Lemnos Gallipoli Exhibition Display Panels - Announcement

 

Australian arrive on Lemnos, August 1915. A Savage Collection, SLNSW

The Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee announces the production of its latest initiative - the Lemnos Gallipoli Exhibition Display. This initiative has been supported by the Victorian Government and the Victorian Veterans Council through the Victoria Remembers Grants Program 2021/22. 

Following on the success of our initial photographic display, the Committee has been working to updated its visual promotion of Lemnos and its role in Gallipoli and Australia's Anzac Story. Since our initial display we have erected our Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial in Albert Park, the Australian Pier Memorial on Lemnos and published Jim Claven's Lemnos & Gallipoli Revealed: A Pictorial History of the Anzacs in the Aegean 1915-15 in 2019 (cover below).

Our new Exhibition Display has been researched and created by our Secretary, the historian Jim Claven, who has been researching the Hellenic link to Australia's Anzacs story across both world wars for over ten years. This comprehensive research is reflected in his Lemnos & Gallipoli Revealed book.

Now we have been able to enlist Jim to create an amazing visual depiction of Lemnos' Anzac story, told through many of the archival photographs identified by Jim for his book, added to by his own images of Lemnos' Anzac-related sites taken during his many field research trips to Lemnos, and all placed in context by his historical essays on each key theme of the Lemnos role.

The Lemnos Gallipoli Exhibition - Content

In recounting Lemnos' story, Jim has drawn from the archive of thousands of photographs taken by the Anzac and others themselves during the campaign, the many writings of those who were there (whether in letters home, in personal diaries and memoirs or in the official accounts from the time (whether unit war diaries or the many volumes of official history). 

The artwork for the large format panels are AO size (approximately 84cm x 118cm).

Each of the following key themes and their associated panels are explained below:

Lemnos & Gallipoli Revealed - An Introduction & Welcome (1 panel) - This panel explains and illustrates the whole exhibition, the Lemnos Australian archive, the Anzac photographers and the significance of the exhibition. Photo above of sunset on Lemnos, Jim Claven, 2015.

Before the Landings (2 panels) - These panels explain and illustrate the pre-Gallipoli history of Lemnos, the story of the first Australians who came their in 1915, the erection of the Australian Pier, the arrival of the Allied Armada, the troops preparing for the landings (photo from CA Masters Collection, SLV), those who fell ill and those died on Lemnos prior to the landings, the Australian Submarine (the AE2) and its presence at Lemnos prior to the landings and the departure of the troops to Gallipoli.

The Shield of Achilles - The Hellenes of Gallipoli (1 panel) - This panel explains and illustrates the Hellenes who served as Anzacs during the Gallipoli campaign (including Private Peter Rados from Asia Minor and Sapper Basil Passa from the village of Kontopouli on Lemnos), those who volunteered to serve with the French Foreign Legion during the campaign (including those from Crete and those from Asia Minor - see photo above, Unknown Collection, SLV), the Hellenic civilians who assisted the campaign and the Hellenes who helped the Allies establish the war cemeteries on the Gallipoli Peninsula after the war.

Lemnos Transformed (1 panel) - This panel explains and illustrates how Lemnos was transformed into the advance base of the Gallipoli campaign, with Mudros Bay emerging as a major shipping hub, the erection of key infrastructure (i.e. piers, jetties, roads, railways, the water condensing plant (photo above, Nurse Evelyn Hutt Collection, SLV), engineering depots and telegraphic signaling equipment) to supply those based their or on the Peninsula as well as to aid communication and transport across the Bay and the Island.

