CANAKKALE - Thousands of Australian, New Zealander and Turks gathered at Anzac Bay in Gelibolu Peninsula as dawn broke in northwestern province of Canakkale on Saturday to commemorate their ancestors who died in the World War I, on the 93rd anniversary of Canakkale Battles.
Deputy Chief of Australian General Staff Gen. David Hurley who addressed the crowd said the Gelibolu (Gallipoli) peninsula witnessed a display of unprecedented bravery and heroism, noting that those who fought in the Canakkale Battles continued to live in the memories of their nations.
"They left us an eternal legacy with their courage, friendship and sacrifice on the rough terrain of Gelibolu," said Hurley. He pointed out that people gathered in Gelibolu not to glorify the concept of war but to commemorate and honour those who sacrificed their lives for their people.
Also speaking during the ceremony, Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said many youngsters lost their lives 94 years ago and hundreds of thousand more were wounded.
"Those who are here today know they are lucky. We salute each other not as enemies but as people united around the common goal of building a better world. Once again, the Turkish nation which was built upon the sacrifices of a generation is hosting us here with warm hospitality," said Smith.
Colonel Samil Ozdag, who represented Turkey in the ceremony, read out Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's renown tribute to ANZACs killed in Gelibolu:
"Those heroes that 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 now here in this country of ours... you, the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries wipe away your tears; for your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land. They have become our sons as well."
The gathering sang hymn and prayed for those who lost their lives in the devastating war and the dignitaries laid wreath at the battle monument.
Thousands of Austrian, New Zealander and Turks gathered at Anzac Bay in Gelibolu Peninsula in northwestern province of Canakkale on April 25th to commemorate their ancestors who died in the World War I, on the 93rd anniversary of Canakkale Battles.
New Zealand's Foreign Minister and Australian Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon and Air Forces Commander Gen. Graham Lintott also attended the ceremonies.
Each year, thousands of people, many of them Australians and New Zealanders, travel to the battlefields in northwestern Turkey on Anzac Day, the anniversary of the April 25th, 1915, start of the campaign.
Anzacs, as the Australian and New Zealand forces, formed the backbone of a 200,000-man British-led army that landed at Gelibolu in an attempt to take control of the Turkish Straits and capture Istanbul. The Turks held strong for more than eight months, driving the allies off their land in a campaign.
Nearly 1 million soldiers fought in the trench warfare at Gelibolu. The allies recorded 55,000 killed in fighting with 10,000 missing and 21,000 dead of disease. Turkish casualties were estimated at around 250,000.