Trench Lincs 26th April 2026
- 6 days ago
- 27 min read
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Good Morning,
Welcome to the last Trench Lincs for April and I will start this week with a quick reminder that it is now only three weeks until Woodhall Spa show on Sunday 17th May.
Trench Lincs will have a stand at the show and I hope many of you will come along and say hello to me and my good friend, Robin Sayer, who will be helping out on the day.
The Lincoln WFA branch and Friends of the Lincoln Tank will both be represented, and I am sure that Peter Garland and Alwyn Killingsworth would be grateful for any help on the day, even if it’s just for an hour or two. Please let me know, and I will put you in touch.
Talking of Robin Sayer, last weekend we met up in Lincoln to catch up on the news and enjoy a convivial lunch. So what better place than the William Foster pub and a couple of pints of Lincoln Tank Ale. There’s always something of the Great War around you if you only go looking!
The next day Robin and his wife, Christine, set off for London to visit the Rameses II exhibition at Battersea on the Monday, but Robin found time to clock up 16,000 steps for us on Sunday afternoon photographing some of London’s iconic statues and memorials – see below.
I can also pose a little teaser for you. Do you recognise this pair of CWGC gravestones?
Full story below.
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FORTHCOMING EVENTS.
Next event - Lincoln & North Lincolnshire Branch, WFA - Monday, April 27th 2026 - Doors open 7.00pm for 7.30pm start - Royal Naval Association Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG.
Brian Riley presents: "The Shimmering Blue; Lincolnshire Aviation in World War One."
‘During the First World War, Lincolnshire made three major contributions to the British air war effort: home defence, aircraft manufacturing and the training of British and Allied airmen.
This talk assesses the reasons for aviation coming to Lincolnshire, explores the effects on the county of the world's first strategic air offensive, and examines the measures taken to defend the nation from air attacks. It describes how a primarily agricultural county became one of world’s largest aircraft production centres and nurtured fledgling Allied airmen on their bumpy paths to operational competence.
Over a century later, we appreciate that Lincolnshire’s men and women provided vital support to early ‘multinational coalition operations. Theirs is a story worth telling to ensure that their pathfinding efforts are not forgotten.’
Brian Riley combines a lifelong passion for military history with a love of archaeology, foreign languages and travel. He graduated with a degree in Modern Languages from the University of Salford in 1978 and worked for several years in the Civil Service and local government before deciding to make his hobby pay. He was commissioned into the RAF Education Branch at the tender age of 35 but his inquisitive nature soon led him to transfer to the RAF Intelligence Branch. Retiring from the RAF in 2012, Brian has continued to pursue his passion for aviation and military history. He led school parties on history tours of Berlin and curated the RAF Heritage Collection at William Farr School, Welton, before working for Lincolnshire County Council on a major aviation heritage project during 2017-2020. This project - Lincolnshire, Bastion in the Air 1915-18 - was financed by the Heritage Lottery Fund and highlighted the county’s important but often overlooked First World War aviation accomplishments. In October 2024, Brian was appointed by South Kesteven District Council as the official Heritage Advisor for its ‘Soldiers from the Sky’ project, financed by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. It lasted until the end of 2025 and highlighted the activities of the British, American and Polish Airborne Forces who lived and trained in the area during 1944-45 while preparing for operations in Normandy (D-Day), the Netherlands (Operation MARKET GARDEN), Norway (Operation DOOMSDAY) and Denmark (Operation ECLIPSE).
Brian is continuing his support activities with the Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire Partnership, which is a consortium of aviation heritage sites dedicated to promoting the county’s rich aviation heritage, and commemorating the service and sacrifice of all those involved.
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Next Meeting - Spalding & South Lincolnshire Branch, WFA – Thursday 28th May, 2026 - Doors open 7.00pm for 7.30 pm start - Spalding Baptist Church, Swan Street, Spalding, PE11 1BT.
May 28th - Brian Riley presents "The Shimmering Blue; Lincolnshire Aviation in World War One".
Details as above at Lincoln tomorrow.
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The East Midlands (Nottingham) WFA branch will hold their next speaker event on Friday 8th May 2026 at 7.30pm. The branch meets at St. Peter’s Church Hall, Church Street, Ruddington, NG11 6HA.
The speaker on this night will be Mike Coyle who will present – “Comparing the Somme 1916 with Arras 1917.”
Everyone welcome.
36th (Ulster) Division attack 1st July 1916.
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The Leadenham Military History Group’s next meeting will be on Tuesday 28th April at 7.30pm at Leadenham village hall.
CHANGE OF PROGRAMME.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, James Handley will now present his talk on the Battle of Marston Moor in October.
On April 28th, there will be a two-part event.
