to the fallen in the Lone Pine Memorial, it struck me how incongruous that of all the eight Nations involved, only the Anzacs celebrated 25th April as a public holiday. Our casualties 7594 dead of a total 53,993 out of 339,000 embarkations is minute to the UK, which suffered 73,485 - the cream of their famous Battalions and manhood. Never mentioned was Britain's eventual departure a year later, still persevering following the Anzac retreat, and soldiering on for a lost cause.

Newspaper legend Keith Murdoch and Ellis Ashmead Bartett brought to the World the naked truth of the sordid debacle, courtesy of Sir Ian Hamilton, Kitchener, Churchill etc. The Author Bryce Courtenay, Charles Bean, film-maker Peter Weir all provided glamorous outcomes for the ill fated catastrophic adventure-of-a-lifetime. Gross distortions, magnified gratuitous gallantry, national pride etc, generally appealed to the gullible public and film-tarts.

The diggers at Chunuk Bar, bereft of steel helmets ( thanks jacinta ) led by incompetent Officers e.g Hughes & Antill were butchered by Turkish Howitzers ( imported from Germny's Krupp foundry ) and machine-gunned, as they ' bayonet charged ' ?? in four successive waves. Horrendous. 60 % of casualties were cut down en masse. Even the Turk guide was moved to tears at the irony and revelation !

Kemal Ataturk, who paid tribute to their bravery is remembered for his reference to the ' johnnies " who endured hell in the Dardanelles. Quote: " I do not command you to fight. I command you to die for you Country ". 300,000 heeded the call. What patriotism !

After the War, the UK Govt commissioned " the Dardanelles Commission 1916-1919 " to investigate the ' badly planned..and badly executed campaign. Because it incriminated Politicians, serving Officers, and procrastinating opportunist, it was unceremoniously shredded. Typical.

I walked the trenches - desperately tried to envision my Uncles who treaded this barren earth, bloodied and sodden, as they met the enemy and kismet.

Not often mentioned by historians, is the terrible carnage inflicted by the innocuous fly. In fact, it was Dipterans that decided the War. The common..
t.b.c

Never chronicled by Aust historians or the AWM, is the terrible carnage inflicted by the innocuous fly. In fact, it was the Dipteran that decided the outcome of Gallipoli. The common variety that plagued the entire Mediterranean continent. More soldiers succumbed to the ravages of the blow-fly that fed on human carcasses, than any single phenomenon. So ubiquitous, digger's complained " you might as well spit on a bush fire, for the good it'll do ". It was much worst in the Turkish trenches where typhoid and cholera raged. Blossomimg into a full blown epidemic, crippling the Turkish defence's, and spreading to the civilian population. It severely undermined Ataturk's Winter offensive of sweeping the Allied invaders off the tenuous eight square miles of beachhead.Fearing decimation, the Turks brokered a truce to collect and bury their dead, which were decomposing - exacerbating the pandemic which was depleting his forces. A bid for time to recover the initiative.

There was strict censorship for both adversaries. There was little to crow about. Conditions were atrocious. Politicians and the Military honchos were wary the news would reflect badly on the public at home. Doting Mothers and anxious wives would demand a recall and end to the hostilities. The cost burden was accelerating exponentially. The Navy had suffered the lost of a Battleship. Numerous warships were being torpedoed by Turkish submarines. News was suppressed and severely censored. There was nothing to glamorise over.

The Medical services were overwhelmed. Just couldn't cope. Disease engulfed the troops on both sides. Morale was at a very low ebb. Specialist were called, but soldiers kept dying at an alarming rate. Surgery, anaesthetics, infection was brutally primative. Transfusions unheard of. Gastro-enteritis, amoebic dysentry, diarrhoea, typhoid fevers, ulcerated wounds, jaundice, encephalitis, supperating sores etc and extreme water shortages ravished the Allied Divisions, and Regiments.

Over 70% of Aust 1st and 2nd Division was incapacitated. Moreover, 150,000 British servicemen were medically unfit through sickness. Among the casualties were numerous self-inflicted wounds, attempted suicides, chronic malingerers, and desertions. They had reached the end of their tether.

Today, we would included trauma, PTSD, shell

shell-shock, and a multitude of neurological and psychological disorders.

For whom the Bell tolls ?

Medical personnel were hard pressed, including Private Simpson and his donkey, delivering the sick and wounded to the beaches for attention and repatriation to Hospital ships, and Lemnos for recuperation. Doctor's, stretcher-bearers, etc were constantly bombarded and snipped at. Surgery, anaesthetics, anti-bacterial, and infection prevention was in short supply. Transfusions were unheard of then. The beachhead soon became a morgue/cemetery. Hundreds were stacked in tiers for funeral pyres to prevent contagion.

Water from ship's bilges, contractor barges, were often polluted, even though chlorine was introduced. Medic's believed this to be the source of epidemics sweeping the peninsular. Personal hygine was appalling. Sanitary conditions nonexistent. The Officers and men were equally to blame. Louse infected men stood in their own faeces. Ate, fought, slept and died - wretched. The stench was overpowering. Trenches were eventually forced by the Medical staff to install a lime packed dunny. It didn't prevent diggers mounting the parapets, dropping their strides, where they were picked off by Turkish snipers. They were recovered at night for their folly. No man's land was inherently unsafe to relieve oneself. It was infinitely worst on the Somme. It is no wonder the trenches was the habitat for epidemics, diseases, rats, vermin and gross sickness. It was home for nine months ! Emptying the dunny-pan was the most onerous job imaginable. Often it was overflowing, which didn't help. Men tossed for the privilege of escort duty instead.

In the final analysis, it was Nature's elements that decided the outcome of the campaign, not historical gymnastics, myths and blatant subversion of the truth.

Gallipoli was an unmitigated disaster.