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Subject:
Turkish-Anzac Battlefield Friendship
ilpars
7/2/2004 6:54:37 AM
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| On May 24th there was a brief ceasefire for both side to bury the thousands of dead piled up in ?no man?s land?. During this sojourn the Anzacs, who had thought of the Turks as barbaric hordes, saw them in a new light. The opposing soldiers clearing and burying the dead from the battlefield talked to their foes, carried enemy wounded to aid stations, exchanged cigarettes and souvenirs, and came to see each other in more human terms. After this a strange battlefield friendship and respect developed as they faced each other from opposing trench lines. The trenches were close, in some areas only 15 to 20 metres apart. The Turks occasionally lobbed cans of tobacco to the Aussies, who lobbed tins of milk, bully beef or cigarettes back. These friendly exchanges sometimes had additional humour as when the Turks sent a message with one of their gifts saying ?Forget the bully beef, send milk?.
Another incident reported was of a Turkish soldier who while delivering water to his troops with a donkey accidentally found himself behind Anzac lines. When captured, the quick witted Turk explained, ?My commander sends you some water.? The soldier was then sent back to his lines with the donkey laden with saddle bags full of food. These anecdotes abound in books, pamphlets, guided talks, and on some memorials. It is a theme and attitude of mutual respect and friendship that still exists today here on Gallipoli between the New Zealanders, the Aussies and the Turks. Every April 25th thousands of New Zealand and Australian descendants come to Canakkale to commemorate this campaign in a spirit of friendship with Turkey. Gallipoli represented a ?coming of age? for Australians and New Zealanders for their bravery and sacrifices. It also was for the Turks a much needed victory, not only to defend their homeland, but to give them a pride and confidence to create a new Turkey from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire, with their new leader, Ataturk.
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And a beautiful photo of friendship.
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