“ They gave their lives so that we might have our to morrows”
The narrow st
rait separating Europe from Asia, known as the Dardanelles has proved strategically irresistible to armies waging wars down the centuries. We departed from Canakkale to visit the battlefields of Gallipoli. In World War 1 in the spring of 1915 Allied forces launched a massive campaign against Turkish troops to gain control of the Dardanelles and, ultimately, Istanbul. The German commander handed over to his deputy, a young Turkish officer called Mustafa Kemal (later known as Ataturk), who waged a brilliantly ruthless defense of the peninsula.
In the months of fighting that followed more than 160,000 Allied troops and 86,000 Turkish troops were killed and over 250,000 were wounded. By Christmas the allied troops had retreated in defeat.
Well tended cemeter
ies and other monuments to the dead mark the former battlefields on the peninsula. The whole area is a stark reminder of the futility of war. We visited Greenhill cemetery where President Mary Mc Aleese laid a wreath in March 2010 in memory of the Irish who died at Gallipoli. There are several heroic tales of braver and courage shown by soldiers from both sides recorded. There is a striking memorial to Lord Casey an Australian soldier who was wounded and screamed for mercy and help. A young Turkish soldier raised a white cloth; firing ceased and he took the wounded Australian in his arms and carried him across the line to his own troops. The courageous act completed, the firing resumed.
After Gallipoli
After World War 1 Ataturk led a revolution 
that resulted in the downfall of the Ottoman Empire, led the country to victory in the War of Independence and became its first President, secularising the state, liberating women and westernising the nation. He died of cirrhosis of the liver on November 10th 1938 at the age of 57 in Istanbul. As a result of Ataturk's foresight the country has made astonishing leaps forward in the last 25 years. They have recently been attempting to join the European Union. We found the Turkish people to be warmhearted and welcoming. They have a tremendous pride in their country.