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Anzac Cove

Anzac Cove https://ngatapuwae.govt.nz/anzac-cove All day, men filled this beach: the wounded awaited treatment while fresh troops flowed in. Ngā Tapuwae Trails /sites/default/files/stop/media/01%20anazc%20cove%402x.jpg

All day, men filled this beach: the wounded awaited treatment while fresh troops flowed in.

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Anzac Cove

You are standing at the southern end of Anzac Cove. On the 25th of April 1915, this is where the Australians and then the New Zealanders landed.

The first landings were at the northern headland at Ari Burnu, and you can see the cemetery marker at the far end of the beach.

On the day the New Zealanders landed the actual fighting was taking place inland from here, beyond the heights above you. But this is the spot where all the wounded came down and where all the reinforcements gathered, so it was jam-packed with men. And if you can imagine on this beach, only 20 metres wide, 400 wounded at this end, 200 wounded at the far end, all being dealt with as best they can by overworked medical staff.

There were wounded men lying all over the place, being put anywhere they could. Men tried not to moan or complain but when they were moved onto the boats, often without stretchers, they were in agony. 

Instead of a nice, tidy evacuation out to the hospital ships and the mass of transport ships out at sea, the wounded were put into every boat that came in to unload soldiers. They found themselves in all sorts of craft and instead of ending up on hospital ships, they were taken to Egypt on horse boats and ordinary troop ships with no medical staff, on a five-day voyage. Those who died were buried at sea. It was chaos. 

From that beginning, all the stores, supplies, reinforcements, water – everything that made holding on here at Anzac Cove possible – came to this beach. After the first night ashore, bivouacs were starting to appear all over these slopes. 

Supply dumps appeared all along the beach and so all the infrastructure to support over 20,000 men, and keeping them able to fight, came to this tiny cove. And if you look along it today you can see the two concrete water channels built into the side of the cove. They mark the two gullies that are below Plugge’s Plateau. Now, in those two gullies were all the headquarters and supplies. Just to the right of the road, that’s where General Birdwood had his ANZAC headquarters. 

The 25th of April 1915 was a battle that took place inland. The Australians landed first and pushed inland, and the New Zealanders followed them up. The Anzac troops grabbed some ground though not nearly as much as they hoped, and that became the front line for the next nine months.

How to get here

Getting there

Return to he coastal road and walk or drive back south along the coast until you reach a low, stone sign that says 'Anzac Cove/Anzak Koyu.' This is the cove's southern end.

Where to stand

Face north back towards Ari Burnu from where you have come, so you can see the whole sweep of the cove.

GPS
40°14'4"N
26°16'38"E
Decimal GPS
40.2347
26.27743
  • Infantry men at early dugouts near Walker’s Ridge
    Infantry men at early dugouts near Walker’s RidgeCredits

     Australian War Memorial H19465 http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/H19465/

  • Anzac Cove soon after the landing.  A howitzer and several broken rifles are in the foreground; white flags on the right mark the Casualty Clearing Station.
    Anzac Cove soon after the landing. A howitzer and several broken rifles are in the foreground; white flags on the right mark the Casualty Clearing Station.Credits

    Australian War Memorial P11232.003 http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P11232.003/

  • A view of Anzac Cove taken from offshore - a pier, dugouts and stores are visible.
    A view of Anzac Cove taken from offshore - a pier, dugouts and stores are visible.Credits

    National Army Museum 1992.757 http://nam.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/5553

  • The sick and wounded on a barge ready to be transferred to a hospital ship.
    The sick and wounded on a barge ready to be transferred to a hospital ship.Credits

    National Army Museum 2007-550

  • View of Anzac Cove looking towards Ari Burnu. Note the stores, supply dumps and William's Pier.
    View of Anzac Cove looking towards Ari Burnu. Note the stores, supply dumps and William's Pier.Credits

    National Army Museum 2001.215 http://nam.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/9117  

Stories & Insights

Wallingford was a rarity – a man in his element wherever bloody battle raged.

The New Zealand Field Ambulance Commander worked tirelessly as the wounded and dying poured in.

A sniper team - one soldier holds a rifle and the other a periscope

The terrain was rough, and the Ottoman soldiers frighteningly close.

Otago troops marching with Union Jacks flying in the crowd

Young – and hungry for travel and adventure – they had no idea what lay ahead.

New Zealand and Australian soldiers landing at Anzac Cove on 25 April, 1915

At Gallipoli, rivalry between New Zealanders and Australians turned to respect.

Engineers pump water ashore from a water barge. Ari Burnu is visible in the background.

Try as they might, the Anzacs could never source enough water.

Within days of landing, Bayne was dead.  His diaries reveal his last tough days.

Take the next trail

The next Ngā Tapuwae trail is Holding the Line. Proceed to Lone Pine.
Link to the first stop

Decimal GPS:
64.64624688065952
-83.47657796875001
Sequence:
1
Decimal GPS:
64.18951313588443
-60.05313640625002
Sequence:
2
Decimal GPS:
62.64955646958989
-53.13280968749996
Sequence:
3
Decimal GPS:
68.41482226488074
-66.13956218750002
Sequence:
4
Decimal GPS:
68.4467764645027
-68.95206218750002
Sequence:
5

Stop Images

Sequence:
1
Decimal GPS Real Location:
40.23923
26.27684
Sequence:
2
Decimal GPS Real Location:
40.2347
26.27743
Sequence:
3
Decimal GPS Real Location:
40.23301
26.27637
Sequence:
4
Decimal GPS Real Location:
40.2379
26.282
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5
Decimal GPS Real Location:
40.23816
26.28206