My grandfather - killed at Gallipoli. No known grave or is there ?

[newburychap]

That map is a recent graphic showing the situation in 1915 - not a 1915 map.

For a contemporary map see: http://digitalarchive.mcmaster.ca/islandora/object/macrepo:3989

From that you can find 17.J.8 - which is not enough to locate a position as small as a grave, but gets you within 100 yards of it.  So somewhere in an area of about 9 acres - if the ground was disturbed by shellfire it would be a long job to find an individual grave with 1920s technology.

Looking at it on google earth it looks like typical local farmland.  So all you need is some ground penetrating radar, permission from the farmer and you might even be able to find him after all these years.

[MJW]

Thanks for the information, newburychap.

I thought that map looked too clean and modern even though it had a 1915 date attached.

With help from this board and from the Great War Forum, I think I now have an approximate grave location (using the same map you posted) although, as you pointed out, in an area of several acres.

Looking at it on google earth it looks like typical local farmland.  So all you need is some ground penetrating radar, permission from the farmer and you might even be able to find him after all these years.

That all sound pretty straightforward !!??  I must remember to pack my magic wand also.

Malcolm

[Rudolf H B]

Hi Malcolm,

state of the art:

- Aerial archaeology
- Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)
- Radio Echo Sounding (RES)

Regards
Rudolf

[MJW]

Hi Rudolf

state of the art:
- Aerial archaeology
- Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)
- Radio Echo Sounding (RES)

Indeed - that's exactly what I need!!??  If only I could find all this in a mobile phone "app"

Regards
  Malcolm

[MJW]

I thought I'd give a short update following my trip to Gallipoli.

Unfortunately, I only had an afternoon at Gallipoli after a 4-5 hours drive from Istanbul, and we had to catch a late afternoon ferry across the Dardanelles to Canakkale (we were on a tour of Turkey on a tight schedule).  I would have liked more time at Gallipoli but that’s always the way, I suppose.  Perhaps, I’ll go back at some point and spend 2-3 days there.

We drove through some of the battlefield areas, and visited Anzac Cove, Redoubt Cemetery and Cape Helles.  If my grandfather is buried in any cemetery, then Redoubt is the most likely as there are over 1000 unidentified soldiers buried there and several soldiers killed in the same area, on or around the same day as him, are buried there (including Lt. Dixon mentioned in an earlier post, whose grave I saw).  A lovely little cemetery and beautifully maintained although the 100 yard walk along a path from the road was tricky to negotiate after torrential rain a few hours earlier - like walking in quicksand.
 
The Helles memorial is certainly an impressive sight, in a magnificent setting and very well looked after.  It was quite a moving experience to be there and to see my grandfather’s name – and the other 21,000 names. The Gallipoli peninsula is such a beautiful and peaceful setting that it’s difficult to imagine the horrors that took place there.
 
Later on the tour, we went to Ankara and visited Ataturk’s mausoleum. There’s a museum there with a section on events at Gallipoli, interesting to see the Turkish viewpoint.

I would definitely like to go back and spend more time at Gallipoli but whether I’ll ever get there again, I don't know - it's not the easiest place to get to.

I took lots of photos and will post a few if anyone is interested.

Regards ...... Malcolm

[barryd]

"As chaplain to the British Forces Father Frederick Furlong OFM went ashore with the troops at Gallipoli. He saw horrors no man should see. He accepted responsibility with which no man should be burdened. Father Frederick conducted hundreds of services and funerals, and often under enemy fire".

Sir Francis Gorton Honour Roll

[MJW]

Thanks barryd, I hadn't seen that entry about Father Furlong although I had come across him (see earlier post) in the book "War Diaries - A Chaplain at Gallipoli" - written by Rev. Kenneth Best, the chaplain attached to the East Lancs Brigade RFA (my grandfather's unit). I've recently finished reading these diaries, a very moving and harrowing account of some of the events and horrors that he witnessed (similar comments to Father Furlong's).  It seems from this book that Rev. Best and Father Furlong buried my grandfather.

Regards
   Malcolm

[Rudolf H B]

Hi Malcolm,

I have just found a photo of an other trenchmap:

https://twitter.com/andyfev/status/476404241784127490/photo/1

(There had been 2000 tweets on June 19th with the hashtag #ww1archives)

Regards
Rudolf

[MJW]

Hi Rudolf

Thanks for posting this, very interesting.

Regards ..... Malcolm