This guide introduces a selection of First World War cemeteries and memorials in Gallipoli, Turkey. Then part of the Ottoman Empire, this was an important battleground during the conflict. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) looks after each of the cemeteries and memorials featured here, preserving these monuments to the fallen in perpetuity. Each section of this guide begins with a map offering a suggested route for visiting the sites.

In early 1915, British and French warships attempted to force their way through the Dardanelles straits to attack Constantinople (now Istanbul), the capital of the Ottoman Empire. After the naval attack failed, troops were landed on the Gallipoli peninsula. For eight months fighting raged across the fields around Cape Helles, along the ridges above Anzac Cove, and in the hills around Suvla Bay. Unable to break the deadlock, Allied soldiers withdrew from the peninsula, leaving their fallen comrades behind. Almost 36,000 Commonwealth servicemen who died in the campaign are buried or commemorated on Gallipoli.

The Gallipoli Campaign, February 1915 – January 1916

Royal Irish Fusiliers, Helles

Exploring G

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HELLES

On 25 April 1915, the British 29th Division landed on five beaches around Cape Helles, and the sector was the main focus of Allied efforts until August. This route begins at the Helles Memorial, from where the high ground of Achi Baba (the first day’s objective) can be seen in the distance. Follow the road to Lancashire Landing, which stands above one of the key landing beaches. Travel back to Seddülbahir village and V Beach Cemetery, one of the original battlefield burial grounds. Continue inland to Redoubt Cemetery, scene of some of the fiercest fighting of the campaign, through the village of Alçitepe (once known as Krithia) and on to Twelve Tree Copse Cemetery for views across the battlefields.

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Helles MemorialDesigned by Sir John Burnet, the Helles Memorial is the battle monument for the entire Gallipoli campaign. It marks the efforts of all those Commonwealth servicemen who served at Helles, Anzac and Suvla. It also bears the names of nearly 21,000 men of the British and Indian forces whose burial places are not known, some 249 Australian servicemen who died in the Helles sector and have no known grave, and those buried or lost at sea.

Did you know?

Some 10,300 men, half of those commemorated here, died during theoffensive of August 1915.

Lancashire Landing CemeteryNearby ‘W beach’ was heavily fortified and overlooked by steep cliffs. It was here that the 1st Lancashire Fusiliers fought their way ashore on 25 April. The area was renamed ‘Lancashire Landing’, and more than 80 Lancashire Fusiliers who died on that day were laid to rest here. It is now the final resting place of more than 1,200 Commonwealth servicemen.

Did you know?

Six Victoria Crosses were awarded to members of the Lancashire Fusiliers for their bravery during the landings on W Beach – an event reported in the Allied press as the winning of “six VCs before Breakfast”. One of the men, William Kenealy, is buried in the cemetery.

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V Beach CemeteryOn 25 April 1915, the Dublin Fusiliers and Munster Fusiliers were in the vanguard of the assault here, coming ashore from rowing boats and the converted collier SS River Clyde. They faced devastating gunfire from the surrounding cliffs and suffered heavy casualties. The following day, survivors buried many of their fallen comrades in this cemetery.

Did you know?

Only after dark, in the red glow of the fires burning in the village, could the dead and the wounded be recovered from the gangways of the River Clyde, and the remaining assault troops make their way ashore.

Redoubt CemeteryTaking its name from a line of Ottoman fortifications – and lying alongside the Vineyard where many Commonwealth soldiers died – this cemetery marks the limit of the advance on the village of Krithia during the battles in May and June 1915.

Did you know?

The cemetery contains a tree planted by the parents of Second Lieutenant Eric Duckworth in 1922. He was killed on 7 August 1915 and is commemorated on the Helles Memorial. The tree is the only private memorial located within a CWGC cemetery on the peninsula.

Above: V Beach Cemetery Left: Redoubt Cemetery

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Twelve Tree Copse CemeteryThe final resting place of some 3,300 Commonwealth servicemen, over 2,200 remain unidentified. At the rear of the cemetery stands the Twelve Tree Corpse New Zealand Memorial, which commemorates 179 men of the New Zealand forces who died in this sector and have no known grave. Nearby Gully Ravine was the scene of some of the fiercest fighting in the Helles region.

Did you know?

This cemetery is named after a small pine wood which stood just south of here at the start of the Gallipoli campaign

Above: Helles MemorialLeft: Twelve Tree Copse Cemetery

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ANZAC

The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) landed here on 25 April, and dug in along the ridges and gullies which dominate this region. Begin at Ari Burnu Cemetery, standing alongside the beach where the Anzacs first fought their way ashore, before travelling south past Anzac Cove to the beautiful Beach Cemetery. Nearby is Shrapnel Valley Cemetery, at the heart of the Anzac sector. Continue to Gabatepe and up the road which follows the frontline of Second Ridge. Lone Pine Cemetery, Quinn’s Post and The Nek tell the story of the desperate struggle here. This route finishes at Chunuk Bair Cemetery where, during a major offensive in August 1915, Allied forces briefly glimpsed the Dardanelles before being driven back.

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Ari Burnu CemeteryThis cemetery stands on the promontory at the northern end of Anzac Cove, where men of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps came ashore at dawn on 25 April 1915. It was created shortly after the landings and used throughout the campaign.

Did you know?

The first Australian and New Zealand troops who fought at Gallipoli trained in Egypt. They nicknamed the rocky outcrop above the beach – which can still be seen from the cemetery today – ‘The Sphinx’.

Beach CemeteryBurials took place here on the first day of the landings and continued until November 1915. Many of those who rest here died of their wounds while receiving medical care, or were killed by Ottoman artillery which targeted the beaches. Did you know?

