Tim Cooper – 28th April 2025 at 2:00pm
The Gallipoli campaign was an ill-fated attempt by Britain, Russia and France to weaken the Ottoman Empire by taking control of the Turkish Straits.
Thousands of Australian and New Zealand troops took part in the failed operation and, in recognition of their efforts, the start of the battle is now known as Anzac Day.
A monitor ship from the Royal Navy and a Victoria Cross are artefacts that tell us much about the people associated with them and what happened on the battlefield.
- Duchess of Edinburgh and Princess Royal mark Anzac Day in London and Gallipoli
- Gallipoli – What went wrong?
- Anzac Day commemorated by navies on board last remaining ship of Gallipoli campaign
The Gallipoli Campaign took place in what is now modern-day Turkey.
The idea was to control sea access to Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, now called Istanbul, but it failed totally.
One man who saw firsthand the horror of more than half a million casualties at Gallipoli was Royal Marine Lance Corporal Walter Parker.
He was a stretcher bearer who had volunteered to assist troops in an exposed trench.
When he went out to the trench, he was wounded twice on the way, yet still managed to help the wounded who were trapped there.
He was wounded a further two times on his return.
In 1917, he became the only Royal Marine to receive the Victoria Cross for his actions at Gallipoli.
At the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) in Portsmouth is HMS M.33 – known as a monitor ship.
It was specially designed to sit and bombard the coast in support of land troops during the Gallipoli campaign and is one of only three First World War ships left from the British fleet.
“This ship was away from home for more than three years,” said Matthew Sheldon, NMRN chief executive.
“The crew didn’t get to go home in all that time and they were probably witnesses to the drama, the sacrifice of the campaign.
“They themselves were unscathed and were able to tell the whole story.”
Monitor ships came in all shapes and sizes. It was Winston Churchill’s idea to build them, to use up a surplus of 6-inch guns.
They were a big weapon for a small ship, which was made especially low in the water line and stable to provide a suitable firing platform.
The crew of the HMS M.33 were able to bear witness to the horrors of Gallipoli and survive.
These days, the ship is used to commemorate events such as Anzac Day
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