Biography: Sir Walter Cowan, Bt., by Tim Sisson. A brief history of one of the oldest men to see active service in the 20th Century.
Presentation: Dowding: a debt unpaid, by Tim Willbond. The poor post-war treatment of one of the country’s finest leaders, and how his legacy is continued today.
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The Friends of the Lincoln Tank Group continue their 2026 season in April. The venue, as usual, will be the Royal Naval Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG with a 7.30pm start. Entry is £5, and everyone is welcome.
Thursday April 30th - Jo Costin will talk about “The Cambridge Kitcheners”
The next FoLT talk will be held on Thursday the 30th April when we will welcome Jo Costin to speak on “Cambridgeshire Kitcheners”. In her own words:
“In the opening months of the First World War, 1,500 men from Cambridgeshire (town and county) joined up together to form the Cambridgeshire Kitcheners or 11th Suffolks. They came from a variety of occupations, though unlike many other Pals battalions, the majority were agricultural workers. Following training in England, they went overseas in January 1916, and saw action in some of the bloodiest battles of the war. This included the Somme, when 188 were killed on 1 July alone. However, this was not the end of their story. They saw significant action in 1917, during the battle of Arras, and in 1918 were caught up in the chaotic retreats during the German Spring Offensives, and the later Allied counterattacks. The list of battles, however, is only a fraction of their story. A mixture of official sources, newspaper accounts, personal documents, and family history sources like census records combine to give a fuller picture of what the men in the battalion experienced”.
We shall, as usual, meet at the Royal Naval Club on Coulson Road, Lincoln. Doors will open at 7.00pm for a 7.30pm start. Entrance is £5 payable on the door on the night. There is ample car parking at the club, and refreshments can be obtained at the bar. Everyone is welcome to attend and there is no need for you to be a paid up member of FoLT. Just come down on the night to receive a warm welcome. I hope you are able to support us.
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Another group who meet at the Royal Naval Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG, is the Lincolnshire Aviation Society.
However, the next meeting of LAS will be held on Thursday 21st May 2026 with a meeting time of 6.45pm at NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE AVIATION HERITAGE CENTRE at Hibaldstow. Make your own way there.
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The Peterborough Military History Group meets at the Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery in Priestgate, Peterborough, PE1 1LF, on the second Wednesday of every month, 7.30pm to 9.30pm.
Everyone welcome, especially new faces.
May 13th Stuart Orme
'Two Men, One King, and a Town Through Civil War.'
Explore the story of two families, a grand mansion, and a town during the most tumultuous period in British history and learn how Huntingdon was a microcosm of the experience of the country through the Civil Wars.
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I am pleased to let you have details of the next two Trench Lincs/Lincoln WFA outings for May and June.
On Friday 22nd May there will be an outing to the Lincolnshire Civil War battlefield of Winceby, followed by a fully guided tour of Bollingbroke Castle.
The battle of Winceby, October 1643, is one of the lesser battles of the civil war, with no more than 6,000 troops engaged, but its significance far outweighs its scale. For Parliament’s Eastern Association army from East Anglia this was their first major campaign. It was also the first nationally important victory for Cromwell’s cavalry and the first action in which he fought side by side with Sir Thomas Fairfax, with whom in the New Model Army he would finally destroy the royalist cause in 1645-6.
In this battle, which lasted no more than half an hour, followed by many hours of pursuit, the parliamentarians destroyed a combined force of royalist cavalry and dragoons from Lincolnshire and Newark. The victory was so swift and complete that the Association infantry did not even have time to engage the enemy. The outcome was the fall of much of the county of Lincolnshire to parliament and a halting of the royalist ascendancy in the region.
We will meet at 10.30am at the small commemorative stone erected at Winceby in 1993 immediately in front of Winceby House Farm, adjacent to the B1195, and this part of the day will be guided by Peter Garland who will bring along maps and fact sheets etc.
Following the battlefield tour, we will travel to Bollingbroke Castle, which was a Royalist garrison during the Civil War, where Jonathan Capek will take over and give us a guided tour of the castle remains.
Refreshments and toilets will be available at the castle.
Please email me if you intend to attend, so that no one is left behind. New faces always welcome.
[11 booked in so far. Room for more – Ed]
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For our June outing attendees will be travelling to Loughborough on Wednesday 24th June.
First stop will be the Carillon Museum, at 11am. Loughborough Carillon & War Memorial Museum
Park at the Granby Street car park, pay and display - postcode LE11 3DU around 10.45am and the museum opens at 11am.
When everyone has finished at the museum, we will be in the sound hands of Neil Strange, who will give the party a private tour of the CWGC graves within Loughborough cemetery.
Again, please let me know if you are attending. Everyone welcome.