Lemnos' Medical Base Expands (3 panels) - These panels explain and illustrate the mounting medical emergency that confronted the Allies at Gallipoli, leading to the establishment of Lemnos as one of the major medical bases for the whole campaign, expanding from the first medical facilities established there before the Anzac landing to the great assembly of medical facilities established across the Turks Head Peninsula and surrounds (including the Australian 3rd Australian General Hospital and 2nd Australian Stationary Hospital as well as many other British and Canadian military medical facilities), bringing the Australian nurses to Lemnos (along with Canadian and British nurses, see photo of Australian nurses coming ashore on Lemnos in August 1915, A Savage Collection, SLNSW), they explain how the initial chaos and poor conditions was replaced by an efficient medical services that would demonstrate its efficiency and success in its low mortality rate, earning the praises of those they cared for and those medical administrators who reviewed their operations.

Return to Lemnos (2 panels) - These panels explain and illustrate the establishment and operation of the large rest camps near the village of Sarpi (modern day Kalithea) on Lemnos (photo of Sarpi Rest Camp in November 1915, H Harris Collection, SLNSW), their connection to Australia's Colonel John Monash, the exhausted condition of the troops who came there from the fighting on the Peninsula, their activities there and those who fell ill and those who died before they could return to the front. They also tell of the tragedy of the troopship Southland.

The Anzacs Discover Lemnos (3 panels) - These panels explain and illustrate how the Anzacs (and other Allied soldiers) came to meet the local Lemnians and began to explore and experience the Island and its life and culture (photo above Nurse Evelyn Hutt Collection, SLV), from their first impressions at Mudros Bay, as they walked the streets of Mudros Town and the villages of West Mudros, then rode their hired donkeys to far away Castro (modern day Myrina) and the baths at Therma, giving them an appreciation of Lemnos and its life which is reflected in their poignant photographs and in their writings. 

Evacuation and Departure (3 panels) - These panels explain and illustrate how the Anzacs and other Allied troops returned to Lemnos following the evacuation of the Gallipoli Peninsula (photo above A Savage Collection, SLNSW), their experience of the rest camps, their recreational activities and their Christmas and New Years celebrations, those who fell ill and those who died, and the final departures of the Anzacs from Lemnos between December 1915 and January 1916.

Those Who Remain (2 panels) - These panels explain and illustrate the establishment of the war cemeteries on Lemnos (photo above of Portianou, Jim Claven 2018), their constructions, how burials were conducted,  the communications between the bereaved and the authorities (including as to the epitaphs to be etched on their loved ones grave) and some of the stories of those who are buried there, their remains a direct legacy of Lemnos' connection to Australia that stretches across the generations.

After Gallipoli (2 panels) - These panels explain and illustrate the story of Lemnos and the First World War after Gallipoli, the story of those veterans who made the long journey's of return over the decades to visit the graves of their comrades and the Island they walked on in their youth, of how Lemnos would be remembered in Australia (with the naming of homes and townships, even a football team). They also tell the story of the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee and many of our initiatives, including the Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial in Albert Park (photo above, Anthony Leong, 2015) and Australian Pier Memorial on Lemnos.

The Panels have been designed such that they can be displayed as a whole in a major exhibition of 20 panels or they can be displayed selectively, based on the themes that most interest a particular audience (i.e. such as the medical story etc.).

View A Sample Lemnos Gallipoli Exhibition Panel

The weblink below will show you what these amazing and beautifully created panels look like by allowing you to view the 3 Evacuation & Departure Panels. This is just a taste of what the other 17 panels reveal:

Lemnos Gallipoli Exhibition - Sample Panels - Evacuation & Departure - May 2023 

Promoting the Story of Lemnos & Gallipoli

The Lemnos Gallipoli Exhibition will be launched by the Committee in coming months with a physical display at a venue to be confirmed.

The Exhibition is also available to like-minded not-for-profit community and educational organizations. We welcome proposals from across Australia and overseas, including Greece. 

Note that unfortunately we are unable to provide the Exhibition to commercial organizations at this stage, due to the copyright restrictions or requirements of many of the items that are depicted in the display panels.

 Upon request the artwork for each panel can be made available for printing by the recipient organization. Quotes for the printing of the panels can be made available on request to those organizations seeking to display the Exhibition panels.

