ANZAC: The Greek Chapter - The Documentary - Background & Screening Information

The Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee is honoured to announce the completion of its latest project - the creation of a powerful new commemorative documentary telling the story of the Anzacs and the Greek campaign of 1941.

This campaign saw the return of the Anzacs to Greece following on from their arrival on Lemnos in 1915. The campaign also witnessed the re-formation of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps - ANZAC - the announcement referencing its earlier formation for the Gallipoli campaign.

“Greece – Burial Service.” Taken behind Allied lines, during the Greek campaign, April 1941. Alfred Huggins Collection, State Library of Victoria.

In April 1941 Hitler launched his invasion of Greece. In homes across Australia and New Zealand people feared for what lay ahead, with their loved ones part of the Allied force sent to defend Greece.

Now in this new 90 minute documentary tells the story of that valiant defence like never before. 

Drawing on over 130 hours of interviews, Anzac veterans share their previously untold stories of service in the Greece and Crete campaigns. They recount the bitter battles and sorrows endured and reveal how lasting bonds of love and respect formed between Anzacs and the Greeks.

Listen to their stories of the terrible battles they fought from Vevi to Pinios Gorge and the Vale of Tempe, from Servia to Thermopylae and Brallos Pass, from Corinth to Tolo and Kalamata - a desperate, fighting retreat across the length and breadth of the mainland as they made their way to the evacuation ports as they sought to continue the fight on Crete.

The veterans bring to the viewer their vivid recollections of what it was actually like - to be bombed as they sailed across the Aegean and to face the massive German airborne assault on Crete and the vicious fighting across the island - from Maleme and around Chania, from Galatas to 42nd Street, from Rethymno to Heraklion - that would end in the port of Sfakia. 

See the Anzacs who served there vividly recount their part in this fight against fascism from the Anzacs who served there. 

And hear them praise their Greek hosts who fought with them and helped them as they fell back. The Anzacs and their Greek hosts would never forget these brave days when this unique bond between these peoples was forged and has never been forgotten. In the words of one veteran, the Anzacs who served in Greece would always have a lot of time for the Greeks. 

“Kalamato [Kalamata], Greece, April 1941.” A gathering in Kalamata of locals and Allied soldiers. Sydney Grant Collection, State Library of Victoria.

 

"Two of the many Greek girls who fed us with bread and water standing at the entrance of an old church at Trachila [Trahila] Greece, 30 April 1941”. Sydney Grant Collection, State Library of Victoria.

Narrated by well-known Australian journalist Barrie Cassidy whose father served in the campaign, the documentary is a unique account of this campaign and of the Anzacs who served in it.

Brought to you by the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee, funding provided by the Saluting Their Service Commemorations Program, a grant provided through the Australian Government’s Department of Veterans’ Affairs, with additional financial and in-kind support provided by the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee.

ANZAC: The Greek Chapter is a fitting tribute to the Hellenic link in the Anzac story. Not to be missed.

Stills from ANZAC: The Greek Chapter. Supplied.

Launch

ANZAC: The Greek Chapter will be launched in Melbourne as part of the Greek Film Festival in October 2024 with additional screenings to be held in other states. It is hoped that the documentary will also be broadcast.

Free non-commercial community screenings will be held subsequent to the launch, details to follow. Those interested in hosting such a screening please see contact details below.

The Veterans

The documentary features the voices and images of many of the actual veterans who served in the Greek campaign. This rich oral history is at the heart of the documentary. Veterans like Mollie Edwards, Don Stephenson, Syd Grant and Alfred Huggins.

Mollie Edwards 

Greek Campaign veteran Mollie Edwards. Still from ANZAC: The Greek Chapter. Supplied.