[Only 2 booked in so far. Don’t be shy! – Ed]
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Click on this link to read the latest newsletter from Metheringham Airfield Aviation Centre.
I have and it is well worth a look.
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Steve Baldwin has sent in a timely reminder that War Graves Week is now only a month away. Steve is conducting tours at Newport Cemetery, Lincoln and at Stamford, and hopes that TL readers will book to join him.
Newport Tour - Saturday 23rd May at 10.30am
Stamford Cemetery Tour - Sunday 24th May 11.00am.
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Last week I posted a photo of a memorial plaque to be found in Funchal, Madeira. The memorial remembered Cecil Buckley who won his Victoria Cross in the Crimea in 1855. You will recall that the memorial had been unveiled by Johnson Beharry, who won his Victoria Cross in 2007.
Our very own resident encyclopaedia of Victoria Cross winners, Arthur Wood, as you would expect, has visited the cemetery in Madeira where Buckley is buried and here is Arthur’s photo of his grave.
Thank you once again Arthur.
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A set of photos came my way this week via the internet, and it is a location that I must add to my bucket list alongside the forts at Liege, the Ardennes – Malmedy, Bastogne etc., Arnhem and now Steenbergen.
Wing Commander Guy Gibson remains one of the most celebrated—and tragic—figures of the Second World War. Best known for leading the daring Operation Chastise, Gibson’s reputation was forged in a single night of extraordinary courage over Germany in May 1943. Yet his death just over a year later, in the skies above Holland, has often been overshadowed by that earlier triumph. Understanding Gibson’s final mission reveals both the risks faced by bomber crews late in the war and the enduring mystique surrounding his legacy.
Born in 1918 in Simla, British India, Gibson joined the Royal Air Force before the outbreak of war and quickly established himself as a skilled and aggressive pilot. He flew night fighters and bombers, earning distinction for his determination and leadership. By 1943, he had already completed a tour of operations and was selected to command the newly formed No. 617 Squadron RAF. This elite unit was created specifically to attack heavily defended German dams using an innovative bouncing bomb designed by engineer Barnes Wallis.
On the night of 16–17 May 1943, Gibson led nineteen Avro Lancaster bombers toward the Ruhr Valley. Flying at extremely low altitude under intense anti-aircraft fire, the squadron successfully breached the Möhne and Eder dams, causing catastrophic flooding and disrupting German industry. Gibson’s leadership was central to the raid’s success: he personally attacked first and then circled the target, drawing enemy fire to protect subsequent aircraft. For his actions, he was awarded the Victoria Cross, and he became a national hero. The press dubbed the squadron “The Dambusters,” and Gibson’s calm, understated demeanour made him a symbol of British resolve.
After Operation Chastise, Gibson was withdrawn from operations—standard practice for highly decorated commanders—but he remained restless. He wrote a memoir, appeared in morale-boosting engagements, and served in staff roles. However, he repeatedly requested a return to active duty. By 1944, as Allied forces prepared for the final push into occupied Europe, Gibson was permitted to fly again. He joined No. 627 Squadron RAF, flying the fast and versatile de Havilland Mosquito. These aircraft were often used to mark targets for heavier bombers, requiring precision flying under dangerous conditions.
On the night of 19 September 1944, Gibson took off from RAF Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire in a Mosquito to mark targets in support of bombing operations over Germany. The broader context was the Allied attempt to disrupt German communications during Operation Market Garden, then underway in the Netherlands. Weather conditions were poor, and the mission demanded low-level flying in darkness—always hazardous, even for an experienced pilot.
As Gibson’s aircraft returned across the Netherlands, something went wrong. Near the town of Steenbergen in Holland, the Mosquito crashed at low altitude. The aircraft struck the ground and exploded, killing Gibson instantly. His navigator, James Warwick, also died. The crash occurred in farmland, and local witnesses reported hearing the engines before the sudden impact. Because of the low altitude and night time conditions, there was little chance of survival.
The exact cause of the crash has never been definitively established. Several theories have been proposed. One suggests mechanical failure, possibly a fuel system problem. Another proposes that Gibson descended too low while attempting to check a faulty fuel gauge or manage fuel imbalance—procedures sometimes carried out visually at low level. A third theory suggests that he may have been avoiding another aircraft or reacting to ground fire, though evidence for enemy action is limited. The Mosquito’s speed and responsiveness made it effective but unforgiving; at low altitude, even a minor error could prove fatal.
Gibson was only 26 years old when he died. His body was initially buried locally, and today he rests in the Steenbergen-en-Kruisland Roman Catholic Cemetery, where his grave is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The quiet Dutch cemetery contrasts sharply with the fame he achieved during his lifetime. Locals still commemorate his death, reflecting the respect held in the Netherlands for Allied airmen who died during the liberation.
