Of all the places we have visited, ANZAC Cove on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey remains in the forefront of my memory. Perhaps because of its beautiful and serene coastline and wildly rugged and windswept cliffs. The beauty of the site jars with the horror and devastation that occurred there.

ANZAC Cove, Gallipoli Turkey

On this ANZAC Day, we commemorate 99 years since the first major military action taken by the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. In theory, a bold and necessary strike action “that set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula in order to open the Dardanelles to the allied navies. The ultimate objective was to capture Constantinople (now Istanbul in Turkey), the capital of the Ottoman Empire, an ally of Germany.”

http://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/anzac/anzac-tradition/

In reality the action was horrific and gory, a stalemated battle that endured for eight months with vast casualties on each side.

Gallipoli memorial

ANZAC Day has become a symbol of national pride and commemoration for the brave, young soldiers who have fought then and since. The investment in the site as a place significant cultural memory provides a powerful allegory for peace, reminding us the high price of greed leading to international skirmish.

Lest we forget.

the Lone Pine, Gallipoli