Mollie served as a nurse with the 2/5th Australian General Hospital. A staunch patriot, she sailed from Sydney for Egypt in October 1940, aboard the mighty liner Queen Mary. When the Greek campaign got under way, 2/5th AGH was deployed to Ekali, then on the outskirts of Athens, and received the first Australian casualties from the Battle of Vevi, fought on the northern border of Greece from 12 April. The medical work was demanding; on a night shift, Mollie found herself responsible for the care of up to 50 wounded Diggers. Apart from the sheer physical effort required, the emotional toll was harrowing: Mollie recalled how ‘many is the time I held their hands while they died.’

Don Stephenson 

Greek Campaign veteran Don Stephenson. Still from ANZAC: The Greek Chapter. Supplied.

Don joined the 2/6th Battalion, 6th Division. Along with the Battalion, Don fought his way across Libya in the First Libyan campaign in January 1941. Deployed then to Greece, Stephenson went ashore at the port of Piraeus: In the chaos of the campaign, his battalion never got fully into action before the evacuation began. Marching back to the port of Kalamata, his platoon was strafed by a Messerschmitt Bf110 heavy fighter. Taken to Crete Don was deposited on the dock at Chania. Surviving the German airborne invasion, Stephenson walked across Crete to the evacuation port at Sfakia on the south coast, only to be left behind at the last minute. He would spend four years as a POW.

Syd Grant 

Greek Campaign veteran Syd Grant. Sydney Grant Collection, MS 15995, State Library of Victoria.

Syd joined the 2nd AIF in December 1939 and was soon designated a Private in the 2/8th Battalion. He was would see service in both the European and Pacific theatre, the former including the Greek campaign of April-May 1941. Arriving in Greece in March 1941 as part of the Allied force sent to support Greece as it faced the coming Axis invasion. He would go on to retreat across the Peloponnese and after failing to secure evacuation from Kalamata, successfully evaded capture and evacuated by Allied warships from the Mani village of Trahila. After a brief period on Crete, Syd and the remains of his unit were returned to Egypt. Syd was one of a number of Australian soldiers who recorded their war service in photographs.

 

Alfred Huggins

Greek Campaign veteran Alfred Huggins. Alfred Huggins Collection, State Library of Victoria.

Born near Boort in the Victorian Western District, Alfred had left the family farm prior to enlisting at Sydney into the 2/3rd Casualty Clearing Station. Like Syd he also decided to document his war as an amateur photography, and experience that would seem him establish himself as a professional photographer in post-war Melbourne. Alfred saw service in the Middle East, including the Greek campaign. His collections of images of the campaign include over 40 photographs (along with postcards from the time) of Greece, the vast majority of which offer unique images of Greece before and during the Greek campaign.

The Documentary Makers

This documentary is the result of many years work, both in Australia, New Zealand and Greece, bringing together archival and field research with original interviews and video footage of the ground on which the Anzacs walked and fought.

The Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee

Veterans Affairs Minister Matt Keogh (sixth from left) makes the announcement of the Greek campaign documentary funding announcement at the Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial, with Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee members and supporters. Photo Supplied Office of Peter Khalil MP, 2023. 

The production of the documentary was managed by Melbourne’s Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee with funding provided by the Committee and the Australian Government through the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Saluting Their Service Commemorations Program.

Founded over ten years ago, the not-for-profit Committee has completed a range of major projects in furtherance of its goal to commemorate and build awareness of the Hellenic link to Australia’s Anzac tradition across both world wars. It has created a number of commemorative memorials both in Australia and in Greece, including the Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial in Melbourne and the Australian Pier Memorial on Lemnos, Greece. It has organised conferences in Greece, held numerous commemorative presentations and published the definitive pictorial history of Lemnos and Gallipoli – Lemnos & Gallipoli Revealed - and supported Jim Claven’s Grecian Adventure on the Greek campaign of 1941.

“The Committee is proud to have supported this important commemorative initiative. It brings vividly to life the story of the young Anzacs who served alongside their Allies in the defence of Greece in 1941. We congratulate the makers on their achievement honouring the service of these young men and women.” Lee Tarlamis OAM MP

Lee Tarlamis OAM MP (second left) meeting with members of the ANZAC: The Greek Chapter documentary project team – Vicki Kyritsis (left), Jim Claven OAM (second right) and Dr Peter Ewer (right) – and Barrie Cassidy (centre) the narrator of the documentary. Victorian Parliament House, 18 June 2024. Photo Vicki Kyritsis.

