The New Zealand Battlefield Memorial at Chunuk Bair (Conkbayırı) was built to commemorate the efforts of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force during the Battle of Sari Bair on 8–10 August, 1915. The CHUNUK BAIR (NEW ZEALAND) MEMORIAL is one of four memorials erected to commemorate New Zealand soldiers who died on the Gallipoli peninsula and whose graves are not known. But that was ten grim and bloody weeks away from the day we commemorate today: 25 April, 1915, the day the Anzacs, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, came ashore at the beach that has ever since borne their name; the day that was the beginning of a disastrous campaign, a nightmare of errors, and yet a time of unforgettable bravery. They were at first supported by troops from England, and they were reinforced by the Auckland Mounted Rifles, and then replaced by the Otago Infantry Battalion and the Wellington Mounted Rifles. Chunuk Bair is part of our shared heritage. For three days, under continuous fire, and running short of water, they clung to this strategic key to the peninsula. With immense courage they stormed the heights of Chunuk Bair, where we are now standing. Entente States, on April 25, 1915, made the military landing, in 5 different bays on the south side and in Anzac Cove on the north side, to the Gallipoli Peninsula. For friendship and trust underpin the strong bilateral relationship we enjoy today, with growing cultural, commercial and political exchanges. A recent book by a Turkish author, Professor Tuncoku, describes a meeting between a Turkish veteran and an Anzac veteran at the 75th anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign in 1990: "The Turkish veteran was trying to stand up straight. Following orders. The New Zealand Expeditionary Force, as it was called, numbered 8,427 men. Of the 11,600 New Zealanders who eventually served on Gallipoli, 2,721 died on active service and 4,752 were wounded, many to die later of their wounds. These trees will symbolise a common purpose, one that I am sure is shared by young people everywhere, to work for a better world, a world in which it will not be possible for what happened here to happen again. The attack on Chunuk Bair was a turning point for New Zealand, as it saw a significant amount of tragedies. It was a terrible price for a small country to pay. He fell in action on the heights of Chunuk Bair August 9th, 1915, a date that can never be forgotten in this country. Battle of Chunuk Bair. Walking together will have been the experience of all of you gathered here today. For here was one of our great military calamities, yet at the same time one of the most inspiring and valiant actions ever undertaken by New Zealand troops. From here the New Zealanders would have seen the ultimate objective, the straits of the Narrows down below. At the service at Dawn this morning, down there at Ari Burnu, by Anzac Cove, I said that we stood on hallowed ground. A New Zealand regiment is ordered to take the hill Chunuk Bair, without the promised British support . Here, on Chunuk Bair, we New Zealanders are on ground that is not only hallowed, but that is legendary too. Total Allied casualties in the eight months of the campaign were 33,500 killed and 78,500 wounded, another 7,600 simply described as missing. ... every case my audiences have been gripped by the drama of the story and appalled at the waste of young Otago lives that Chunuk Bair … But they got no further. Casualties for the Wellington Battalion alone was extreme, There were only 70 remaining Wellington soldiers out of 760 after they successfully captured Chunuk Bair. The second phase of the plan, which involved New Zealand Infantry Brigade, was to have achieved its major objective - capturing the three key high points of Chunuk Bair, Hill Q and Hill 971 (Koja Chemen Tepe) - by dawn on 7 August. These troops, after repulsing incessant Turkish attacks, were reinforced by the Otago Battalion and the Wellington Mounted Rifles. His advice to us all was simple and to the point: "Nobody wins at war". It was the New Zealand troops that first won and then briefly secured Chunuk Bair, only to lose it after a succession of British blunders. And another historian has written: "If New Zealanders have a day that is uniquely ours, it is 8 August, 1915.". The Anzacs were confronted by narrow beaches and high cliffs, a maze of ridges and ravines, bearing little resemblance to the markings on their maps. Contents. What happened at Chunuk Bair. Directed by Dale G. Bradley. New Zealand Lotteries Grants Board, ASB Community Trust, First Sovereign Trust, SKYCITY Auckland Community Trust, Four Winds Foundation, The Trusts Community Foundation, The Officers’ Club Auckland, Pharazyn Trust, David Levene Foundation, Mt Wellington Foundation, Wellington City Council, Otorohanga District Council, Whakatane District Council, Waikato District Council, Gore District Council, Masterton District Council, South Wairarapa District Council, Peter Hanson, Derek Nolan, MJ & MC Dudman, W Caughey, Chris Moore, RS Morton, Michael Lorimer, Peter Macky, MORE. The cemetery is in the lower point of the ridge and the memorial obelisk is located to the North West of the cemetery. The Anzacs were evacuated. Entente States, on April 25, 1915, made the military landing, in 5 different bays on the south side and in Anzac Cove on the north side, to the Gallipoli Peninsula. Big Table Top. Chunuk Bair was one of the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces' biggest, worst battles. Jump to content. Jump to content. The Governor-General's Strategy, 2016-2021, Roles and functions of the Governor-General, The Queen's constitutional and public ceremonial roles, New Zealand's Governor-General - an historical perspective, Guidance for writing to the Governor-General, The State Memorial Service for the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Formal