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Images: Left - Find-a-Grave; Right: Courtesy of WW1 Cemeteries
Helles Memorial
near Sedd el Bahr, Turkey
20886 Identified Casualties
The breakdown of the 10936 Casualties listed at CWGC Helles Memorial (50 more than the stated number of identified casualties) is ...
- 19181 - United Kingdom
- 1506 Indian
- 249 Australian
The main inscription on the memorial reads:
"The Helles Memorial is both the memorial to the Gallipoli Campaign and to the 20,763 men who fell in that campaign and whose graves are unknown or who were lost or buried at sea in Gallipoli waters. Inscribed on it are the names of all the ships that took part in the campaign and the titles of the army formations and units which served on the Peninsula together with the names of 18,985 sailors, soldiers and marines from the United Kingdom, 248 soldiers from Australia, and 1,530 soldiers of the Indian Army."
The memorial is an obelisk and is over 30 metres high. The designer was John James Burnet. It was completed in 1924 and is built of rough stone from Ilgardere. The largest number of names are from the Lancashire Fusiliers (1,357 commemorations) on Panels 58-72, and the Manchester Regiment (1,215 commemorations) on Panels 158-170.
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The campaign in Gallipoli was fought by Commonwealth and French forces in an attempt to force Turkey out of the war, to relieve the deadlock of the Western Front in France and Belgium, and to open a supply route to Russia through the Dardanelles and the Black Sea.
The Allies landed on the peninsula on 25-26 April 1915; the 29th Division at Cape Helles in the south and the Australian and New Zealand Corps north of Gaba Tepe on the west coast, an area soon known as Anzac. On 6 August, further landings were made at Suvla, just north of Anzac, and the climax of the campaign came in early August when simultaneous assaults were launched on all three fronts. However, the difficult terrain and stiff Turkish resistance soon led to the stalemate of trench warfare. From the end of August, no further serious action was fought and the lines remained unchanged. The peninsula was successfully evacuated in December and early January 1916.
The Helles Memorial serves the dual function of Commonwealth battle memorial for the whole Gallipoli campaign and place of commemoration for many of those Commonwealth servicemen who died there and have no known grave.
The United Kingdom and Indian forces named on the memorial died in operations throughout the peninsula, the Australians at Helles. There are also panels for those who died or were buried at sea in Gallipoli waters.
Roll of Honour - WW1 Cemeteries Gallery
Notable People
Victoria Cross recipients:
- Major Cuthbert Bromley - Rank: Major, Date of Death: 13/08/1915, Age: 36, Regiment/Service: Lancashire Fusiliers, 1st Bn., Awards: V C. Panel Reference Panel 58 to 72 or 218 to 219.
- Lieutenant-Colonel Sir John Milbanke, 10th Baronet - Rank: Lieutenant Colonel, Date of Death: 21/08/1915, Age: 42, Regiment/Service: Nottinghamshire Yeomanry (Sherwood Rangers), Awards: V C. Panel Reference Panel 16.
- Captain Gerald Robert O'Sullivan - Rank: Captain, Date of Death: 21/08/1915, Age: 26, Regiment/Service: Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers 1st Bn. , Awards: V C. Panel Reference Panel 97 to 101.
- Sergeant Frank Edward Stubbs - Rank: Sergeant, Service No: 1506, Date of Death: 25/04/1915, Age: 27, Regiment/Service: Lancashire Fusiliers 1st Bn. , Awards: V C. Panel Reference Panel 58 to 72 or 218 to 219.
- Sub-Lieutenant Arthur Walderne St Clair Tisdall - Rank: Sub-Lieutenant, Date of Death: 06/05/1915, Age: 24, Regiment/Service: Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Anson Bn. R.N. Div. , Awards: V C, Panel Reference Panel 8 to 15. LOTFWW
Shot at dawn:
- 1/9804 Private T. Davis, 1st Bn. Royal Munster Fusiliers, executed for quitting his post on 02/07/1915.
Senior Officers. The following are all on Panel 16:
- Brigadier General Henry Edward Napier, cmdg. 88th Brigade, 29th Division. Killed 25th April 1915, aged 53. He was first commissioned in 1882 and served in the Boer War.
- Brigadier General Anthony Baldwin, cmdg. 38th Brigade, 13th (Western) Division. Killed at Chunuk Bair 10th August 1915. First commissioned 1884; served in the Boer War.
- Second Lieutenant Hamo Sassoon Royal Engineers, Died of wounds 1st November 1915, aged 28. Buried at sea. Brother of war poet Siegfried Sassoon.
- Captain Sir Herbert Archer Croft (10th Bart.) 1/1st Herefordshire Regiment. Killed at Suvla, 11th August 1915, aged 46. Lived Croft Castle, Kingsland, Herefordshire. This is now a National Trust property, and his photograph and WW1 medals are on display there. There is a memorial to him in the family chapel.
Rugby internationals:
- Captain William Campbell Church (Scotland)
- Captain Arthur James Dingle (England)
- Sergeant William Nanson (England)
- Captain Eric Templeton Young (Scotland)
First-class cricketers:
- Lieutenant James Sutcliffe