John Irwin - Director, Producer & Editor

John is a documentary filmmaker of many years standing. Since 1989 John and his company, Wild Sweet Productions has been documenting firsthand accounts of Anzac and local Cretan participants and witnesses in the Battle of Crete and the Greek resistance movements. John has also conducted field research across Greece, from Lemnos and the WW2 battlefields of northern and central Greece to those of the Peloponnese and Crete. He is currently completing a ground-breaking documentary series “Out of Their Own Hands: Women of Crete and the German Occupation 1941-44”.

Peter Ewer – Director & Scriptwriter

Peter is a trained historian who is the author of many publications on various aspects of the Second World War. As part of his PHD studies Peter undertook extensive research into the story of the Anzacs who served in the Greek campaign, conducting extensive interviews with many of the veterans themselves. This research formed the basis for his ground breaking book on the campaign, Forgotten Anzacs.

Jim Claven OAM and Vicki Kyritsis

The work of John and Peter was assisted by Jim and Vicki as members of the project team. Jim is a trained historian who completed his degrees at Monash University. The author of Grecian Adventure and someone who has completed many commemorative projects, as Associate Producer Jim brought both his historical training and understanding of the campaign as well as his project management skills to the project. A communications professional and Melbourne Greek Community Board Member, Vicki undertook community liaison for the project, ensuring its relations with many in Australia’s Hellenic community.

Barrie Cassidy - Narrator

Barrie is one of Australia’s national treasures, a noted journalist, television interviewer and personality, whose voice will resonate with many viewers. Recently appointed Chair of the Museum of Australian Democracy in Canberra, Barry is the author of Private Bill, his memoir of his father’s war and especially his part in the battle of Crete.

Barrie Cassidy. Photo supplied.

Community Screenings Requests

ANZAC: The Greek Chapter is now available for free community screenings.

Those interested in organising a community non-commercial screening of the documentary should contact me via email - jimclaven@yahoo.com.au.

Jim Claven OAM

Secretary - Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee

Lemnos Nurse Daley-Sergeant Lawrence graves to be recognized in St Kilda Cemetery Tour - 28 April 2024

 LGCC members and supporters will be aware that Friends of St Kilda Library (FOSKL) will recognize the Daley/Lawrence graves in the forthcoming Anzac Day related tour which will take place on 28 April 2024. 

The tour is entitled - Remembering Our Fallen - and will recognize a number of Anzacs buried in the cemetery. The tour will be led by the FOSKL's Claire Barton. The tour will commence from the Dandenong Road Pavilion of the St Kilda Cemetery at 1.45pm for a 2pm start. Those attending are advised to wear appropriate footwear as surfaces can be uneven. A small attendance charge is required ($5 FOSKL members, $15 non-members), afternoon Tea included. Tour leaflet can be downloaded 

This recognition follows much lobbying by the LGCC of the Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust and FOSKL over many years. 

The Daley/Lawrence grave is particularly significant in that it is not only a dual Anzac grave - containing the remains of both Nurse Clarice Lawrence and Sergeant Ernest Lawrence - but it is the only grave to contain two Anzacs who were married on Lemnos during the Gallipoli campaign. Their story is of course recounted in our publication - Lemnos & Gallipoli Revealed.

The LGCC has raised the profile of the graves by our having held small commemorative gatherings, with Daley/Lawrence descendants, at the graves following the annual Albert Jacka service held there (pictured above). To read a report on a previous gathering click here.

Members of the Daly/Lawrence family will be attending the gathering and tour. 

All welcome.