In Britain, news of Gibson’s death was met with shock. He had become one of the RAF’s most recognisable heroes, and his loss symbolised the continuing dangers of air operations even late in the war. Many who served with him remembered his calm voice, disciplined leadership, and willingness to share risks with his crews. Unlike some wartime figures whose reputations faded, Gibson’s legacy endured through books, memorials, and the continued fame of the Dambusters raid.
Wing Commander Guy Gibson’s story is therefore both triumphant and tragic. His leadership during Operation Chastise demonstrated daring innovation and personal courage, while his death over Holland underscored the relentless hazards faced by bomber crews. The contrast between his celebrated victory and his sudden, uncertain end contributes to the enduring fascination with his life. In the quiet fields near Steenbergen, far from the dams of the Ruhr, the war claimed one of its most famous airmen—reminding history that even heroes were not spared the risks of the skies.
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I now have a second WWII RAF story for you. I suspect that some of you will have seen in the press this last week that a Hurricane fighter plane has been unearthed for the first time since it was shot down in 1940. Remarkably the pilots remains were still safely strapped into the cockpit seat.
Engineers building a canal at Oisy le Verger have discovered the remains of Squadron Leader George Marley Fidler sitting upright in the cockpit of his Hawker Hurricane eighty-six years after he was shot down. George was a 27 year-old from Great Ayton in Yorkshire, a pilot with 607 Squadron whose Hawker Hurricane P3535 was shot down by a Messerschmitt Bf109 fighter above France on May 19th 1940. The aircraft buried itself into the ground with George still inside. The young airman will be laid to rest with full military honours on May 19th 2026, exactly eighty-six years to the day.
If anyone happens to be in France next month, the ceremony details are:
1.30pm – A burial service will be held for Squadron Leader George Morley Fidler, 607 Sqn, RAF, who died on 19th May 1940. This service will be held at London Cemetery and Extension, Longueval, France. [This is a WWI Somme cemetery adjacent to High Wood – Ed]
George Fidler who has been found after 86 years.
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When I read Chas Parker’s story last week about the Death penny for Duncan Colville, his service with the 9th Battalion Gordon Highlanders leapt off the page at me. Why? Because my good friend, Mike Credland has a great affinity with this battalion and I didn’t think it would be long before Mike got in touch.
Mike notes for us; ‘I found Chas Parker's story in Sunday's Trench Lincs on Private Duncan Colville interesting and have found the attached photograph of him and his headstone at Adanac Military Cemetery.
My interest is because Duncan was attached to the 9th Battalion Gordon Highlanders. As you know I have a complete original WWI uniform to a lad who was with the 9th Battalion which I displayed at our Show and Tell evening last December. I acquired his uniform, medals and MiD certificate from a Scottish militaria dealer a few years back. Subsequently, I carried out research, found a photograph of him and visited his village. The uniform belonged to Private John Blincow, the son of Charles and Mary Blincow, who was born at Gartcosh near Glasgow in 1890. He enlisted with the Gordon Highlanders at the beginning of the Great War and was posted over to the Western Front on 9th July 1915. During the April 1916 German gas attacks at Hulluch he was awarded the Military Medal and Mentioned in Despatches.
After being wounded, he was transferred to 44th Battalion Royal Fusiliers, then to the Labour Corps and discharged in early 1919. John Blincow married Sarah Campbell on 18th July 1919, raised a son and daughter and died at the age of 56 on 14th February 1946. We visited Gartcosh a couple of years ago, saw where he lived, went to his village school before paying our respects at his grave’
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As mentioned earlier, Robin Sayer has been tramping the streets of London and here are his photographs of the memorials that he visited.
The Cenotaph.
Winston Churchill
Viscount Alanbrooke
Bomber Command Memorial.
Earl Haig.
Machine Gun Corps Memorial.
Monty.
Royal Artillery Memorial
Viscount Slim
Duke of Wellington
Edith Cavell.
Thank you Robin for your grand tour of London.
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Sticking with our memorial theme, Keith Redfearn has been in Aberfeldy in Perthshire, where he came across this splendid cairn memorial to the Black Watch regiment.
The Black Watch, as I am sure many of you are aware, historically recruited in the Perth and Dundee area of Scotland and have a history of service to the crown dating back to the time of Charles II in 1667.
In the 18th century they became the 42nd Regiment of Foot and today they form the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
The Black Watch hold a special place in my love of British military history, as my late father served in the 1st Battalion from 1945 to 1947. He turned 18 in November 1945 and his first deployment was to Hamburg in the winter of 1945 as part of the British Army of Occupation.
