Ataturk Memorial, Wellington

[flyjoe180]

Some time ago I posted about the seemingly little-known Ataturk Memorial in Wellington. Ataturk Memorial Park is situated on a ridge above Tarakena Bay, Wellington (at the southern end of the Miramar Peninsula west of the Wahine Memorial Park).

As tomorrow is November 11th, Armistice Day, I decided to make a visit and take some photos.

The Memorial looks out over Cook Strait. The site was chosen for its remarkable likeness to the landscape of the Gallipoli Peninsula.

The Memorial comprises a marble crescent, a bust of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, inscriptions and soil from Anzac Cove enclosed under a marble star. Ataturk's famous and touching inscription was originally delivered to an Anzac delegation visiting Gallipoli in 1934.

The memorial on which those words were first inscribed was built by the Turkish Government in 1985. The Turks also went further to rename the area of Ariburnu 'Anzak Koyu' or Anzac Cove. The Australian Government responded by establishing a small park in front of the Australian War Memorial containing a bust of Kemal Ataturk, whilst the New Zealand Government established the Wellington Ataturk Memorial. It was opened in 1990.


Here are some of the photos.

The likenesses with the Gallipoli Peninsula landscape.







The entry to the walkway. The walk is not too long or dificult, is on a rudimentary path, but it is a little steep and exposed in the Wellington wind. Wear a jacket if you venture up there in a breeze.



As you round the last corner you are met with the Memorial and inscriptions.









Ataturk's famous inscription adorns the base of the crescent monolith.



On the marble base on which the monolith sits is a star, beneath which is a container of soil taken from Anzac Cove.



The inscirption about the opening of the Memorial.

[phil82]

Thanks Joe...I've been meaning to walk up there........!

Of all the historical military inscriptions around the world, there are two that always spring to mind; one is the above, and the other is on the memorial at Kohima in Burma, which says, quite simply: "When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say,
For Your Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today".

[flyjoe180]

My pleasure. An interesting website about the Gallipoli campaign and area i came across a while ago is here user.online.be/~snelders/thennow/thennow1.htm

It features an excellent 'then and now' section, and a fountain of other items including the sad changes to the Anzac Cove/Ariburnu area when the roads were constructed.

[Andy Wright]

Brilliant stuff, Joe. I had not heard of this memorial before. However, it does not surprise me as Ataturk was certainly someone who earns respect from all. We went to a lot of museums when we were in Turkey in 2005 but his museum in Ankara was by far the best of the lot.

[lesterpk]

I was in Turkey over a year ago for a model flying event and had a week off afterwards to have a small look around. I booked a bus tour from Istanbul down to Gallipoli, a sobering and amazing day. Here are some of my photos.
Les.

Anzac Cove, a very narrow beach.


Ataturks statement


I'm on the beach where the first allied boats landed, I took a few minutes here to look up at what the soldiers would have seen as they approcached.


Australian Memorial and cemetery at Lone Pine


Turkish Memorial and cemetery




Standing in the Turkish trenches near Lone Pine, the allied trenches are 8m away.


Restored Turkish trenches near the top of Chunuk Bair


NZ Memorial on top of Chunuk Bair.

[flyjoe180]

Great photos, thankyou so much for posting them. A trip to Gallipoli is on my to do list for sure. There are a few battlefield routes on offer. I've looked up all the Gallipoli battelfields and emplacements on Google maps/earth and the thing that surprises me is the small area in which the entire campaign was fought. Your photo of the Turk trench at Lone Pine is a good example of how close the two sides were to each other in places. The Nek, the scene of the 3rd ALH Brigade charge on 7th August 1915, was no bigger than three tennis courts. The bodies were left where they fell until much later, and of all those men who ran to their deaths, along with the hundreds of Turk soldiers who fell in charges at the Nek months prior, only five were positively identified.

[Dave Homewood]

Great photos chaps, thanks for posting them.