Those wishing to attend should contact 0448 740 195 or email GKP@NETSPACE.NET.AU

Jim Claven OAM, LGCC Secretary

Anzac Lemnos 1915 Documentary and Through These Lines Playscript Release Announced

New Anzac Lemnos 1915 Documentary

"Anzac. Lemnos. 1915." is a new one hour documentary film recounting the “the little known role of Lemnos, the unsung hero in the shadow of Gallipoli", combining rare visual archives and gripping personal accounts. The film seeks to bring to life what that chapter in Australia’s wartime history was like.

Information from the fundraising Documentary Australia website states that Mr Pria Viswalingam is the Director and Ms Liz Kaydos is the Producer of the documentary. It provides the following synopsis for the film:

“The extraordinary story of a Greek island in the Aegean and its pivotal role in the Gallipoli Campaign of 1915. With rare visual archive and compelling personal accounts, this unique documentary explores a little known setting during Australia’s first war that was crucial in the shaping of our modern identity with themes that reach through the decades and stir the national interest. These include: the critical role of Lemnos in the Gallipoli Campaign; Women in Conflict Contexts (in National School Curriculum); Pioneering medicine in war zones; and, The foundation of Greek-Australian relations. Few people are aware that Lemnos served as the base for the Allied campaign against the Ottoman Empire. The island became the M*A*S*H for the Gallipoli campaign where medical procedures were pioneered in make-shift conditions under challenging environmental extremes.”

Below is a review of the documentary from The Age (Melbourne):

The documentary is being presented by the Lemnian Association of NSW, in partnership with the Consulate General of Greece in Sydney, and will be screened first at the club’s premises in Belmore on Tuesday 23 April (6.30pm for a 7pm start) before airing on SBS on Anzac Day.

To book for the Belmore screening click here.

Watch on SBS FREE-to-air and On Demand on Anzac Day, 25 April 7:30pm.

Through These Lines Playscript Release

A new edition of Cheryl Ward’s play script for Through These Lines, an original 5 act play based on the letters and diaries of Australian army nurses in WWI.

Follow Sister Florence Whiting on her four-year journey, from departure on the troopship Kyarra to tours of duty in Egypt, Lemnos and France. Flo and her fellow nursing sisters are outnumbered and out of their element, their skill dismissed by senior officers. Against a backdrop of lantern-lit wards, bright Mediterranean skies and crowded, muddy fields, we see Flo fight to find her place.

As the promotional material states, the book is “based on meticulous research, Through These Lines is an honest account of women in war. There is humour, anger, hope, sadness and frustration. But most of all there is courage – Flo sees her task through to the end.”

 “Out of the ordinary” – ydney Morning Herald; “Grabs the audience’s attention and emotions right ‘til the very end” – The Blurb; “Sad. Affecting. And very worthwhile” –Crikey

For more information, click here.

Jim Claven OAM, LGCC Secretary

Lemnos & Gallipoli Revealed Book and more - New Bookshop Outlets Announced

Our impressive Lemnos & Gallipoli Revealed Book is now available for purchase at a range of new outlets. Details of how to contact and order a copy are set out below.

Lemnos & Gallipoli Revealed tells the story of the role of Lemnos in the Gallipoli campaign, through the words and photographs of the Anzacs, who served there. Read about the meeting of Greeks and Australians in this northern Aegean Island. All explained in this 350 page larger format hardback book features lavish reproductions of over 300 photographs. Published by the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee.

More information: https://lemnosgallipolicc.blogspot.com/2019/08/lemnos-gallipoli-revealed-pictorial.html

Melbourne

Greek Community of Melbourne and Victoria - Greek Centre Bookshop -  Contact Details: Level 3, 168 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne; Email: bookshop@greekcommunity.com.au. Website link (for ordering): https://bookshop.greekcommunity.com.au/product/lemnos-gallipoli-revealed-a-pictorial-history-of-anzacs-in-the-aegean-1915-16/. This bookshop also stocks Grecian Adventure.

