St John's Cathedral, Brisbane and the Anzac Legend

The Turkish defenders had been grossly underestimated as a foe. Despite this, most of the Anzacs had fought gallantly, overcoming their fears. In doing so they won the admiration of their senior British commanders and, back home, the Australian and New Zealand peoples, although it was some time before the full extent of the casualties was officially made known to the public. Both the heroism and the suffering of the Anzacs awakened great pride and sentiment in their achievements and their resilience. The Gallipoli campaign became a defining moment in the development of Australia’s sense of identity and nationhood. But, by the closing months of 1915 it became apparent the campaign could not be sustained and it was decided to evacuate all allied forces from the peninsula. The evacuation was meticulously planned. It was imperative that the Turkish Army should not get wind of the withdrawal in case they launched a devastating attack on the retreating soldiers. The War Office in London had estimated that an evacuation could result in the loss of 50,000 men and Lord Curzon, a British Cabinet member, had warned that withdrawal from Gallipoli would be a piteous disaster.

He had forecast a panic retreat at night, “the crowding into the boats of thousands of half-crazy men, the swamping of craft…the agony of the wounded, the hecatombs of slain.” Fortunately, this dire forecast was negated by the careful planning of the evacuation. In the case of the Anzacs, the plan was to withdraw soldiers gradually from Anzac Cove over a period of time, and then for all remaining soldiers to be withdrawn secretly in darkness over two single nights—the nights of 18-19 and 19-20 December. As it transpired, the evacuation was a complete success without a single loss of life. Indeed, militarily, the evacuation was the only successful part of the entire Gallipoli campaign which had claimed 26,111 Australian casualties, about a third of whom were killed. One of the most important ways that Australian Churches helped support the Anzacs at Gallipoli, and in other First World War theatres, was by contributing chaplains to serve alongside Australian troops. Affectionately known as ‘Padres’ (from Italian, Spanish and Portuguese meaning ‘priest’), the chaplains were serving priests or ministers from the Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian and other Churches.

Anzac Cove looking north from Hell Spit in 1915. Note the seemingly impenetrable coastal terrain which gave the Turkish defenders atop the cliffs an unassailable advantage.

State Library of Queensland

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