Public Statement by the Governor-General on the death of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Why have we switched off? 1. The tragedy of the Gallipoli campaign was not ours alone. Behind schedule. The Turkish defenders suffered equally. It is only when we come and see with our own eyes that we realise what a virtually impossible undertaking it was. This memorial relates to the Battle of Sari Bair and in other operations in this sector. Several of them were recommended to receive Victoria Crosses, though only one was awarded, and that was to Cyril Bassett, a signaller, for keeping the lines of communications open under intense fire. Chunuk Bair was lost, and with it an opportunity to change the course of the Gallipoli campaign. The Chunuk Bair (New Zealand) Memorial is one of five Memorials to the Missing for Commonwealth troops who lost their lives in the eight month-long Gallipoli campaign of 1915 and who have no known grave (the others are at Helles, Hill 60, Twelve Tree Copse, and Lone Pine). On the night of 6 August, at the same time as the British IX Corps began landing to the north, the breakout from the Anzac sector was made by units of the And for what did they die? I am delighted too that approval has been given for a memorial stone from Chunuk Bair to be placed alongside the colours of the Wellington Battalion as the centrepiece of the ANZAC memorial now under construction at Wellington Cathedral. The British and later the French landed further south but the New Zealanders and the Australians were put ashore below us here, one of their immediate objectives being to take this dominant height of Chunuk Bair. tuna. tuna. Four months later, it was all but over. The CHUNUK BAIR (NEW ZEALAND) MEMORIAL is one of four memorials erected to commemorate New Zealand soldiers who died on the Gallipoli peninsula and whose graves are not known. It was decided instead, and at very short notice, to mount an amphibious expedition that would take the defenders by surprise, overwhelm the Turkish fortifications and clear the peninsula of its defences. They will be taking part also in the tree planting ceremony that is to follow. E.g. Though Chunuk Bair is not the highest point of the Sari Bair Range, this location is important because of the two spurs that run off it. One was just 17 years old. It was the New Zealand troops that first won and then briefly secured Chunuk Bair, only to lose it after a succession of British blunders. Their names, however, are inscribed on the Memorial to the Missing just below us. for 1+3, enter 4. Ten others are buried in the Chunuk Bair cemetery. Before dawn on 8 August 1915 the Wellington Infantry Battalion took the crest of a hill called Chunuk Bair at Gallipoli, the Turkish defenders having retired during an artillery bombardment. In one overnight attack, the Otago Battalion lost 400 out of 800 men. In another attack, the Auckland Battalion lost 300 men in 20 minutes for a gain of 100 metres. The eight month 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. With the New Zealanders consolidating their position behind the Apex during the afternoon, the final assault of Chunuk Bair commenced pre-dawn on the following day, 8 August, lead by the Wellington Infantry Battalion under Lieutenant-Colonel William Malone. There were many heroes among the Kiwis. Behind schedule. In August 1915, the Allies launched a major offensive in an attempt to break the deadlock. With Robert Powell, Kevin J. Wilson, Jed Brophy, John Leigh. This memorial was unveiled on 12 May 1925 by General Sir Alexander Godley, the commander of the New Zealand and Australian Division and, briefly, of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) at Gallipoli. The Anzac and Suvla cemeteries are first signposted from the left hand junction of the Eceabat- Bigali road. The words “Chunuk Bair” resonate like few others down the decades of New Zealand’s military history. Just four months ago, the last New Zealander among the original ANZAC veterans passed away. The second phase of the plan, which involved New Zealand Infantry Brigade, was to have achieved its major objective - capturing the three key high points of Chunuk Bair, Hill Q and Hill 971 (Koja Chemen Tepe) - by dawn on 7 August. From this junction travel into the main Anzac area where you will encounter a right hand turn at 7.6kms. Lambs to the slaughter. Such incidents, along with the carnage at Gallipoli, led to the realisation that Britain was not infallible. To that post about 4.15 went a procession of sleepy Generals and staff carrying glasses, telescopes and anxiously awaiting the dawn, to show the success or otherwise of the troops. The plan was to capture the high ground overlooking the Anzac sector, the Sari Bair Range, while a British force landed further north at Suvla Bay. It was by far the worst day of the Gallipoli campaign for New Zealand fatalities. The Chunuk Bair New Zealand National memorial There is an observation post here... and from it one can see a large portion of the country over which we are operating. hi lads i hae got wind o that Howard boycotted an official ANZAC day new zealand ceremony at chunuk bair,Gallipoli, preferring instead to attend a barbeque on the shores of ANZAC cove is that true? By 24 May, the no-man's land between the two front lines was so carpeted with the dead that an armistice was called so that they could be buried. Yet out of this carnage a new sense of nationhood was born, for Australians, for New Zealanders, and for Turks. At dawn on 10 August, the two British battalions which replaced them were driven back by relentless Turkish counterattacks, and the … The Honourable Philip Ruddock, my fellow New Zealanders, friends from Turkey and Australia and all around the world, you in your thousands who have come to stand here with us, side by side, in solemn remembrance. 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