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"Turks are friend of all
nations"M.K.Atatürk1924
In 1934, ninteen
years after the 1915 landing, the first ANZAC veterans
returned to Gallipoli. On them, on behalf of the Turkish
nation President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk gave this
message as soldier-statesman whose genius turned the
Gallipoli campaign against the Allies, his famous words
of reconciliation:
... to Mothers who lost their sons at the Gallipoli
Battle.
M.K.Ataturk's inscription
"Peace at Home, Peace in the World", in 1934,
confirms that his desire of peace for every nation.
Such as motto (or anything similar), for any invaders
hasn't told by any statesman in the world history yet,
except M.K.Ataturk. As a descendants of M.K. Ataturk,
enlightening by Ataturk, our society's approach is;
' Peace and Harmony in Australia, Peace and
Harmony
in the Universe ', 2002
Mustafa Kemal, esteemed
commander of the Turk's 19th Division at Gallipoli who
emerged from Gallipoli a hero and in 1922 became Mustafa
Kemal Ataturk, the first President of the new nation,
Turkey. 'Ataturk' means 'father of the Turks'.
Ataturk's outstanding leadership qualities were first
recognized during the 1915 Çanakkale Battle (also
known as the Gallipoli Battle, or Dardanelles Campaign)
"Journalists traveling with the group reported
this message, and soon Ataturk's office was flooded
with grateful telegrams, especially from Australia and
New Zealand. The scope of the blood bath here was brought
vividly home to a new generation with the release of
Peter Weir's 1981 film "Gallipoli," starring
Mel Gibson. Speaking of the bond that has grown up among
onetime adversaries, former Prime Minister Bill Hayden
of Australia said: "Three modern nations emerged
from the Gallipolli campaign: Turkey, New Zealand and
Australia. It helps explain the continuing significance
that it has in our national sentiment." Atatürk's
sentiment was wonderful. The Aussies weren't so bad,
either! Look at this beautiful message left behind by
the departing Australian troops, for ' Johnny Turk' " STEPHEN KINZER The
New York Times, July 17, 1998 Adapted from www.tallarmeniantale.com
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A New Book :Prisoners of the Gallipoli Battles Testimonies and Letters-
Published by Atase - These books can be obtained from the Turkish Military Office - ATASE in Turkey via post.
Canakkale Muharebelerinin Esir Ifadeleri ve Mektuplar- Cilt I-II
Genel Kurmay Arsiv Dairesi Baskanligi yayinlari- Kitaplar ATASE Daire baskanligindan kargo ile temin edilebilir.
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l "Turks have treated our captured men
and officers excellently" The
diary of the Aus. Official Corres. C.E.W.Bean
l“You will hear extraordinary horrible stories practiced by Turks. Well, don’t believe a word of them. They are grossly exaggerated if not wholly false. You will be surprised at the gentlemanly way the Turks has fought us." Jim Haynes (Cobbers - Stories of Gallipoli 1915 p. 178)
l"
I reckon the Turk respects us, as we respect the Turk, Abdul's
a good, clean fighter - we've fought him, and we know" Lieutenant Oliver Hogue
l"The
Turks have always proved themselves perfectly willing to have
armistices and have actually asked for one at Helles which was
refused by our General Staff. " Ashmead-Bartlett's Diary,1915
l" They (Turks) too were fighting for their country. Good and fair fighters. No. They fought very fair and honestly like us. Both sides lost their very valuable men.” [E.W.BARTLETT - was born in Australia , 1891. 11. Light Horse Regiment. One Hundred years old. He was one of last two hundred who left the Dardanelle.]
l"The Turkish sniper understood that we were searching for him. He shot once and the doctor got wounded. When he realized that he was a doctor, he didn’t shoot again.”
Exerted from Sydney Alexander Moseley, former war correspondent during the Gallipoli Campaign ”
l- “ After the terrible punishment inflicted upon the brave but futile assaults all bitterness faded … The Turks displayed an admirable manliness … From that morning onwards the attitude of the Anzac troops towards the individual Turks was rather that of opponents in a friendly game.‘[ Charles. E Bean, the Australian official historian, The Story of Anzac, Vol II, Sydney, 1924, p.162 ]
l"The Anzacs left Gallipoli without hatred in their heart for their enemy or bitterness at the incompetence of their own high command.” A.K. Macdouggall, Australian historian
Turks are clean
fighters
During the war British high command
wanted to give the soldiers on the front gas masks. The
soldiers protested "The Turks are clean fighters.
They don't use gas."
