Gallipoli: The Dardanelles Disaster in Soldiers' Words and Photographs

by Richard van Emden, Stephen Chambers

Presenting more than 150 never-before-published photographs of the campaign, many taken by the soldiers themselves, together with unpublished written material from British, Anzac, French and Turkish, including eyewitness accounts of the landings, this is an unrivalled account of what really happened at Gallipoli. Van Emden's gripping narrative and lucid analysis of Churchill's infamous operation, complements Chambers's evocative images, showing how the rapid spread of diseases like dissentry, the lack of clean water and food, the tremendous losses on both sides affected morale, until finally in January 1916, in what were the best-laid plans of the entire disastrous campaign, the Allies successfully fooled the Turkish forces and evacuated their troops from the peninsula with no additional casualties.Leading First World War historian Richard van Emden and Gallipoli expert Stephen Chambers have produced an entirely fresh, personal and illuminating study of one of the Great War's most catastrophic events.

436 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 12, 2015

About the author

Richard van Emden is a British author and television documentary producer who specializes in the First World War.

Reviews

[Peter Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written and illustrated look at the campaign, adorned with quotes from some marvellous personal experience accounts. Quite a few are well-known, almost like 'old friends', but simply too powerful to be omitted; others seem vibrantly fresh. Most seem all too believable, with perhaps best of all the excerpts from an account that was completely new to me by Petty Officer David Fyffe (3rd Armoured Car Squadron, RNAS), and also the poignant memoirs of Captain Albert Mure (1/5th Royal Scots) as presented in his 1919 published book 'With the Incomparable 29th'. I have some doubts over the contributions from Private Charles Watkins which seem a little too 'perfect' to ring entirely true. Yet this is a matter of personal judgement; overall the opportunity to follow the experiences of these carefully selected individuals at Gallipoli is fascinating. Indeed, this is a book written for the reader to savour while appreciating to the full the dreadful terrors of combat, the humiliating privations and the unremitting mental stress faced by the combatants on all sides during the Gallipoli campaign.

The linking text is cool and analytical, based firmly on the more recent histories of the campaign, which have sought to dispel some of the more romantic flights of fancy that once clung to the Gallipoli story. The overall narrative is at times slightly simplified, but perhaps this inevitable if the real drama is not to be lost amidst another litany of dry facts. This book aims for - and achieves - an emotional connection with the reader.

The copious photographs are outstanding and most have not been published before. A worm's eye view of Hamilton emerging from a tent, conjures up the feel of the moment, indeed it makes the reader feel 'in the frame' of great events. It is often things in the background that catch the eye: the Liver Buildings in the photo of the 52nd Division leaving Liverpool, the Pyramids looming behind the Australian camp at Mena, the dramatic shape of Plugges' Plateau at Anzac, a wonderful shot of an RNAS pusher aeroplane caught in flight over W Beach. In the foreground we see the almost forgotten minutiae of daily life in the scenes of trenches, dugouts, rest camps and beaches. And above all the faces of the men: some doomed, some not, but bringing home the multi-faceted moods of men at war: optimistic, jocular, confident, preoccupied, suffering, exhausted and of course stressed.

This book is both an excellent introduction to the campaign and the perfect present for the most jaded of Gallipoli aficionados. Thoroughly recommended for all.

[Franky Van Buggenhout · Rating 3 out of 5]

Giving only 3 stars doen’t change anything on the efforts, the suffering and the sacfifice of all the boys and men involved in this part of the war. Although the authors did their best to describe the terrible circumstances I was never 100% in the misery (Probably also because I am a non native English reader). Also a missed opportunity to tell more of the Turks story’s.

[Peter S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gallipoli told through the eyes of those who were there in letters and diary excerpts.
Well constructed with information additions of the unfolding conflict which link the excerpts but do not dominate the text.

[Martin Sheppard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book out of the library as the Gallipoli campaign is one of which I heard mention but one which is treated as a side show to the horrors of the Western Front and no doubt because it was such a failure. Those looking for a detailed exposition on the strategy of Churchill's adventure in the Dardanelles will be disappointed. While the reasons for the campaign are clearly explained, the purpose of the book is as depicted by the title, which is very much about the eye witness accounts of the combatants of all sides. These are complemented by many photographs often shot in direct contravention of the censorship in play at the time. Overall the book does fulfil its remit, I can't say it was an easy read but the harrowing accounts were fascinating. The fact that the British and Allied troops maintained some will to fight despite the at times staggering ineptitude of their generals is astonishing.

Where it could have been better would have been a clearer indication of when some of the actions were taking place: it was hard at times to determine the passage of time which would have helped comprehension. And while this was not a detailed account of the action it could have helped to have had a few more maps to help remind the reader where some of the actions were happening. While the fact that the Gallipoli campaign was also the spur for
Australian and New Zealand national identity I was surprised there was not a bit more of a focus on this aspect. But overall this was a good and eye-opening account.

[Arturo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know much about Gallipoli, apart of that it had kind of been a bloodbath. This book follows the campaign but from quite a special point of view. Instead of being the typical history book where the author makes a dissertation around the different viewpoints, characters and different circumstances building up to the events, here it is about a meticulous lay out of loads of personal letters and documents (from both parties!) as well as unique pictures. There is a conducting thread where the authors fill in the blank but this is more than anything a view from the trenches. It does feel very personal, and one of the key insights for me, apart of the general awareness and learning about the campaign, is how similar to any of us the fighters looked to me. Obviously they were quite unfortunate for having been born and participated in that; it could have been any of us, and they were just victims of the circumstances. Really good book.