| Notes |
- 1 - Full Name Alexander McFarlane
War World War I, 1914-1918
Serial No. 13/714
First Known Rank Trooper
Next of Kin John McFarlane, Waipu, New Zealand
Marital Status Single
Enlistment Address Waipu, New Zealand
Military District Auckland
Body on Embarkation 2nd Reinforcements
Embarkation Unit Auckland Mounted Rifles
Embarkation Date 14 December 1914
Place of Embarkation Wellington, New Zealand
Transport «u»HMNZT 13 «/u» «u»HMNZT 14 «/u» «u»HMNZT 15 «/u»
Vessel Verdala or Willochra or Knight of the Garter
Destination Suez, Egypt
Page on Nominal Roll 446
Sources Used Nominal Rolls of New Zealand
[ http://muse.aucklandmuseum.com/databases/cenotaph/RecordDetail.aspx?OriginalID=49211&SearchID=7561632&Ordinal=3 ]«i»
«/i»2 - The Allied landing and subsequent campaign on the peninsula during World War I is usually known in Britain as the Dardanelles Campaign and in Turkey as the Battle of Çanakkale. In Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Newfoundland, the term Gallipoli alone is used to describe the 8 month campaign.
In early 1915 Russia was fighting a multi front war against Germany, Austria/Hungary, and Turkey. While it had a sizable army it struggled to deliver sufficient supplies to the troops. The landings at Gallipoli were an Allied attempt to clear a supply path through the Dardanelles to Russia. This would also assist them by putting pressure on Turkey by threatening Constantinople (now Istanbul). On April 25, 1915, after failed attempts to force a passage through the Dardanelles by naval forces alone, a force of British Empire and French troops landed at multiple places along the peninsula. The battles over the next 8 months saw high casualties on both sides due to the exposed terrain, weather and closeness of the front lines. The invasion forces were successfully blocked by the Turkish troops and the subsequent Allied withdrawal meant the Russians would not be receiving supplies through the Dardanelles.
The battle is often referred to for its successful stealthy retreat which was completed with minimal casualties, the ANZAC forces completely retreating by December 19, 1915 and the remaining British elements by January 9, 1916.
Overall, there were around 140,000 Allied casualties including around 45,000 deaths and 250,000 Turkish casualties including around 85,000 deaths. This campaign has become a "founding myth" for both Australia and New Zealand, and Anzac Day is still commemorated as a holiday in both countries. In fact, it is one of those rare battles that both sides seem to remember proudly. The Turks consider it a great turning point for their (future) nation and Australians and New Zealanders see it as the beginnings of the ANZAC spirit.
Many mementos of the Gallipoli campaign can be seen in the museum at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, Australia, and at the Auckland War Memorial Museum in Auckland, New Zealand. This campaign also put a dent in the armour of Winston Churchill, then the First Lord of the Admiralty, who had commissioned the plans to invade the Dardanelles. He talks about this campaign vividly in his memoirs.
The Gallipoli campaign gave an important boost to the career of Mustafa Kemal, who was at that time a little-known army commander, but was later promoted to Pasha. Kemal halted and eventually repelled the Allied advance, exceeding his authority and contravening orders to do so. His famous speech "I do not command you to fight, I command you to die. In the time it will take us to die we can be replenished by new forces" shows his courageous and determined personality. He went on to found the modern Turkish state after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.
[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallipoli ]
(Research):1 - e-mail from Viki Burton rec: 01.03.2008
2 - Comments: My husband has just found this site regarding my mother's family line, who was born MacFarlane. My grandfather was Alexander MacFarlane, born 1894 died 1966, Putaruru, New Zealand. I have information regarding whom he married and also the siblings of my mother (his offspring) and consequently her children including myself. Please contact me so that I may know how to add further information and hopefully fill in a few gaps of my own.
Sincerely
Ellison Martin 7vs1@xtra.co.nz
|
1894 - 1966 (71 years)