The Britische Orientalist, Aubrey Herbert wrote in his
famous book "Mons, Anzac &
Kut ANZAC, 1915" . Monday, August 16th, 1915. No.
2 Outpost. - Details -
"The missing man was badly
wounded and was not seen lying in the dense growth of
barley when the retirement began on the 19th. He was afterwards
found by the Turks and treated in one of their hospitals." Ernest W. Hammond's "History
of the 11th Light Horse Regiment" - pp. 71-72
More Stories
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"The drama of the Dardanelles
campaign by reason of the beauty of its setting, the grandeur
of its theme and the unhappiness of its ending, will always
rank amongst the world's classic tragedies. The story
is a record of lost opportunities and eventual failure..."
C.F. Aspinall-Oglander, History Of The Great War
Based On Official Documents: Military Operations: Gallipoli)
“ We had no idea of Turks before Gallipoli. However, after the war ended, I thought Johnny Turk wasn’t to bad at all. When we fight they were alert and ready to shoot all time. We were respecting them. “ Newsreader, 100 years old, Martin A. Brooke
' PEOPLE NEVER DIE UNTIL THEY ARE FORGOTTEN '
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'Lest
we forget the ultimate price of warfare'
Michael Leunig-April 23, 2005
'ABDUL' to 'JOHNNY TURK'...
‘ Johnny Turk’ who many Australian soldiers later came to respect regardless of the horrific fighting that they had endure.’
[ Captain Aubrey Herbert, ANZAC, May 1915 Aussie Reader, Canberra Avustralia ]
" I reckon the Turk respects us, as we respect the Turk, Abdul's
a good, clean fighter - we've fought him, and we know"
Lieutenant Oliver Hogue |
GALLIPOLI EPIC
The Mirrored Market,
The market place, in Çanakkale,
I'm leaving for the enemy Mum,
(Alas!...My youth is lost!
The cypress tree grows tall in Çannakale,
Some of us were engaged,
Some married,
Alas!. .My youth is lost…!
They've shot me in Çannakale,
Put me in a grave, buried alive!
Alas!. .My youth is lost…!
The jugs of sorrow are full in Canakkale,
Mothers and fathers have lost their hopes,
Alas!. .My youth is lost…!
And there goes my boyhood!
[ In this song there is grief at
losing
boyhood, rather than pride at gaining manhood...
Çannakale, pronounced Chanakalie, is not only
the name of the town, but also the generic name
Turks
use to refer to the war, rather than Gallipoli: ]
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Ex-President of RSL
Mr. Bruce Ruxton
The Battle of Anzac
"...as
the cries of the wounded continued and the hot sun rose,
the Anzacs were moved to pity. They had never seen such
bravery before. A truce was arranged and Anzacs and Turks
together helped to bury the dead. It is said that the Australians'
hatred of the dead. It is said that day and was replaced
by a healty respect.
From then on, the Turks were fellow sufferers; human beings.
" A.K.MAcdougall-Australian
History-Gallipoli and the Middle East
Prisoners of the War(POW) getting vaccination
against to typhold during the war in Balikesir/Turkey.
"So
throught Churcill's excess of imagination, a layman's ignorance
of artilary and the fatal power of a young enthusiast like
Churcill to convience older and more cautious brains, the
tragedy of Gallipoli was born" Charles
Bean,War Correspondent At Gallipoli
"Disease was rife amid the
squalor of the ANZAC trenches, with a large proportion of
casualties the victims of dysentery and diarrhoea, rather
than the bullets fired by Johnny Turk.
Characteristically loath to report sick, many soldiers attempted
to hide their illness, others had to accept that evacuation
to a hospital was the grim eventuality." Note
5. Jones I, The Australian Light Horse, Time-Life Books
Australia in association with John Ferguson, Sydney, 1987.
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"Turks
Fight Fairly -
It is stated in messages from Cairo
that the majority of wounded who have arrived there deny
the stories of Turkish atrocities. They state that the Turks
are fighting most fairly.
In one case, a Turk dressed the wounds of a British soldier
under fire. Another left his water bottle with a wounded
Australian. An Australian who was taken prisoner but subsequently
escaped stated he was very well treated.
Other sections in the papers refer to the fact that both
sides had an amnesty to enable a number of dead Turkish
soldiers to be buried under the Red Crescent flag of their
nation."
"The Argus on Saturday 1st May 1915 referred to the
fact that some 8000 Turkish soldiers including German officers
had been taken prisoners when the allies deceived the enemy
by sending ashore 100 donkeys laden with mock baggage as
a ruse. They landed at a spot away from the real landing
place, which landed our troops.