Royal Historical Society of Victoria Bookshop - Contact Details: 239 A'Beckett Street, Melbourne Victoria, 3000; Phone: 03 93269288; Email: office@historyvictoria.org.au; Website link (for ordering): https://www.historyvictoria.org.au/product/lemnos-and-gallipoli-revealed-a-pictorial-history-of-the-anzac-in-the-aegean-1915-16-by-jim-claven//

Readings Bookshop - Carlton - Contact Details: 309 Lygon Street, Carlton, Victoria, 3053; Phone 9347 633; Email: customerservice@readings.com.au; Website link (for ordering): https://www.readings.com.au/product/9780646996615/lemnos-gallipoli-revealed-a-pictorial-history-of-the-anzacs-in-the-aegean-1915-16--jim-claven-editor-appendix-by-lee-tarlamis-foreword--9780646996615. This bookshop also stocks Grecian Adventure.

Sydney

Greek Bilingual Bookshop - Contact Details: 180 Unwins Bridge Road St Peters NSW 2044; Mobile 0400436079; Website link (for ordering): https://bilingualbookshop.com.au/reference/. This bookshop also stocks Grecian Adventure.

Canberra

Australian War Memorial Bookstore - Contact Details: 20 Treloar Crescent, Campbell ACT 2612; Phone: +61 (02) 6243 4555; Email: memorial.shop@awm.gov.au.

Australia-wide/Overseas Orders

The Book Grocer - Contact Details: 5/101 Keilor Park Drive, Tullamarine, Vic 3043; Phone: 03 9310 3938; Email: hello@bookgrocer.com; Website: https://bookgrocer.com/.

More Books Available

While there you might like to ask the bookshop about obtaining a copy of the other books we are promoting:

Grecian Adventure –takes the reader on a journey across Greece in April and May 1941, following the Anzac trail throughout the Greek campaign, from the battlefields of the mainland and across to Crete. This 334 page paperback tells the story through the individual stories and photographs of some of the Australian soldiers who served there and nearly 100 never before published original photographs. Published by the Pammessinian Brotherhood Papaflessas. 

More information: https://lemnosgallipolicc.blogspot.com/2022/05/new-book-jim-clavens-grecian-adventure.html

From Imbros Over The Sea is a unique re-telling of the story of the northern Aegean Island of Imbros and Gallipoli, drawing on many archival collections in Australia and overseas for its reproduction of photographs and artworks. It is the first time that so many of these images have been published together, accompanied by the author’s historical commentary, in a single, accessible volume. This 132 page paperback is illustrated with 80 photographs and 3 original maps. Published by the Imvrians’ Society of Melbourne.

More information: https://lemnosgallipolicc.blogspot.com/2023/09/imbros-gallipoli-revealed-new-book.html

To order please contact georgexinos@gmail.com or scan the QR code to order online.

Jim Claven OAM, Author Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee Secretary

Imbros & Gallipoli Revealed Book - Order Now

The new book - From Imbros Over The Sea - Imbros & Gallipoli Revealed - can now be ordered directly online.

The book is available to order from the Imvrian Society of Melbourne. The book is priced at $35 plus postage. Please Note - The book will be shipped or available for pick up in November 2023.

The book can be order via the following weblink - From Imbros Over The Sea - Imbros & Gallipoli Revealed Book - Order

Alternatively the book can be ordered directly by scanning the following QR code:

Imbros & Gallipoli Revealed - The Book

Imbros played a major role in the Gallipoli campaign of 1915-16. The safest base close to the Peninsula, Imbros and its harbours would host hundreds of ships and thousands of Allied soldiers and sailors throughout the nearly twelve months of the campaign, including many Australians. It would be transformed by the infrastructure needed for a major military and naval base. these new arrivals would spread across the Island beyond their main camps at Kephalos Bay, viewing the mountains and valleys of Imbros, crossing its farmlands rich in produce, visiting its towns and villages an meeting its people.

This book and its accompanying Imbros & Gallipoli Revealed Exhibition brings to life the story of the life the story of the link between Imbros and Gallipoli for the first time, from records and photographs held in archives across the world.

