Yesterday marked the 90th anniversary of the 11th hour of the 11th 

day of the 11th month 1918 - when World War I ended. 

I was recalling  my visit to Turkey a few years ago where I met the 

British Anglican minister who has helped revive the tradition of the 

Dawn Service at ANZAC Cove. 

Ironically the commemoration of the events has become so extensive 

that bigger roads have had to be built to cope with all the visitors

 - and many remains are being uncovered. 
 

It is worth recalling that Turkish bullets were not the only hazard 

facing Australian troops in 1915. The surviving Australians (and 

other Allied troops) confronted so many other dangers that some 

Diggers could hardly bring themselves to talk about their experiences

 when they got home.

 The soldiers had to put with all sorts of morale and physical 

problems that are probably beyond the comprehension of most 

Australians today. Australian soldiers started the campaign with 

high morale. But this was eroded by the stupidity of the senior 

officers.
The army was landed on an unknown shore; there were no accurate maps

 available; no detailed planning had been done of the landing; the 

commander in chief (General Sir Ian Hamilton) was too old for the 

job; and the Allied top military brains were on the Western front. 

The Turkish forces were deployed in larger numbers than was first 

thought.

 Mateship and a sense of determination were required not simply to 

beat the Turkish defenders but also to cope with the stupidity of 

the senior officers. They kept on keeping on - there were no mutinies.

British politician Leo Amery arrived in the combat area soon after 

the initial landings. He was horrified about the lack of foresight 

by his British Cabinet colleagues. He said that the invading force had

 no option but an "uphill attack on a narrow front over ground seamed 

with almost endless deep ravines offering ideal positions for the 

stubborn defence for which the Turkish soldier has always been famous".

 
He later compared the Gallipoli offensive with the Charge of the 

Light Brigade. It was a magnificent campaign with great bravery - 

but futile.

Amery was also worried that the facts were not being reported back to

 the Cabinet in 

London. The troops were being starved of reinforcements and ammunition

 by senior generals on the Western Front who regarded the Gallipoli 

campaign as a "side-show".

The ordinary Australian soldier had been educated to believe - as was

customary at that time - that senior people knew best. They were 

obliged to trust them. The senior people had had a better education,

 came from better families and had a long experience in fighting wars. 

The soldiers continued to follow orders - even though it meant virtually 

certain death.

The soldiers continued to fight on bravely, even though they felt 

that something was wrong. They could see the signs of the stupidity 

all around them. It is hard to fight on, when a soldier feels that 

he is fighting a futile campaign.

Along the psychological issues, there were the sheer physical problems.

Luckily the Australian soldiers were very fit. The pioneering Australian

way of life, with good food, plenty of hard work, clean atmosphere 

and sunshine meant that the Australian volunteers were among the 

physically best troops ever recruited in the British Empire.