Lone Pine battle marked at Gallipoli

THE Battle of Lone Pine was more a "vicious armed brawl" than an example of modern war, Governor-General Peter Cosgrove has told a centenary service to mark the bloody conflict.

HUNDREDS of people endured sweltering heat on the Gallipoli Peninsula on Thursday to attend the service on a battleground where some 800 Australians died, 1500 were wounded and seven Victoria Crosses were won. In recognition of such gallantry VC winners Mark Donaldson, Daniel Keighran and Keith Payne took part in the service along with Doug Baird, the father of VC winner Corporal Cameron Baird who was killed in Afghanistan in 2013.

Sir Peter told the crowd at the Lone Pine cemetery that Gallipoli 100 years ago was a place of deadly trench warfare and ongoing stalemate that sapped morale.

"No digger would have seen the imminent prospect of death, wounding or serious illness with any sense of glorious duty, although all of them would have given just about anything for a decent meal.

"Our Anzac forebears were tired beyond belief, filthy beyond description, malnourished and possessed of a growing cynicism," Sir Peter said.

"And yet they endured, grew closer, gained strength from each other and increasingly from the collective notion of being Anzacs."

The Battle of Lone Pine is one of the most famous in Australian history and the lone pine itself has become a symbol of Australian sacrifice in war - an Australian soldier who lost his brother in the battle brought home a pine cone from the site as a memorial, and in 1934 seeds were gathered from and planted. Two of them flourished, one of which was planted at the Australian War Memorial, and which still grows today. Each year seeds are harvested from it, and planted at sites across Australia - often war memorials, veterans' clubs, and schools.

Seven Australians received the Victoria Cross, the British Empires highest award for bravery for their actions in the battle. They were:

Lance Corporal Alexander Burton VC (Posthumous) (1893-1915)

Corporal (later Lieutenant) William Dunstan VC (1895-1957)

Lieutenant (later Major) Frederick Tubb VC (1883-1917)

These three men represent the only case in Australian history of a 'shared citation' for the Victoria Cross. Their citation reads as follows:

For most conspicuous bravery at Lone Pine Trenches on the 9th August, 1915. In the early morning the enemy made a determined counter-attack on the centre of the newly captured trench held by Lieutenant Tubb, Corporals Burton and Dunstan and a few men. They [the enemy] advanced up a sap and blew in a sandbag barricade, leaving only one foot of it standing, but Lieutenant Tubb with the two Corporals repulsed the enemy and rebuilt the barricade. Supported by strong bombing parties the enemy twice again succeeded in blowing the barricade, but on each occasion they were repulsed and the barricade rebuilt, although Lieutenant Tubb was wounded in the head and arm and Corporal Burton was killed by a bomb while most gallantly building up the parapet under a hail of bombs.

Captain Alfred Shout VC MC (Posthumous) (1882-1915)

Citation: For most conspicuous bravery at Lone Pine trenches, in the Gallipoli Peninsula. On the morning of the 9th August, 1915, with a very small party Captain Shout charged down trenches strongly occupied by the enemy, and personally threw four bombs among them, killing eight and routing the remainder. In the afternoon of the same day, from the position gained in the morning, he captured a further length of trench under similar conditions, and continued personally to bomb the enemy at close range under very heavy fire until he was severely wounded, losing his right hand and left eye. This most gallant officer has since succumbed to his injuries.

Acting Lance Corporal (later Lieutenant) Leonard Keysor VC (1885-1951)

Citation: For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty at Lone Pine Trenches, in the Gallipoli Peninsular. On 7 August, 1915, he was in a trench which was being heavily bombed by the enemy. He picked up two live bombs and threw them back at the enemy at great risk to his own life, and continued throwing bombs, although himself wounded, thereby saving a portion of the trench which it was most important to hold. On 8th August, at the same place, Private (Lance-Corporal) Keysor successfully bombed the enemy out of a position from which a temporary mastery over his own trench had been obtained, and was again wounded. Although marked for hospital, he declined to leave and volunteered to throw bombs for another company, which had lost its bomb-throwers. He continued to bomb the enemy till the situation was relieved.

Private (later Captain) John Hamilton VC (1896-1961)

Citation: For most conspicuous bravery on 9th August, 1915, in the Gallipoli Peninsula. During a heavy bomb attack by the enemy on the newly captured position at Lone Pine, Private Hamilton, with utter disregard to personal safety, exposed himself under heavy fire on the parados, in order to secure a better fire position against the enemy's bomb throwers. His coolness and daring example had an immediate effect. The defence was encouraged, and the enemy driven off with heavy loss.

Second Lieutenant (later Lieutenant Colonel) William Symons VC (1889-1948)

Citation: For most conspicuous bravery on the night of 8-9 August, 1915, at Lone Pine Trenches, in the Gallipoli Peninsular. He was in command of the right section of the newly captured trenches held by his battalion and repelled several counter-attacks with great coolness. At about 5 a.m. on 9 August , a series of determined attacks were made by the enemy on an isolated sap, and six officers were in succession killed or severely wounded, a portion of the sap being lost. Lieutenant Symons then led a charge and retook the lost sap, shooting two Turks with his revolver. The sap was under hostile fire from three sides and Lieutenant Symons withdrew some 15 yards to a spot where some overhead cover could be obtained, and in the face of heavy fire, built up a sand barricade. The enemy succeeded in setting fire to the fascines and woodwork of the head-cover, but Lieutenant Symons extinguished the fire and rebuilt the barricade. His coolness and determination finally compelled the enemy to discontinue the attacks.

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