You will also know that I am taken with the colourisation of old black and white photographs and whilst I feature the professional work of Colour by CJS in Trench Lincs, I have to admit that I am learning to colourise photos myself with the help of AI. Here is one of my attempts being a black and white photo of my father which he sent to his parents before he went overseas.
Please let me know what you think?
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I am always delighted to hear from Alan Hicks as his standard of research is always excellent, and this week he has a local story for us, but judging by his first comments, he must think that I am a hard taskmaster – when in reality, I am a pussy cat!
Alan writes; ‘I always feel trepidation when I think of writing to you about something I have come across when wandering locally. This is because I always think that you and your readers will have seen it all before as it is under our noses. You have previously said however that one doesn't have to look far to find traces of the Great War. [Very true Alan – Ed]
My Father is buried in St. Helen's churchyard which stands just outside the boundary of Boultham Park, Lincoln. I called to see him last week as it was another anniversary of his premature death at the age of just 45. He has been gone now for almost 60 years!
The Boultham Estate was owned by the Ellison family. I read somewhere that it was originally gifted as a wedding present from Richard Ellison III to one of his sons in the early 1830s. The church of St. Helens was always seen as the Ellison Family church.
On leaving the churchyard I glanced upon the large oblong stone that was brought to Lincoln by Major R G Ellison (later Sir) from Sevastopol which commemorates the men of the 47th Regiment who were lost in the Crimean War. It's a big lump of stone (and Grade II listed) so it would have taken some effort to get it to Lincoln! I understand it may have been part of the Sevastopol City walls. Two cannon balls sit before it but have sunk a little and are lost in the grass.
Now, for Trench Lincs Readers, there stands adjacent to this great monolith a more delicate family memorial with a broken column. I have seen this monument all my life and always thought that it had endured some catastrophic damage at some point but I now understand that was the way it was designed. I'm sure Mike Credland would have understood this at first glance? [Indeed. The broken column symbolises a life cut short – Ed]
The original reason for the erection of this memorial was to honour Captain George Paget Ellison who died at Kroonstad of enteric (typhoid) fever in 1902 at the very end of the Boer War. He was 31 years old. The face dedicated to him is very dirty but it can be deciphered that it was placed there by his brother officers from the 9th Lancers. The reason for the broken column was because it also signified the end of the Ellison family male line of succession.
Two of the other faces on the memorial are taken up with casualties from the Great War. The first face is dedicated is to Lieutenant Francis Ellison Levita of the 4th Queens Own Hussars. He is stated as being the Grandson (by marriage I think) of Sir Richard Ellison. He served in Ireland in early 1914 and was involved in the Curragh Mutiny Incident. At the outbreak of war, he found himself on the Western Front and was killed in action on 12th October 1914 at Godewaervelde in fighting around Mont Des Cats. He is buried in Meteren Military Cemetery in Northern France. He was 24 years old. I do not believe he was originally buried at this cemetery but his remains were moved there under the concentration scheme after the hostilities.
Meteren CWGC Cemetery
The final dedication on the memorial is to Lieutenant Michael George Stocks of the Grenadier Guards. He is also stated as a Grandson of Sir Richard Ellison but again he married into the Ellison family, his roots being in Downham in Norfolk. Lieutenant Stocks was killed in action near Ypres on 10th November 1914 aged just 21 years. It is said terrific German shelling near Hooge during First Ypres accounted for his death. He is buried in Zillebeke Churchard Cemetery 3km from Ypres.
Zillebeke Churchyard Cemetery.
So, the broken column memorial was constructed to represent the severed lineage of Ellison menfolk with the death of Captain George Paget Ellison in South Africa just after the turn of the century. It is somewhat ironic that two further young men also came to be remembered on the same structure after losing their lives very early in the Great War. They may not have been Ellison blood themselves but their marriages to Ellison womenfolk may have produced offspring to continue the bloodline.
So, the Ellison tenure of the Boultham Estate ended. Boultham Hall did serve as a convalescence home for soldiers during the war but the Estate was eventually purchased by Lincoln City Council in the late 1920s and became the public park we know today. The Hall was eventually demolished in 1959 but its footprint still remains in the raised lawn area in front of the new cafe which serves good Stokes coffee.’
Thank you for this interesting tale Alan.
I haven’t looked at the Ellison family tree, but I suspect some of the young men killed and labelled as grandsons, would have been the children of female Ellisons who had changed their name on marriage? Perhaps someone can fill in the details?
The great loss of young cavalry officers in late 1914 is as a result of the cavalry regiments having to dismount and fight in the trenches during the First Battle of Ypres, as the original BEF was virtually destroyed at this time and the manpower shortages were severe.