The Committee is keen to encourage schools and other organizations interested in promoting awareness of the role of Lemnos in the Gallipoli campaign and Australia's Anzac story amongst their membership and/or the general public.

Contact Us - Help us tell the Lemnos Gallipoli story

If your organization is interested in obtaining the Lemnos Gallipoli Exhibition panels (in part or as a whole), please contact us to discuss your proposal by emailing jimclaven@yahoo.com.au.

Our Committee will then consider your proposal and its alignment with the objectives of the Exhibition to promote awareness of the role of Lemnos in the Gallipoli campaign.

Acknowledgement

The Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government and the Victorian Veterans Council for this project, under the Victoria Remembers Grant Program 2021/22. It also acknowledges the significant in-kind contribution of the creator of the Lemnos Gallipoli Exhibition Display Panels, Jim Claven, to this project.

Lee Tarlamis - OAM MP, President LGCC

31 May 2023 

Australian Governor-General & Hellenic President Inaugurate the Lemnos Remembrance Trail on Lemnos

 

Their Excellencies the Australian Governor-General & the Hellenic President inaugurate the Lemnos Remembrance Trail at the Australian Pier Memorial on Lemnos. Photo Katerina Fikari 2023

Today on northern Aegean Island of Lemnos, beside the great bay of Mudros at the site of the Australian Pier north of Mudros, the ground-breaking ceremony for the impressive Lemnos Remembrance Trail took place. The role of Melbourne’s Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee (LGCC) in instigating the concept of the commemorative trail on Lemnos was formally acknowledged during the event.

The ceremony was undertaken by their Excellencies the Australian Governor-General, David Hurley, and the Hellenic President, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, along with the Australian Ambassador to Greece, Arthur Spyrou, as well as the Hellenic Deputy Defence Minister, the authorities on Lemnos (such as the Prefects and Sub-Prefects of the Northern Aegean and the Mayor of Lemnos), representatives of the Hellenic Armed Forces and other dignitaries. This is the first time that an Australian Governor-General has visited Lemnos.

The Australian Governor-General lays a wreath at the Stone of Remembrance at the East Mudros Military Cemetery, 3 May 2023. Photo Katerina Fikari 2023

The Lemnos Remembrance Trail event followed the annual commemoration of the Gallipoli campaign held at East Mudros Military Cemetery. The Australian Governor-General's address at the service can be read by clicking here. Master of Ceremonies for the service was Greek-Australian Helen Roufos of the Hellenic Red Cross and a supporter of the work of our Committee.

Both the Australian Governor-General and Hellenic President spoke as well as the Prefect of the Northern Aegean, Mr Constantinos Moutzouris and the Mayor of Lemnos, Dimitrios Marinakis. The Mayor referred to the connections between the Anzacs and local Lemnians, of their interaction and hospitality, creating a friendship that endures to thise day. He stated that "Lemnos is the place that welcomed and hosted the Anzacs, the place where hope was reborn after the drama of war, the land where their dead were laid to rest."

The assembly then moved to the nearby Australian Pier Memorial, located north of Mudros town, for the ground-breaking ceremony and the inauguration of the Lemnos Remembrance Trail. Sydney's Liz Kaydos was master of ceremonies for this event.

Throughout the various speeches mention was made of the role of Lemnos as the advance base of the Gallipoli campaign - of the thousands of soldiers who came to Lemnos for before the landings at Gallipoli and afterwards for rest and recuperation, of the medical services established there (the Australian medical services treating some 100,000 wounded and sick soldiers) and of those who remain on the Island in its military cemeteries.

Specific mention was also made of the experience of Matron Grace Wilson of the 3rd Australian General Hospital and the challenges faced by her and the other nurses and medical staff in treating their patients as well as Private Peter Rados, the digger from Asia Minor, the only Hellenic Anzac to come to Lemnos who was killed at Gallipoli. To read more about Peter Rados click here.