On the following May 3rd the same paper carried had fallen
from some 8000 prisoners to 607. It seems that the press,
even in those days, had difficulties in always getting their
stories accurate."
The Australian Press, during the Gallipoli Campaign.This
article extracted from the Melbourne paper The Argus", on Tuesday 22nd June 1915 were collected
from the Parliamentary Library service by Keith Remington
M.L.A. See: 'Johnny Turk'
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"We mounted over
a plateau and down through gullies filled with thyme, where
there lay about 4000 Turkish dead. It was indescribable.
One was grateful for the rain and the grey sky. A Turkish
Red Crescent man came and gave me some antiseptic wool with
scent on it... The Turkish captain with me said: "At
this spectacle even the most gentle must feel savage, and
the most savage must weep' ... I talked to the Turks, one
of whom pointed to the graves. 'That's politics,' he said.
Then he pointed to the dead bodies and said: 'That's diplomacy.
God pity all us poor soldiers.'" - Captain Aubrey Herbert, ANZAC, May 1915 (taken from the
inside dust-jacket of the book).
More Stories
" Edward Roe gives tribute to the
courtesy of the Turks on Gallipoli. The footnote says
"This statement of the clean fighting Turk was widely
held within the regiment and was based on the knowledge
that the Turks had refused German offers of poison gas
and flamethrowers". In the book "Diary
of an Old Contemptible" Edward Roe
"The Brigadier presents his
compliments to our worthy TURKISH opponents and offers
those who first honour his quarters with their presence
such poor hospitality as is in his power to give, regretting
that he is unable personally to welcome them. After a
sojourn of 7 months in Gallipoli we propose to take some
little relaxation...and in bidding 'Au revoir' to our
honorable foes we Australians desire to express appreciation
of the fine soldierly qualities of our Turkish opponents
and of the sportsmanlike manner in which they have participated
in a very interesting contest, honourable, we trust to
both sides." Lesleyanne Hawthorne was born
in Melbourne and educated at Monash University.She is
the author of 'Refugee: The Vietnamese Experience', Oxford
University Press, 1982.
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Those who forget the past those are more likely to repeat the same mistakes in the future.
'Lest
we forget the ultimate price of warfare'
Michael Leunig-April 23, 2005 |
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Media articles on
our activities
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| Corner
of Honour |
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At the office of Major-General David McLachlan- Dec-2005
I introduced our
book to the honorable Major-General David McLachlan
of Victoria RSL (Return Sailors-Services League) Mr.
McLachlan kindly made some positive comments on our
book in regards to Turkish succes in the Hume area in
Dec 2005.
We also talked about the Gallipoli War and related outcome
of the Turkish-Australian Friendship....
Mr. Mclachlan also named 'Maygar Barracks' to an army
campt in 1993 where many Australian solders trained
and went to Gallipoli in 1915. This place also accommodated
the Melbourne Turkish settlers when they immigrated
to Australia in 1969. Details
Mr. Mclachlan declared to the national media that he
officially accepted the Victoria Turkish Community to
march on Anzac days along side Australians on 12 th
of April 2006 as
"a very honorable enemy " |
Hulki
Cevizoglu-Oct.2005
Mr. Hulki Cevizoglu is a
very special and the most prominent personality of
Turkiye. He is one of the most objective TV program
producer -'Ceviz Kabugu' in Turkiye. >> www.cevizkabugu.com.tr
He received hundreds of awards from the Universities.
Mr. Cevizoglu is one of the most Inspirational
and gifted personality of Turkiye. Mr. Cevizoglu
has written more than thirty books.
We switched our books over. Mr.Cevizoglu kindly signed
three of his books;
'Misyonerlik ve Siyasal Hiristiyanlik', 'Ey Turk Istikbalinin
Evladi'', 'Ya Serv, Ya Sev'.
Australia-Gallipoli Friendship Society inc. awards
him as 'the most independent-respected-uncensored
TV producer in Turkiye'.More
>>
www.kanalturk.com.tr
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Mustafa
John Ilhan(Crazy John) -Dec.2005
Mr. Ilhan has awarded as 'Inspirational People
of Hume/Victoria/Australia' by Hume City
Council 2005.
Mr. Ilhan is one of twelve Inspirational People
of Hume and he is selected as one of hundred
genuis person of Australia.
He is the founder of Australia's Leading Mobile Phone
Dealer 'CRAZY JOHN'.
Mr. Ilhan, is a proud person of his family and his
heritage. He is also sincere and proud of his beleives...
We conragulate Mr.
Ilhan on his successful business-life, being a mentor
for the Turkish business people.