The book comprises some 132 pages telling the Imbros-Gallipoli story in detail, includes a detailed timeline listing key events concerning Imbros connection to Gallipoli, references for further reading and is illustrated with 80 photographs and 3 original maps from the Exhibition.

For more information on the book and its associated exhibition go to the following link - From Imbros Over The Sea - Imbros & Gallipoli Revealed Book - Information

Jim Claven

Author & Secretary Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee

Annual Armistice of Mudros Commemoration at Melbourne’s Shrine – All Welcome

All are welcome to join with the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee in commemoration of the Armistice of Mudros. The annual service will be held in the Sanctuary of Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance, commencing at 11.45am on Tuesday 31 October.

Those wishing to attend may join with members of the Committee who will gather at 11.15am at the Lemnos Tree near the Shrine forecourt before proceeding to the Shrine Sanctuary.

This commemorative service marks the 105th anniversary of the coming into effect of the Armistice of Mudros at noon on the 31st October 1918. The Armistice was signed the previous day by representatives of the Entente Powers, represented by the British Admiral Arthur Calthorpe, and those of the Ottoman Empire.

The negotiations and signing ceremony took place aboard the Royal Navy warship HMS Agamemnon anchored in Mudros Bay in the northern Aegean Island of Lemnos (pictured above). HMS Agamemnon had played a major role as part of the Naval forces in the Gallipoli campaign and the Island of Lemnos as the advance base throughout the campaign.

Now both Lemnos and HMS Agamemnon played host to the signing of the Armistice which brought to an end the First World War across the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. For tens of thousands of Australian soldiers across the region, the First World War was now at an end.

In many respects the war that for Australia had begun as the troops departed Lemnos’ Mudros Bay for Gallipoli was now formally ended in the same waters.

Following the proposal by the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee and its support by the Shrine Governors, in 2019 the Committee dedicated the Memorial Tree B37 in the Shrine gardens (pictured above and below) and unveiled the above plaque in recognition of all Australian service personnel who served on the Lemnos during the Gallipoli campaign of 1915-16. This is now a permanent commemorative memorial to the role of Lemnos at Melbourne’s iconic Shrine of Remembrance. The Committee thanks the Shrine Governors for their support for this initiative.

Those wishing to lay a wreath or seeking more information on the service should contact Jim Claven via email – jimclaven@yahoo.com.au

Lemnos & Gallipoli Revealed Book Donation

The Committee encourages all seeking to lay a wreath to consider purchasing and laying a copy of our commemorative book - Lemnos & Gallipoli Revealed - for the price of $50. This book can then be gifted to an institution of your own choice (such as a school, university, public library, RSL club etc). 

To do so please contact our President - Lee Tarlamis OAM MP - via email (lee.tarlamis@hotmail.com). You can deposit $50 into our Committee account (Account Name: Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee Inc; Bank: Bendigo Bank; Account No: 188010037; BSB No: 633000) and insert your name and "LGR Book" into the deposit name.

Jim Claven, Secretary Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee

Imbros & Gallipoli Revealed - New Book Released - Order Now

 

Jim Claven’s new book – From Imbros Over The Sea - the Imbros & Gallipoli Exhibition Guide. Photo Kostas Deves 2023.

“Imbros, that queen of the isles, sleeps like a goddess wrapt about in a garment of violet and silver …” Imbros, 3 May 1915, Captain John Gillam, Royal Army Service Corps. 

Recently our Secretary – the historian Jim Claven – curated a new pictorial and historical display telling the story of the role of the northern Aegean Island of Imbros (modern day Gokzeada) in the Gallipoli campaign of 1915-16.

This Imbros & Gallipoli Revealed Exhibition was launched in June 2023 by the Imvrians’ Society of Melbourne at the Parkdale Greek Orthodox Church, with our President Mr Lee Tarlamis OAM MP officiating representing the Minister for Veterans, the Victorian Government and the Victorian Veterans Council.

To complement this project Jim Claven has written a new book –From Imbros Over the Sea - Imbros & Gallipoli Revealed – A Pictorial & Historical Overview and An Exhibition Guide.

