Grandchildren of Former Enemies in Gallipoli Unite in Grief

Thousands of people gathered on the Gallipoli peninsula, which, together with the town of Çanakkale borders the Dardanelle Straits, which connect the Aegean Sea to the Marmara Sea.

It was here, 94 years ago, that hundreds of thousands of soldiers lost their lives during the First World War.

Under British Command, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) attempted to take the Gallipoli peninsula from the Ottoman Empire.

The Allies lost 55,000, and the Ottomans lost 250,000 soldiers in the battles.

For Australians and New Zealanders, travelling to the annual commemorative ceremony in Turkey has become a kind of pilgrimage, and thousands visit every year.

New Zealand’s General Governor Anand Satyanand and Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith joined the ceremony, at which the Australian and New Zealand flags, as well as the flags of other allies, were lowered to half-mast.