Armistice Day 2008
November 12, 2008

Yesterday marked the 90th anniversary of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month 1918 – when World War I ended.

I was recalling my visit to Turkey a few years ago where I met the British Anglican minister who has helped revive the tradition of the Dawn Service at ANZAC Cove.
Ironically the commemoration of the events has become so extensive that bigger roads have had to be built to cope with all the visitors – and many remains are being uncovered.

It is worth recalling that Turkish bullets were not the only hazard facing Australian troops in 1915. The surviving Australians (and other Allied troops) confronted so many other dangers that some Diggers could hardly bring themselves to talk about their experiences when they got home.

The soldiers had to put with all sorts of morale and physical problems that are probably beyond the comprehension of most Australians today. Australian soldiers started the campaign with high morale. But this was eroded by the stupidity of the senior officers.
The army was landed on an unknown shore; there were no accurate maps available; no detailed planning had been done of the landing; the commander in chief (General Sir Ian Hamilton) was too old for the job; and the Allied top military brains were on the Western front. The Turkish forces were deployed in larger numbers than was first thought.

Mateship and a sense of determination were required not simply to beat the Turkish defenders but also to cope with the stupidity of the senior officers. They kept on keeping on – there were no mutinies. British politician Leo Amery arrived in the combat area soon after the initial landings. He was horrified about the lack of foresight by his British Cabinet colleagues. He said that the invading force had no option but an “uphill attack on a narrow front over ground seamed with almost endless deep ravines offering ideal positions for the stubborn defence for which the Turkish soldier has always been famous”.

He later compared the Gallipoli offensive with the Charge of the Light Brigade. It was a magnificent campaign with great bravery – but futile.

Amery was also worried that the facts were not being reported back to the Cabinet in London. The troops were being starved of reinforcements and ammunition by senior generals on the Western Front who regarded the Gallipoli campaign as a “side-show”.

The ordinary Australian soldier had been educated to believe – as was customary at that time – that senior people knew best. They were obliged to trust them. The senior people had had a better education, came from better families and had a long experience in fighting wars. The soldiers continued to follow orders – even though it meant virtually certain death.

The soldiers continued to fight on bravely, even though they felt that something was wrong. They could see the signs of the stupidity all around them. It is hard to fight on, when a soldier feels that he is fighting a futile campaign.

Along the psychological issues, there were the sheer physical problems. Luckily the Australian soldiers were very fit. The pioneering Australian way of life, with good food, plenty of hard work, clean atmosphere and sunshine meant that the Australian volunteers were among the physically best troops ever recruited in the British Empire.