Latest ANZAC Survey results from the battlefield

Mr Snowdon said the discoveries were made as part of a second season of fieldwork undertaken as part of the Joint Historical and Archaeological Survey – the only systematic  survey of the battlefields of Gallipoli since the First World War.

“This survey covered the northern frontline areas on the Turkish and Allied sides. One of the most significant finds was the Malone’s Terraces area at Quinn’s Post,” he said.

William Malone commanded New Zealand’s Wellington Infantry Battalion. Malone’s men relieved the Australians at Quinn’s Post in June 1915. This was a key position, where even the smallest advance by the Turk’s would have forced the evacuation of the Anzacs.

Malone, who was killed during the fight for Chunuk Bair on 8 August 1915, greatly improved living arrangements at the post, including building terraces for troops to sleep in. These terraces were thought to have been lost.

“In addition to the Malone’s Terrace area, the team also uncovered more than a thousand metres of trenches, dugouts and tunnel openings. Some 130 artefacts depicting life on the battlefields were also recovered and handed to a local museum for preservation,” he said.

Some of the findings included three water bottles with bullet holes, pieces of medical bottles, tin food containers, expended ammunition, glass shards, shrapnel and barbed wire fragments.  

University of Melbourne survey archaeologist Professor Antonio Sagona said combined with findings from the first fieldwork exercise undertaken in 2010, these latest finds have led to some interesting theories about the conditions for the Allies and the Turks on the frontline.

“Turkish kitchens were much closer to the frontline than on the Allied side, indicating access to fresh meals. Processed food containers were common on the Allied side but not the Turkish,” Professor Sagona said.

“In some areas it is clear that the Turkish soldiers used local materials – bricks and ceramic roof tiles – to reinforce their trench and tunnels whereas, no bricks or tiles were found on the Allied side.”

The team also discovered the complexity of trenches near the frontline, noting that some trench networks were so dense that they would be difficult to map using even modern day techniques.

“Despite the historical importance of the Gallipoli battlefield, our knowledge of this area to date has been based on maps and written accounts. This area has never been studied in detail through modern archaeological survey methods,” Mr Snowdon said.

“This survey is the first opportunity we have had to corroborate and further explore the events and experiences of those who served in the Gallipoli campaign which proved such a defining moment in the formation of our nation’s identity.

“Some 50,000 Australians served during the Gallipoli campaign and more than 8,700 lost their lives. This is a significant chapter in the history of our country and we owe it to those who made the ultimate sacrifice in war to learn all we can about this period,” he said.

The survey was conducted by a team of 17 eminent archaeologists, historians and researchers from Australia, New Zealand and Turkey who used non-invasive, advanced mapping, and GPS technology which records positions accurate to within 15 centimetres.

Mr Snowdon thanked the team of archaeologists, historians and researchers from Australia, New Zealand and Turkey for their tremendous work on the project to date. He said he looked forward to following the research team and their findings throughout the five-year project.

Maps of the survey area, a selection of images of artefacts, a historical image of William Malone and further background on the survey is available at www.dva.gov.au/media (see photo above)

Media inquiries: Minister Snowdon: Marcus Butler 0417 917 796 or 02 6277 7820 Dept of Veterans’ Affairs Media: 02 6289 6203

SOURCE: http://minister.dva.gov.au/media_releases/2011/oct/va083.htm