead and 198,000 wounded.

In his book, Where Is Gallipoli?, author Howard Mallinson chronicles the story of the
Lancashire Fusiliers.

"The dominions' role had to be recognised and allowed to be recognised, it was a symbolic
event for Australia and New Zealand," Mallinson wrote.

"But as a result, successive generations of Australians and New Zealanders grew up
believing they were the only ones there.

"My family suffered as much as any Australian family.

"If they want to be balanced in their knowledge of the campaign they should be aware
the British were there. Equally, we Brits should be aware the French were there as well."

Estimates put French losses at 15,000 and Indians at 1,358.

But if there is one example of the how the view of Gallipoli can change from one perspective
to another, it could be in the gracious words of Mustafa Kemal, the man who later became
known as Ataturk.

"Those heroes who shed their blood and lost their lives, you are now lying in the soil
of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace.

"There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side
by side in this country of ours.

"You, the mothers who sent their sons from far away countries, wipe away your tears,
your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace.

"After having lost their lives on this land they become our sons as well."

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