Tri-Service

Battle of Gallipoli Centenary Commemorated

The Gallipoli Campaign was a joint military operation of the Allied Powers in the Gallipoli Peninsula in the erstwhile Ottoman Empire. The operations were undertaken to open up a third front in addition to the Eastern and Western Fronts.

It was a fateful campaign and widely regarded as one of the bloodiest of the First World War.

Below, a selection of Forces TV features and coverage leading up to the commemoration day on Saturday 25th April:

* Gallipoli 100: Diary Entries From The Front

* Tales From Gallipoli: The Sailor Left For Dead

* Forces TV Meets Author of 'Gallipoli'

Visualising the key statistics from the campaign:

Below is a summary of the main points regarding the campaign:

* The Allies and Germany had reached a stalemate on the Western Front just months into World War One

*Britain and France thought they could help Russia on the Eastern Front by defeating Germany's Turkish allies - the Ottoman Empire

*After a failed naval attack, the Allies tried to capture Constantinople (now Istanbul) via the Gallipoli Peninsula by land assault

*British, French and their dominions' troops - including soldiers from Australia, New Zealand, India and Newfoundland - took part

*They faced months of shelling, sniper fire and dysentery, before abandoning the campaign

*55,000 Allied troops died for no material gain, although the Turkish Army was tied down for eight months

*86,000 Turkish troops died. Commander Mustafa Kemal survived and went on to found modern Turkey

In order to commemorate the event, Colour Sergeant Bugler Russel Piner, Royal Marines School of Music Portsmouth, performs the Last Post to commemorate the centenary of the Gallipoli campaign:

Gallipoli 100: The Last Post
#Gallipoli100: The Last Post Colour Sergeant Bugler Russel Piner, Royal Marines School of Music Portsmouth, performs the Last Post to commemorate the centenary of the Gallipoli campaign.
Posted by Royal Navy on Friday, 24 April 2015