It is now available for order (details below).

A Unique Offering

The book is unique, possibly the first book dedicated to telling the story of Imbros and Gallipoli in any detail. He covers the long history of Imbros and its people, the coming of the Gallipoli campaign and its major impact on the Island.  He tells the story in both words and pictures, drawing on many archival collections in Australia and overseas. It publishes many of these images – photographs and artworks – for the first time. It is certainly the first time that so many of these – along with Mr Claven’s own photographs of Imbros – have been published together, accompanied by Jim’s historical commentary, in a single, accessible volume.

The book comprises some 132 pages telling the Imbros-Gallipoli story in detail, includes a detailed timeline listing key events concerning Imbros connection to Gallipoli, references for further reading and is illustrated with 80 photographs and 3 original maps from the Exhibition.

“This is a story that needed to be told. As we delve into the archives of the Gallipoli campaign, the story of Imbros – like that of Lemnos and Tenedos – emerges from the records. My small contribution to the re-telling of this story will hopefully stimulate a new conversation and other researchers on their own journey of discovery to tell Imbros’ Gallipoli story in all its aspects”, Mr Claven said.

The book takes its title from a famous war poem Stand with me, Achilles, written by Patrick Shaw-Stewart, an officer with the British Royal Naval Division, as he rested on Imbros during the campaign.

Imbros from myth to Gallipoli

The book outlines Imbros place in Greek myth and history and then proceeds to explain the various aspects of why and how Imbros came to be involved in the campaign – from the arrival of the first Allied ships off Imbros to the evacuation of the Peninsula and the end of the campaign.

Boats in Kephalos Bay, Imbros 1915-16. AWM Collection.

Imbros Transformed– The Forward Base for the Campaign

It sets out how Imbros was transformed into the forward military and naval base for the campaign, with the erection of new piers and navigational aids, with anti-submarine nets to protect the hundreds of Allied ships that would come and go from its harbour at Kephalos Bay. It also tells the story of the great storm that hit Kephalos Bay and its Allied shipping in November.

The Allied base on Imbros, August 1915. AWM Collection.

It explains the establishment of the various army camps and supply depots, medical facilities and road ways. These included the Allied Bakeries established on Imbros to supply the army with fresh bread, vital sustenance to the diet and morale of the troops.  The Army camps would fill with troops returning from the Peninsula for rest and again at the end of the campaign. It also discusses the establishment of the war cemeteries on Imbros and some of the burials there, including Australians.

The Australian Field Bakery on Imbros. 1915. Courtesy AWM.

The shores of Kephalos Bay were home to the Allied Headquarters of the campaign – as well as the home for its war correspondents. The former would be guarded by troops on rotation from the Peninsula, including soldiers from two Australian battalions. It was at the latter that the Australian war correspondent Charles Bean compiled The Anzac Book, a volume of writings and drawings by Australians soldiers at the front that would become a best-seller across Australia.

Aircraft at Kephalos on Imbros, 1915-16. Pollard Collection/Cross & Cockade Archive.

It explains Imbros’ role as an Allied airbase, with seaplanes, aircraft and balloons as well as a helium-filled airship. The world’s first purpose built aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal would be anchored in Kephalos Bay for many months, its seaplanes departing and returning from their missions in support of the troops on the Peninsula.

The airship and its hangar on Imbros, with a local villager in the foreground. Imbros, 1915. Watercolour by Horace Moore-Jones. AWM Collection.

Inspiring Imbros

Imbros would inspire some Allied soldiers and sailor to write poetry or make artworks. On the 13^th July, while staying on Imbros, Patrick Shaw-Stewart would one of the most famous poems of the war, Achilles in the Trench, the poem ending with the soldier returning to Gallipoli “From Imbros over the sea”. Charles Bean and his Australian correspondent’s team would assemble the famous and best-selling Anzac Book while staying at “Villa Pericles” at Kephalos. Others drew and painted scenes of the island, including the New Zealand soldier-artist Horace Moore-Jones who depicted the various Allied camps and aircraft within the natural environment of Imbros – as well as watercolours of villages and churches. Both Australian Sapper Alec Holland of the Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train and Charles Bean would produce artworks depicting Imbros from the sea during their Gallipoli service.