Among those buried here from Australian, New Zealand and British units are three members of the Ceylon Planters Rifle Corps: the personal camp guard of the commander of the Anzac Corps, General Birdwood.

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Shrapnel Valley CemeteryThis valley was the main artery of the Anzac sector, through which a stream of men and supplies flowed between the beach and the front line. Burials began here during the opening days of the landings and continued throughout the campaign.

Did you know?

The site is overlooked by Plugge’s Plateau, named after Colonel Arthur Plugge, a key command post standing 100 metres above the sea.

Lone Pine CemeteryOn 6 August 1915, Anzac forces attacked Ottoman trenches on this ground to begin the Battle of Lone Pine. Fierce fighting and Ottoman counter-attacks continued for five days.

Did you know?

Early in the Gallipoli campaign, a solitary pine tree stood out on this plateau and the area soon became known as Lone Pine.

Above: Shrapnel Valley CemeteryLeft: Lone Pine Cemetery

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Quinn’s Post CemeteryThis was one of the most infamous and dangerous parts of the front line. If Ottoman forces breached the defences here, the entire Anzac sector would be at risk. The opposing trenches were only yards apart – roughly each side of the modern road – and both sides used snipers and bombs to deadly effect.

Did you know?

On the morning of 24 May, the guns fell silent for nine hours so men of both sides could bury their dead.

The Nek CemeteryOn 7 August 1915, the men of the Australian Light Horse attacked Ottoman lines over this narrow strip of land, known as ‘the Nek’. Of the 600 Australians of the 3rd Light Horse Brigade that took part, over 230 were killed and almost 150 wounded. This cemetery was built on what was once no-man’s land, where many of the fallen lay until the Allies returned here after the end of the war.

Did you know?

The burial places of unidentified casualties are marked on cemetery plans, but unlike cemeteries on the Western Front, their graves are not marked on the ground. This gives the cemeteries on the peninsula a unique character – with expanses of open ground dotted with just a few grave markers.

Above: Quinn’s Post Cemetery Left: The Nek Cemetery

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Chunuk Bair Cemetery and New Zealand MemorialOn 6 August 1915, Commonwealth forces led by New Zealand troops began to fight their way to the high ground of Chunuk Bair. They briefly held the summit before a Ottoman offensive recaptured the heights. More than 630 servicemen lie here, the names of only ten of whom are known. A memorial above the cemetery commemorates more than 850 New Zealand soldiers whose graves are not known.

Did you know?

The Māori Contingent served with distinction at Gallipoli. Of the 16 officers and 461 other ranks who had arrived at Gallipoli in July 1915, only two officers and 132 men remained when the contingent was evacuated from the peninsula with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in December 1915.

Chunuk Bair Cemetery

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SUVLA

Reinforcements landed around Suvla Bay in August 1915, as part of the Allied offensive intended to break the deadlock at Gallipoli. Travel to Lala Baba Cemetery, where some of the earliest fighting in this sector took place. Return to the main road and head north to Azmak Cemetery, the most northerly on the peninsula, for spectacular views of the surrounding hills and back towards the Sari Bair ridge in the Anzac sector. Finish your route at Green Hill Cemetery, the final resting place of many who fell in the Battle of Scimitar Hill, one of the last major clashes of the campaign.

Please be aware that poor weather conditions may restrict access to Lala Baba and Azmak cemeteries.

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Lala Baba CemeteryLate in the evening of 6 August 1915, Commonwealth forces came ashore on the beaches around Suvla Bay. Lala Baba hill wastaken in the first hours of the landings by the 6th Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment. It became an important location for coordinating military operations due to its commanding views over the Salt Lake and the bay. Standing on an adjacent hill known as ‘Little Lala Baba’, this cemetery was constructed after the Armistice.

Did you know?

The graves of more than 210 Commonwealth servicemen were brought here from nine smaller cemeteries and isolated locations in the surrounding battlefields.

Azmak Cemetery The nearby hills saw fierce fighting after the Suvla landings. This cemetery is the northernmost on the peninsula and was created after the Armistice when the remains of some 1,070 Commonwealth soldiers were brought here from isolated graves and sixteen smaller cemeteries in the surrounding battlefields.

Did you know?

Among those buried here are the ‘Sandringham Pals’ – men from the Royal Estate who joined up together and died in the fighting at Suvla.

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Green Hill Cemetery Green Hill, named for its appearance alongside nearby ‘Chocolate Hill’, was captured on the evening of 7 August by men of the Lincolnshire and Border Regiments. Commonwealth forces made several attempts to advance further but each was repelled, culminating on 21 August with the Battle of Scimitar Hill. Green Hill Cemetery is now the final resting place of nearly 3,000 Commonwealth servicemen.

Did you know?

Green Hill Cemetery is laid out in the form of a cross.

Above: Azmak CemeteryLeft: Green Hill Cemetery

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Ari Burnu Cemetery

Beach Cemetery

Lancashire Landing Cemetery

Lala Baba Cemetery

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission

(CWGC) is responsible for the commemoration

of almost 1,700,000 members of the

Commonwealth forces who gave their lives in

the two world wars. The graves and memorials

of these men and women, who came from all

par ts of the Commonwealth and who were of

many faiths and of none, are found around the

globe in 154 countries.

Enquiries on the location of individual burials or

commemorations can be directed to the offices

below or to the Commission’s website at

www.cwgc.org where there is an online

searchable database.

CWGC Mediterranean AreaTel: +357 24819460maoffice@cwgc.org

CWGC Head OfficeTel: +44 (0) 01628 507200 Email: enquiries@cwgc.org