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THE BIRTH OF NATIONS -
For Turks, Australians, New Zellanders Gallipoli is a story
of national identity
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Gul Arslan
is walking trough to the
Melbourne Shirne to lay down a bunch of poppies,
on the Anzac day, 2006
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2006, Anzac Day
(Gul Arslan, Celepci Brothers,
Vural Celepci
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Presented" Friendship
& Rel.AtaturkBroshures" to the Victorian
RSL president, Major-General David McLachlan.-2003
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Presented "Ataturkand Turkish
Women" Calendars" to the Victorian RSL president,
Major-General David McLachlan. 2002
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Ceremony Organised by the Australian
Government at the Barracks for the
Turkish soldiers skull(*) found in
Victoria in 2003
(*)
Suppose to belong to a Turkish soldier |
Anzac Day 2003,
Melbourne |
Anzac Day 2002 |
Presented a letter written by an Aus.commander for
Turkish soldiers during the war to the Victorian RSL
president
Major-General David McLachlan,2002
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Anzac Day 2002,
with 'Herald Sun' Reporter intered in our pictures. |
With ExPres.of RSL
Bruce Ruxton at the Anzac Day dinner, 2002
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Presented a hand made poppies
to
the ex-president of
Victoria RSL Mr.Bruce Ruxton,2002 |
Presented a kindly written letter
to the Pres. of RSL, Bruce Ruxton,2001 |
On the Anzac Day, carrying a
Turkish flag (poppies scattered on the red areas of
the Turkish flag),2001 |
Federation Celebration,2001 |
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'
Animosity breeds animosity;
it is a vicious circle '
- Mothers of Victims who lost their sons on going
Terrosim in Turkey since 1980's -
Disappointed parents - mostly the Mothers
of Martyr (Victim Sons) -
who lost their son during the fight against to the on going terrorism
in Turkey, since 1980's. Mrs. Pakize Akbaba who is the president of 'Mothers
of Martyr Society'
was among the crowd that shares the same
fate with other mothers
when they gathered
to demonstrate on 18th of Sep, 2006, on the day of occasion of
the 'Day of Martyr -
'Sehitler ve Gaziler Gunu'. We do participate Mrs. Pakize Akbaba
wisdom on
her
activities
to get well deserved recognition of the
feelings of the mothers
and
.. We deeply share their sorrow... |
' Peace
and Harmony in Australia, Peace and Harmony in the Universe ', AGFS 2002
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POPPIES SYMBOLISE or LINKED to SACRIFICE
POPPIES take a location of bloodshed and violence and make a statement about it. And both attempt to give us hope in the face of death. They imply that those who died did not do so in vain. Long known as the corn poppy because it flourishes as a weed in grain fields, the Flanders poppy as it is now usually called, grew profusely in the trenches and craters of the war zone. Artillery shells and shrapnel stirred up the earth and exposed the seeds to the light they needed to germinate.
This same poppy also flowers in Turkey in early spring - as it did in April 1915 when the ANZACs landed at Gallipoli. According to Australia’s official war historian C.E.W.Bean, a valley south of ANZAC beach got its name Poppy Valley "from the field of brilliant red poppies near its mouth". ...by the wearing of a simple emblem, a red poppy, salutes the memory of those who have sacrificed their health, their strength, even their lives in the hope that we might live as free people in a free country.
The legend has it that the poppy goes back even to the time of the famous Mongol Leader, Genghis Khan, as the flower associated with human sacrifice. In the 12th and early 13th century, the Mongul Emperor led his warrior hoardes on campaigns south to the conquest of India, and west to envelope Russia as far as the shores of the Black Sea. The policy adopted by the armies of Gengihis Khan was simple and effective. They would isolate their enemies, surround and completely annihilate them. The legend states that on the battle fields that were literalloy drenched with blood, white poppies grew in vast profusion.
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Dur
yolcu!
Bilmeden gelip bastigin
Bu toprak bir devrin battigi yerdir.
Egil de kulak ver, bu sessiz yigin
Bir vatan kalbinin attigi yerdir.
a
Traveller, halt!
The soil you tread
Once witnessed the end of an era.
Listen! In this quiet mound
There once beat the heart of a nation.
(From the poem 'To a Traveller
'Bir Yolcuya' by a Turkish poet Necmettin Halil Onan)
Bastigin yerleri 'Toprak' diyerek
geçme, tani!
Düsün altinda binlerce kefensiz yatani.
Sen sehit oglusun, incitme, yaziktir vatani;
Verme, dünyalari alsan da bu cennet vatani.