Priest from Panagia on Imbros visiting the Allied base at Kephalos, 1915-16. Pollard Collection/Cross & Cockade Archive.

Discovering Imbros and its People

“Here I am, living in a Greek village, speaking the language of Demosthenes to the inhabitants.” Imbros, June-July 1915, Patrick Shaw-Stewart, Royal Naval Division

The book also tells the story of the how the campaign impacted on the local population, as they interacted with their new soldier-visitors, in the harbour and on its shores or as they  traversed the Island’s hinterland, visiting its villages and towns, experiencing its environment and history. Imbros and Gallipoli is also the story of the meeting of two peoples – the overwhelmingly Hellenic population of the Island and the soldiers, sailors and airmen of many lands – from Australia, New Zealand and Britain – during often brief periods of respite from the terrible fighting on the Peninsula.

Some would be invited to take part in local village celebrations, in an intimate encounter with Imbros’ population. They would write of hearing the songs, seeing the dances and enjoying the food and beverages – and hospitality of the island. They would rest atop Castro, gazing across at Samothrace, musing on Homer and the ancient history of the land on which they walked, before taking a refreshing swim in its waters.

Importantly this tells the story of Imbros from another light – from the view of the young men who came there from far away, who captured its life in their own words, photographs and artworks, leaving behind legacy for all, including the descendents of both the Imbrians and the veterans who served there.

Australian soldiers playing a game with Greek children in the courtyard of a stone house on Imbros. January 1916. AWM Collection.

Along with the many photographs reproduced in the book, this story is complemented by the creation of maps, detailing the location of Imbros in the Northern Aegean, its main villages and contours as well as the various Allied establishments on the Island (see below). 

A Story in Pictures – Unique and Printed Together for the First Time

The book is lavishly illustrated with 80 photographs, drawn from the Exhibition, some of which are reproduced here. These include photographs of Imbros during the campaign reproduced with permission from the Australian War Memorial as well as those from the collection of the First World War Aviation Society in the UK. The vast majority of these images have never before been published and certainly not in a volume dedicated to telling the story of Imbros and Gallipoli. To the many archival photographs are added a number from the author’s private collection, depicting Imbros and its Gallipoli campaign- connected locations today.

Australians at Kephalos, 1915-16. Pollard Collection/Cross & Cockade Archive.

Approaching the entrance to Kephalos Bay. The great barrier of the Tusla Peninsula can be seen at left, with Cape Kephalos at the end. 2015. Photo Jim Claven.

Kephalos Bay, with the Tusla Peninsula in the distance. 2015. Photo Jim Claven.

The Author

Jim Claven is a trained historian who has both BA and MA degrees from Melbourne’s Monash University. His is freelance writer and published author, including Lemnos & Gallipoli Revealed (2019) and Grecian Adventure (2021) as well as numerous historical articles in a range of journals and newspapers. Secretary of the Melbourne-based Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee he has worked on the creation of the Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial in Albert Park, the Australian Pier Memorial on Lemnos and the Lemnos & Gallipoli Revealed photographic exhibition, to name only a few of his many commemorative projects. Amongst his other interests, he has been researching the Hellenic link to Anzac for over a decade, both in Australia and overseas.

Historian Jim Claven on Imbros. 2015. Photo Jim Claven.

Order Now

The book is now available and copies will be shipped to purchasers in November. The book will sell for $35 each plus postage. You can order your copy by clicking on the following link - Imbros & Gallipoli Revealed Book Order Form

You can also contact either George Xinos at georgexinos@gmail.com.au or Jim Claven at jimclaven@yahoo.com.au.

Jim Claven, Secretary Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee & Imbros & Gallipoli Revealed Exhibition Curator and Author