Summary

  • Events mark the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign, one of the bloodiest in World War One

  • Allied forces landed on the beaches of the Gallipoli peninsula in modern-day Turkey in April 1915

  • Allied forces were locked in an eight-month stalemate with Ottoman troops before pulling out in January 1916

  • An estimated 131,000 soldiers on both sides of the conflict died during the doomed campaign

  • It was the first campaign that led to major casualties for Australian and New Zealand forces during the war

  • Leaders of Australia, New Zealand and Turkey, and Princes Charles and Harry, are among those attending remembrance services

  1. 'Hold in our heart the fallen'published at 18:00 British Summer Time 24 April 2015

    Memorial service at Cape HellesImage source, Reuters

    That's all for this live page coverage of day one of the Gallipoli campaign centenary events. Friday's commemorations are also wrapped up in this report, and we will be back on Saturday to cover Anzac Day and Turkish memorial services.

    We leave you with the words of the Rev Dr David Coulter, Chaplain General to Her Majesty's Land Forces, who opened the ceremony at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's Helles Memorial:

    "We recall the courage of those who fought and died, and we give thanks for the freedom wrought by their sacrifice.

    "We pray for our respective countries represented here today, asking that we may hold in our heart the fallen in whose footsteps we stand, and that we may be faithful to their legacy."

  2. Going down of the sunpublished at 17:56 British Summer Time 24 April 2015

    Kate Benyon-Tinker
    BBC Middle East producer

    tweets, external: Sun setting over Cape Helles and V Beach #Gallipoli100

    Sunset
  3. Get Involvedpublished at 17:56 British Summer Time 24 April 2015

    Claude KidmanImage source, Kidman and Schneider families

    Denice Spratt emails: This is a photo of my great uncle, Claude Kidman, who was part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force.

    He served in Egypt and Gallipoli and then in France where he was awarded the military medal and bar for bravery in the field.

    He was a sergeant in the Medical Corps, in the Mounted Field Ambulance serving from 1914 to 1918.

    My great aunt Elsie Donald - later Kidman - served from 1915 to 1918 first as a staff nurse with the Medical Corps and then later as a sister. She was at Egypt and France and also on the hospital ships.

    We Kiwis are proud of the men and women who fought for us in the First World War and all other wars and for us the 25th of April is a very emotive day and we honour all who served by attendance at the Dawn Parade.

  4. Morto Bay servicepublished at 17:53 British Summer Time 24 April 2015

    Clarence House

    tweets, external: The Prince of Wales and Prince Harry attend the French service at Morto Bay #Gallipoli100

    Princes at French memorial service at Morto BayImage source, Clarence House
  5. BBC iWonder: Exploring Gallipolipublished at 17:34 British Summer Time 24 April 2015

    A French field kitchen on the Gallipoli peninsulaImage source, AWM
    Image caption,

    A French field kitchen on the Gallipoli peninsula

    The French cemetery is at Morto Bay. The French force, mostly Senegalese, was responsible for a section of the Allied line that ran about a kilometre (0.6 miles) north of the Turkish Martyrs memorial.

    Morto Bay itself was far behind the front line but was open to Turkish shelling across the Straits.

    "Wounded everywhere! The killed lay in confused heaps which increased as you advanced." - French medical officer Dr Subin, based at Morto Bay, writing later.

  6. BBC iWonder: Exploring Gallipolipublished at 17:25 British Summer Time 24 April 2015

    A view of V beach from the ship River Clyde, which was run aground as part of the landingImage source, AWM
    Image caption,

    A view of V beach from the ship River Clyde, which was run aground as part of the landing

    A century ago tomorrow, soldiers from the Royal Dublin Fusiliers, the Royal Munster Fusiliers and Royal Hampshire Regiment landed at V beach at Cape Helles.

    The beach was heavily fortified. As the soldiers made for land, Turkish machine gunners opened fire and the sea ran red with blood.

    Of the 700 Dubliners landing, 300 were killed and many of the rest were wounded. A British naval bombardment failed to reduce Turkish fire and a later landing attempt by the Munsters suffered 70% casualties.

    The British forces eventually established a toehold on the beach.

  7. On to V beachpublished at 17:21 British Summer Time 24 April 2015

    Kate Benyon-Tinker
    BBC Middle East producer

    tweets, external: Princes Charles & Harry visit the cemetery at V Beach & lay flowers at some graves #Gallipoli100

    Princes Charles and Harry at V Beach Cemetery
  8. Ship's Company of HMS Bulwarkpublished at 17:16 British Summer Time 24 April 2015

    Royal Navy

    tweets:, external Royal Navy Guard drawn from the Ship's Company of #HMSBulwark for commemorations at Cape #Helles #Gallipoli100

    Royal Navy Guard from HMS BulwarkImage source, Royal Navy
  9. BBC iWonder: Exploring Gallipolipublished at 17:11 British Summer Time 24 April 2015

    Troops in the sea at Cape HellesImage source, AWM
    Image caption,

    Troops in the sea at Cape Helles

    Swimming in the sea offered a rare chance for Allied soldiers to enjoy themselves. Some braved the waves during the day, while others waited for nightfall to avoid the threat of Turkish artillery.