The Hellenic Deputy Defence Minister, Nikolaos Chardialias, delivered a moving speech to those assembled for the occasion, talking of Private Rados and the awareness of many of the young soldiers who fought at Gallipoli of the words of Homer, of Troy and the Iliad. He quoted the famous words from Gallipoli veteran Patrick Shaw-Stewart, in his poem "Achilles in the Trench", written as he rested on Imbros before returning to Gallipoli. 

Australian Pier Memorial, April 2018. Photo Jim Claven 2018

The ground-breaking service took place appropriately at the Australian Pier Memorial. This Memorial was established by the LGCC in April 2018, with the support of the Victorian Government and the local Lemnian authorities. 

It was near this spot that the first Australian troops came ashore on Lemnos in March 1915, and it was some of these Australian engineers and soldiers who erected the pier, enabling the landing of medical equipment for the 1st Australian Stationary Hospital, the first Australian medical facility to be established on the island. The pier was the first piece of infrastructure erected on Lemnos during the campaign and one that remain to be used by the local community to this day. You can read more about my discovery of the Australian Pier and its role in the Gallipoli campaign by clicking here. 

Our Committee also plans to install two more commemorative plaques on Lemnos in coming months – honouring the role of the Royal Australian Navy at Lemnos and the service of Lemnian Anzac Sapper Basil Demetri Passa of the .village of Kontopouli on Lemnos.

The Australian Pier Memorial (plaque detail), Mudros Lemnos. Photo Jim Claven 2018

It was comforting to hear the words of Thucydides, the great Grek historian of the Peloponnesian War, uttered during the ceremony. It was these same words that I selected for inclusion on many of the commemorative plaques which I have worked on for installation in Greece and Australia. They are powerful words (reproduced below), evoking the importance of remembrance for the cost of war. How appropriate for the inauguration of the Lemnos Remembrance Trail.

“Their glory lies not in the earth but in the hearts of men”

 «Η δόξα τους κείται όχι στη γη αλλά στις καρδιές των ανθρώπων»

(After Thucydides – Θουκυδίδης, 460-395 BC/πΧ)

The proposal for a trail on Lemnos was made by our Committee with the inauguration of the Australian Pier Memorial in 2018. You can read this announcement by clicking here. This proposal was later taken up and expanded by the Australian Government as the Lemnos Remembrance Trail. It was my pleasure to have been engaged as the historical consultant in the development of the Lemnos Remembrance Trail concept. Our Committee thanks the Australian Governor-General for his acknowledgment of our work along with the Prefecture of the Northern Aegean in instigating the project.

In inaugurating the Trail the Australian Governor-General said:

"The Lemnos Remembrance Trail, in its dual role as a memorial and as a means of education for younger generations and visitors to Lemnos will be a place to reflect on the service and losses that were experienced during the Gallipoli Campaign and to better comprehend the deeds of our forefathers. It will also serve as a bridge to understanding and appreciating the service of our modern veterans and men and women in uniform."

The Mayor of Lemnos spoke of the new Lemnos Remembrance Trail as an "open museum ... that will bring to life" the history of the Anzacs of Lemnos and offer every visitor a unique experience using state of the art technology."

The Australian Government commitment is recognition of all the work done by many individuals and community organizations (like our own Committee) who volunteered their time and energy over many years to putting Lemnos and Anzac on the map.

Speaking from Melbourne, Mr Lee Tarlamis, President of the LGCC, congratulated the Australian and Hellenic governments for taking up the challenge to creat the Lemnos Remembrance Trail, as well as the local authorities on Lemnos (especially the Mayor of Lemnos and the Northern Aegean Regional Government) and all who will work to make it a reality.