The churchyard at Zillebeke which Alan mentions, is affectionately known as the Aristocrats Cemetery, as so many titled young British cavalry officers are all buried there. I have visited on many occasions and can recommend a visit next time you are in the Ypres area.
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John Pritchard is currently in South Australia and kindly sent me these two photos. John comments; ‘Hello Jonathan, a few lines whilst on holiday in sunny Australia. On the journey south from Brighton near Adelaide, to Mount Gambier, we stopped at a small place called "Tailem Bend" where this fine memorial stands in the memorial garden. All of the surrounding mature trees have a plaque dedicated to a fallen service man. Thanks for the interesting newsletter, and what a shame that you and family have lost a much loved pet.’ [Thank you John on both counts – Ed]
Tailem Bend, South Australia.
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IN THIS WEEK APRIL 1915.
Yesterday, 25th April was once again ANZAC Day. The 25th April was the date on which the first troops landed on the Gallipoli Peninsular, and has become the date much celebrated and commemorated in Australian history.
If you speak with an Australian today, the chances are that he will be surprised when you tell him that the number of British troops at Gallipoli far outweighed the number of Aussies and New Zealanders deployed, and if you then mention how many French troops were in action at Gallipoli, he probably won’t believe you.
The myth of Australian sacrifice at Gallipoli has come to dominate the narrative of the Gallipoli campaign, and especially the idea that so many young Australians were sent to their death by uncaring British Generals – a view that is not correct and yet, like Blackadder, it is a view of the Great War that prevails in many minds.
The Gallipoli Association state; ‘The Allies sent about 559,000 personnel during the whole campaign, of whom 420,000 were British and Empire troops, 80,000 French, 50,000 Australians and 9,000 New Zealanders.
The Allies had over 250,000 casualties; of these approximately 58,000 died, including 29,500 from Britain and Ireland, over 12,000 from France, 11,000 from Australia and New Zealand and 1,500 from India. The remaining casualties were wounded or sick; approximately 140,000 from Britain and Ireland, 30,000 from France, 25,000 from Australia and New Zealand and 3,500 from India. Of the 58,000 Allied troops who died, only 11,000 have known graves on the Gallipoli peninsula. Others simply have their names inscribed on memorials.'
'The Ottoman forces suffered even more. They had more than 300,000 casualties, of which over 87,000 died. There are few known Ottoman graves on the peninsula but, like the Allies, several memorials commemorate the missing.’
I have been fortunate to visit Gallipoli twice, in 2019 and again in 2022, and here are a selection of my ANZAC memorial photographs.
At ANZAC Cove
Lone Pine Australian Memorial
New Zealand Memorial
The Australian myth, often intertwined with the ANZAC legend, is a powerful narrative that has shaped the nation’s identity for over a century. At its heart, it celebrates qualities such as courage, mateship, resilience, and a laconic sense of humour in the face of adversity. While these values are not unique to Australians, the ANZAC story has become a defining lens through which the nation sees itself.
The origins of the ANZAC legend lie in the Gallipoli campaign of 1915, during the First World War. The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula on 25th April, tasked with securing the Dardanelles. The campaign was a military failure, resulting in heavy casualties and eventual withdrawal. Yet, despite the defeat, stories emerged of extraordinary bravery, endurance, and camaraderie among the soldiers. These accounts resonated deeply with Australians back home, who saw in them a reflection of the pioneering spirit that had helped build the young nation.
Over time, the Gallipoli experience was elevated into a national myth. The ANZAC soldier was portrayed as resourceful, egalitarian, and fiercely loyal to his mates. This image contrasted with the rigid class structures of Britain and reinforced the idea of Australians as independent and pragmatic people. The myth also suggested that Australia had “come of age” on the battlefields of Gallipoli, proving itself on the world stage.
ANZAC Day, first observed in 1916, became the central occasion for commemorating this legacy. Initially, it was a day of mourning for those who had fallen at Gallipoli. As the years passed, it expanded to honour all Australians who served and died in wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations. The day is marked by dawn services, marches of veterans and service personnel, and moments of silence. The dawn service, in particular, holds deep symbolism, recalling the pre-dawn landing at Gallipoli and offering a quiet, reflective space for remembrance.
The ANZAC myth has not been without its critics. Some historians argue that it romanticises war and overlooks the diversity of Australia’s wartime experiences, including the roles of women, Indigenous Australians, and those who opposed the war. Others point out that the focus on Gallipoli can overshadow other significant battles and contributions, such as those on the Western Front or in the Pacific during the Second World War.
In recent decades, there has been a conscious effort to broaden the narrative. Modern commemorations often acknowledge the complexity of war, the suffering it causes, and the many different ways Australians have served. This shift reflects a more inclusive understanding of national identity—one that honours the ANZAC spirit while recognising that it is only one part of Australia’s story.