Mehmet Akif Ersoy-1873-1936
The Statue of a Turkish soldier carrying a wounded
Anzac soldier, in Gallipoli Cementary. Detalis
' To the memory of the namesless heroes of Gallipoli Battles, the Mehmetçiks and Anzacs '
BENİM ADIM ‘JOHNNY TÜRK’
Yıl 1915,
ANZAKlar beni tanımadan,
Bana’Abdül’ demişler,
Üstelik beni nedensiz düşman bellemişler,
Benimle savaşmaya karar vermişler.
Görmüşler onlarla mertce savaşıyorum,
Savaş ta olsa düşman doktorlarını, hastalarını öldürmüyorum,
Hastane gemilerine bomba atmıyorum,
Savaştaki merhametimi görmüşler,
Adıma ‘Johnny Türk’ demişler.
Düşman esirlerine insanca davrandım,
Yaralılarını kurtardım,
Sigaramı bile paylaştım,
Savaştaki insanliğımı görmüşler,
Bana ‘Johnny Türk’ demişler.
Ikiyüzellibin askere karsi istila edılmış toprağim için savaştım,
Oysa barıştan yanaydım,
Ama vatanı korumak zorundaydım,
Benden günah gitti dedim,
Yurdum icin canımı feda ettim,
Cesaretimi görmüşler,
Adıma ‘Johnny Türk’ demişler.
Tarihde var mı Atatürk kadar barışcılı ve merti?
Haykırmış dünyaya ;
“Savaşlar cinayettir , zaruri olmadıkça’
Amaaa….
Gerektiğinde, emretmiş Mehmetçiğe;
“ Size savaşmayı değil, ölmeyi emrediyorum’
Hangi kumandan söylemiş düşman analarına;
“Onlar da bizim evlatlarımızdır,
yatıyorlar koyun koyuna,
bu dost ülke; Çanakkale / Türkiye’de “
Yüreğimizi görmüşler.
Bize ‘Johnny Türk’ demişler .
Yıl 2006,
91 yıl geçti aradan.
Tanımlandı tekrar atan;
‘Saygideğer ve Onurlu Düşman‘ .
Kilometrelerce uzaktan, Avustralya’dan.
Yıl 2008,
Sen Türk coçuğu,
Tanı atanı,
İnsanlığını yitirmemiş, savunurken vatanı,
93 yil geçti aradan,
Sen hala çıkmadın rüyadan,
Utanalım artık aklanmadan geçen yıllardan,
Sabırsızlanıyor, bize armağan edilen bu vatan...
Gül Arslan,
30 Agustos 2008
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MY NAME IS 'JOHNNY TURK'
Year was 1915
Without the ANZACs knowing who I am,
They called me Abdul,
They saw me as their enemy,
So, they decided to fight against me.
They saw my braveness,
Also my fairness by not killing any doctors,
And also not bombing their hospital ships,
The ANZACs saw my mercy,
So, they named me "Johnny Turk"
I treated the hostages humanely,
I covered my foe's wounds,
I shared my cigarettes with them,
They saw my kind benevolent,
So, they named me "Johnny Turk"
I fought against 250,000 invading soldiers,
Even though I was in favour of peace,
However, I had no choice but to save my land,
Without any guilt and a clear concience,
I sacrificed my life for my land,
They saw my courage,
So they called me "Johnny Turk"
Is there any leader in history that loved peace and was brave like Ataturk?
Ataturk called out the world;
"War is crime unless defence of the nation is concerned"
Howeverrrrrr....
When it was required, he commanded to his soldires,
"I'm ordering you not to fight, I'm ordering you to die"
He also reconciled by saying,
"Your fallen soldiers would be forever be sons
of Turkey, they lie side by side within our bosom"
The ANZACs saw our heart and soul,
So they called us "Johnny Turk"
Year was 2006,
91 years later,
(President David McLachlan) described our ancestors as "Honorable Enemy"
From far away country, Australia,
Year is 2008,
Hey Turkish youth,
Know your ancestors,
They never lost their humanity even when they were defending our land,
93 years have passed away,
You haven’t woken up from your dream yet,
It will be shameful, if we don’t clear your pass,
Our land is getting impatient which is given us by our fallen soldier's blood...
Julia Gül Arslan,
30 August
2008
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Powered by J.Gul Arslan | Hosted by K.K. since 2002
Australia Gallipoli Friendship Society Inc. © Gul Arslan - 2002
Email: gallipolisociety@yahoo.com.au
Melbourne, Australia
'Çanakkale Epic' song by Hakan Ergün
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TRT News (Turkish TV News) 