    "We had a glorious swim after dusk. The Turk guns seldom fire after dark … the beach is just crowded — all men though."

    Diary of Sergeant Cyril Lawrence, 2nd Field Company of Australian Engineers, June 1915

  10. BBC iWonder: Exploring Gallipolipublished at 17:02 British Summer Time 24 April 2015

    A convalescent camp in MaltaImage source, Mary Evans Picture Library
    Image caption,

    A convalescent camp in Malta

    Almost 58,000 sick and wounded soldiers were transported from Gallipoli to Malta, which became an island hospital for Allied troops. Malta was known as the "nurse of the Mediterranean", with 27 hospitals and more than 3,000 medical staff.

  11. Irish president honours deadpublished at 17:01 British Summer Time 24 April 2015

    Princes Charles and Harry, Presidents Erdogan & HigginsImage source, Clarence House

    The President of Ireland, Michael Higgins, is also attending the Commonwealth and Ireland Service at Cape Helles.

    The Royal Dublin Fusiliers and the Royal Munster Fusiliers were amongst the regiments who landed on V beach on 25 April 1915.

  12. Shadows on the wallpublished at 16:58 British Summer Time 24 April 2015

    The shadows of Prince Charles and Prince Harry at the Cape Helles memorialImage source, Reuters

    From a day offering much striking imagery, this picture captures the shadows of Prince Charles and Prince Harry at the Cape Helles memorial ahead of the Commonwealth and Ireland service there.

  13. BBC iWonder: Exploring Gallipolipublished at 16:51 British Summer Time 24 April 2015

    A signal tent at divisional headquarters in GallipoliImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    A signal tent at divisional headquarters in Gallipoli

    Communications were rudimentary at Gallipoli. Many signal lamps were lost during the landings and semaphore flags were impractical under Turkish fire.

    Telegraph lines and runners were the most common method of communication. Signallers could send Morse code messages at 40 words per minute.

  14. Postpublished at 16:48 British Summer Time 24 April 2015

    Fergal Keane
    BBC foreign correspondent

    tweets, external: #Gallipoli100 Prince Harry reads from AP Herbert: tomorrow we must stagger up a hill/to man a trench/to live among the lice

  15. Postpublished at 16:48 British Summer Time 24 April 2015

    Rachel Thompson
    Senior Middle East producer, BBC News

    tweets, external: Prince Harry gives reading at the British Helles memorial service now #gallipoli100

    Prince Harry addresses Cape Helles service
  16. 'Fears would be realised'published at 16:47 British Summer Time 24 April 2015

    Prince Charles addresses Cape Helles service

    From Prince Charles's address at the service: "The countless letters and diaries from Gallipoli remind us all too powerfully and vividly that the battles on this peninsula were fought and endured largely by ordinary people called upon to do extraordinary tasks.

    "I'm always struck by the accounts of departing soldiers that often speak of smiles, cheers and waving caps, when we can only think that deeper down there lurked dark and foreboding fears that would be realised all too often and all too soon."

  17. BBC iWonder: Exploring Gallipolipublished at 16:45 British Summer Time 24 April 2015

    A British 60-pounder heavy field gun in action on a cliff top at Helles Bay, GallipoliImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    A British 60-pounder heavy field gun in action on a cliff top at Helles Bay, Gallipoli

    The Allied landings were hampered because the naval guns on their old warships were designed to hit other vessels and weren't very effective against Turkish land targets.

    Ground artillery was also unreliable. Barrages let off before soldiers went over the trenches would often end early due to fears of inaccuracy. This gave the Turkish troops time to regroup and led to the slaughter of hundreds of Australian light horsemen at the Nek.

  18. Guns and silencepublished at 16:35 British Summer Time 24 April 2015

    Royal Navy

    tweets, external: #HMSBulwark fires a gun salute to begin and end a minute of silence to remember the fallen. #Gallipoli100

    HMS Bulwark at sea from Cape HellesImage source, Royal Navy
  19. Laying of wreathspublished at 16:33 British Summer Time 24 April 2015

    The Prince of Wales lays the first wreath at the Commonwealth Memorial Service followed by Turkey's President Erdogan to commemorate the Ottoman losses.

  20. Last Postpublished at 16:27 British Summer Time 24 April 2015

    Last Post is played at Cape Helles memorial service.