Today, ANZAC Day remains one of the most significant dates on the Australian calendar. It is both a solemn remembrance and a reaffirmation of shared values. The Australian myth, shaped in part by the ANZAC legend, continues to evolve—reflecting not only the past but also the aspirations of a more diverse and changing nation.
ANZAC Hill Memorial Kununurra - where my son lives.
The Man of ANZAC
By C.J. Dennis
The song of the day is a song of the fray,
And a song of the sword and the spear;
But the song of the man is the song that I scan,
With a feeling that’s kin to a tear.
The glory of fight is a luminous light,
But it blinds us to many a woe;
And the story of war is a story of gore,
And of cruel, unforgiving blow.
But the song of the day, with its glamour and play,
And its glitter of steel and of gold,
Is a song of the heart, that will never depart,
While the tale of the ANZAC is told.
For he went to the fight in the strength of his might,
And he battled with heart and with hand;
And he died for the right, in the dawn of the light,
For the sake of his own native land.
Then fill up the glass, and let the toast pass,
With a cheer for the man of the gun;
For the heart of the brave, who has found him a grave,
And the glorious battle he won.
For the song of the day is a song of the fray,
And a song of the sword and the spear;
But the song of the man is the song that I scan,
With a feeling that’s kin to a tear.
ANZAC DAY parade 1916.
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Of great importance in the historiography of the First World War is the first use of gas by the Germans.
On 22nd April 1915, during the early stages of the Second Battle of Ypres in Belgium, German forces carried out the first large-scale use of poison gas on the Western Front, introducing a new and terrifying form of industrialised warfare. Although smaller experiments with chemical irritants had occurred earlier in the war, this marked the first successful deployment of lethal gas against enemy troops. The attack not only shocked Allied forces but also transformed the nature of World War I, leading to an escalating cycle of chemical weapons development and countermeasures.
By the spring of 1915, the Western Front had settled into a stalemate. Opposing armies stretched from the North Sea to Switzerland, entrenched behind barbed wire, machine guns, and artillery. Repeated offensives had produced massive casualties with little territorial gain. German commanders sought a method to break this deadlock, and attention turned to chemical weapons. German scientists, including chemist Fritz Haber, advocated the battlefield use of chlorine gas. Chlorine, a greenish-yellow industrial chemical, irritates the lungs and, in sufficient concentration, causes death by asphyxiation. When inhaled, it reacts with moisture in the respiratory tract to form hydrochloric acid, severely damaging tissues and making breathing impossible.
The Germans prepared their attack carefully. Along a roughly six-kilometre section of front near Ypres, they placed thousands of metal cylinders filled with compressed chlorine gas in their forward trenches. These cylinders were not fired like shells; instead, the plan depended on releasing the gas when the wind blew toward Allied lines. This method was risky, as shifting winds could send the gas back toward German troops, but favourable conditions developed late in the afternoon of 22nd April. At approximately 5 p.m., German soldiers opened the cylinder valves.
A dense cloud of chlorine gas drifted slowly across no-man’s-land toward the Allied positions. Opposing the Germans were French colonial troops, including Algerian and Moroccan units, as well as some territorial divisions. Many soldiers initially watched the strange cloud with curiosity, unaware of the danger. As the gas reached the trenches, confusion quickly turned to panic. Soldiers began coughing violently, choking, and clutching their throats. Eyes burned, lungs filled with fluid, and many collapsed in agony. Without protective equipment, the troops had little defence. Some attempted to cover their faces with cloths, while others fled in desperation.
The gas attack created a four-mile gap in the Allied line. French colonial units, suffering heavily, withdrew, and the sudden collapse threatened to open a path toward Ypres. However, German forces hesitated. The attack’s success had been greater than anticipated, and German infantry were cautious about advancing into the lingering gas cloud. Moreover, they lacked sufficient reserves to exploit the breakthrough immediately. This hesitation allowed nearby Allied units, particularly Canadian divisions, to move into the gap and improvise defensive positions.
Canadian troops, facing renewed gas attacks in the following days, quickly developed crude countermeasures. Soldiers urinated on cloths or handkerchiefs and held them over their mouths and noses, believing the ammonia in urine might neutralise chlorine. While only partially effective, such improvisations helped reduce casualties. The Allies soon began distributing basic respirators, and within months both sides developed increasingly sophisticated gas masks. The introduction of chemical weapons thus triggered an arms race in both offensive and defensive technologies.
