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| Anzac Cove 1915. Photo AWM |
Here is some rare footage of the Anzacs at Gallipoli, from the Australian War Memorial archive. Click here.
This footage is believed to have been shot by Mr. Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett, the English journalist who gave Australia its first description of the ANZAC troops at Gallipoli. His colourful and stirring accounts of Australian soldiers' bravery, particularly of their landing at ANZAC Cove, helped give rise to the legend of Anzac. Bartlett filmed live action in and around Anzac Cove from July to September 1915, and the resulting footage, screened in 1916 under the title With the Dardanelles Expedition : Heroes of Gallipoli, was an instant success with audiences in England and Australia. A print of this film was acquired by the Memorial in 1919. However the "new" footage shown here was not a part of the film as it currently stands. It was discovered as an unidentified film segment within a compilation of footage related to World War 1 , sold to the Memorial in 1938. The seller of the footage was unable to shed light on its origins.
We can only guess why the footage was removed from the Dardanelles film. Although it cannot be authenticated to an absolute certainty, the most probable origin of the footage is that Bartlett shot it, because he was the only person known to have operated a moving film camera at Gallipoli. However we can be grateful that by whatever means, this film was preserved to add to our precious sum of knowledge of this iconic campaign. Film accession number : AWM F08484 .
Jim Claven
Secretary
Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee
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