The use of chlorine gas on 22nd April 1915 shocked the world. Although international agreements such as the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907 had discouraged the use of poison weapons, the Germans argued that releasing gas from cylinders did not technically violate the ban on poison projectiles. Regardless of legal interpretations, the psychological impact was profound. Reports from survivors described a battlefield filled with choking men, abandoned equipment, and bodies lying where soldiers had fallen. The horror of death by suffocation, combined with the invisibility and unpredictability of gas, created deep fear among troops on all sides.
The immediate tactical results of the attack were limited. Although the Germans gained some ground, they failed to capture Ypres or achieve a decisive breakthrough. Nevertheless, the precedent had been set. Soon, all major combatants began developing and using chemical weapons. The Allies introduced their own gas attacks later in 1915, and over time more lethal agents, including phosgene and mustard gas, were deployed. Mustard gas, introduced in 1917, caused severe burns and long-lasting contamination, further increasing the suffering of soldiers.
In retrospect, the German gas attack at Ypres marked a turning point in modern warfare. It demonstrated how scientific knowledge and industrial capacity could be harnessed to create new methods of killing. The attack also illustrated the moral ambiguities of total war, as nations justified increasingly destructive weapons in the pursuit of victory. Although chemical weapons caused a relatively small proportion of total World War I casualties compared to artillery, their psychological impact was enormous.
The events of 22nd April 1915 remain significant not only as a military innovation but also as a warning. The horror experienced by soldiers at Ypres contributed to later international efforts to ban chemical weapons, including the Geneva Protocol of 1925. The first successful use of chlorine gas by German forces thus stands as a grim milestone—an episode that revealed both the ingenuity and the destructive potential of modern science when applied to warfare.
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We finish again this week with another colourised photograph and a short biography from the Colour by CJS site.
He survived at the front for less than a week.
Second Lieutenant Gordon Alick Brodrick Birdwood.
Gordon was born in India in 1895. His family had a long history of military service in the Empire, but he returned to the UK with his two older brothers and a sister, when the family moved home and settled in Devon.
Gordon was educated at the prestigious Tonbridge School in Kent, where he was a fine athlete and excelled at running and swimming.
On leaving school, he followed in the family footsteps and went to the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, where he was commissioned when war was declared in August 1914.
He joined 2nd Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment (The Prince of Wales’ Volunteers) in France on 17th September 1914, and was killed in action just four days later on 20th September.
Gordon Birdwood, just 18 years-old, had led a bayonet charge that succeeded in capturing an important position. It was reported that he fell “riddled” with bullets, and that his company lost 73 men killed in the assault.
He is buried in Vailly British Cemetery, Vailly-sur-Aisne, France.
Postscript
His brother, Captain Christopher Birdwood, 6th Battalion, Gurkha Rifles died of wounds in Gallipoli. He was recommended for the Victoria Cross but the award was not approved.
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In Memoriam the Lincolnshire Regiment 26th April.
1915
2741 Private J Clark, 5th Battalion, aged 20. Buried in Packhorse Farm Shrine Cemetery, Belgium.
1916
13143 Sergeant Albert James Smith, 8th Battalion, aged 27. Buried in Corbie Communal Cemetery, France.
12390 Private W Fuller, 7th Battalion. Buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery, Extension, France.
1917
23138 Private George Robinson, 7th Battalion, aged 31. Buried in Duisans British Cemetery, France.
43316 Private Arthur John Thomas, 8th Battalion, aged 22. Buried in Aubigny Communal Cemetery, France.
16087 Private A T Humphrey, 6th Battalion. Buried in Grevillers British Cemetery, France.
15568 Private Arthur Caldicott, 8th Battalion, aged 23. Buried in Chili Trench Cemetery, France.
32921 Corporal Harry Mather, 10th Battalion, aged 19. Remembered on the Arras Memorial, France.
40831 Private John Edward Cox, 8th Battalion, aged 32. – Ditto. –
1918
Seventeen men of the Lincolnshire Regiment died on this day as the desperate rearguard actions continued following the last great offensive of the German Army.
1921
4793138 Lance Corporal W Elston, 2nd Battalion, aged 32. Buried in Poona Cemetery, India.
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.
I do not know where time flies to. It seems like only yesterday that I attended Frank East's 90th birthday celebrations at the Lincoln Hotel with all of his family and friends, and now I am reminded by Peter Garland, that this last week saw Frank turn 92. Yesterday Frank was on parade as ever, at the visit to RAF Digby (more detail next week), and I would like to take this opportunity of wishing Frank a very happy birthday from me, the Lincoln WFA crew and all Trench Lincs readers.
Frank on the D-Day tour April 2025.
Finally, thank you very much to many of you who contacted me last week to say how sorry you were to hear of Ruby’s death. Your kind words were greatly appreciated.
Until next week,
All best wishes
Jonathan
© Jonathan D’Hooghe
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