“We look forward to its completion in April 2024. It will a great addition to the existing commemorative infrastructure on the Island and will finally give Lemnos and its role in Gallipoli the recognition it deserves. It will be a great boon to commemorative tourism on Lemnos and Greece, as well as to building awareness of Lemnos role in Australia's Gallipoli story. It will ensure that the connections between Australia and Greece through Lemnos and Gallipoli will be better appreciated into the future”, he said.

Mr Tarlamis also thanked both the Mayor of Lemnos and the Northern Aegean Regional Government for their support over many years for our various commemorative initiatives on the Island. Without that support and encouragement our important work in support of Lemnos and its Anzac heritage could not have been undertaken.

A video of the whole service from Lemnos100FM can be viewed by clicking here.

The transcript of the inauguration speech by the Australian Governor-General can be viewed by clicking here and is reproduced below.

The Committee thanks Katerina Fikari for her assistance with this report.

Jim Claven, Historian and LGCC Secretary

Ground-breaking Ceremony for the Lemnos Remembrance Trail, Lemnos

3 May 2023

[E&OE]

Your Excellency, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

Again, it is very important for Linda and me to be here today to participate in this additional event in Lemnos and in Greece that will further enhance the close ties between our two countries.

The Lemnos Remembrance Trail will be a lasting memorial in honour of the service of the 50,000 Anzacs who passed through Lemnos during the Gallipoli Campaign.

I want in particular to acknowledge the families of the Australian doctors, nurses and servicemen who served here — at the Australian Pier — during the First World War.

We remember them. We honour them. And we acknowledge the commitment of the Lemnian people each year to preserving their memory and ensuring future generations can learn about their sacrifice for our nation.

The Trail, when completed, will be an international site of historical significance and connect modern Lemnos to Australia. It commemorates the past and speaks to our present and future.

The story of the Anzacs and Lemnos is well known but perhaps not as well as it should be. Lemnos was the final departure point for the Australian landings at Gallipoli.

Standing here today — thinking about our diggers and the 60-mile journey they were soon to embark upon, and the events that followed — it’s hard not to be moved or to become emotional. During the Gallipoli Campaign, Lemnos served as an important rest camp for approximately 5,000 to 7,000 Australian troops. 

It was also a major hospital base. Between August and November 1915, close to 100,000 sick and wounded arrived in Lemnos to be treated or evacuated to hospitals in Egypt, Malta and England. The conditions in which our nurses and medical staff worked were extremely challenging.

Matron Grace Wilson, from a diary entry dated 9 August 1915, wrote: ‘Arrived at Turks Head Peninsula … heat appalling. ‘Found 150 patients lying on the ground – no equipment – did best we could. ‘Have tents ourselves but no beds or mattresses. Had no water to drink or wash.’

Some 130 Australian nurses served in hospitals in Lemnos while others served on hospital ships in Mudros harbour. Their arrival was important because they were able to bring years of professional nursing experience to bear just as the hospitals on Lemnos were being overwhelmed from the August offensive. The contribution of our nurses and nursing to the allied war effort cannot be overstated, nor can Matron Wilson’s leadership. As Nurse Nita Selwyn Smith wrote: ‘At times I think we could not have carried on without her. She was not only a capable Matron, but what is more, a woman of understanding. ‘She saw and understood many things without having to be told — and she was very human too.’ 

We see in the actions of Matron Wilson and the nurses who served here the characteristics we attribute to the Anzac legacy — endurance, courage, sacrifice and mateship.

These characteristics are as relevant today as they were 108 years ago. They are relevant in Australia and here in Greece. They help inform who we were, who we are and who we aspire to be. The Lemnos Remembrance Trail, in its dual role as a memorial and as a means of education for younger generations and visitors to Lemnos will be a place to reflect on the service and losses that were experienced during the Gallipoli Campaign and to better comprehend the deeds of our forefathers. It will also serve as a bridge to understanding and appreciating the service of our modern veterans and men and women in uniform.

In closing, I would like to acknowledge:

• The Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee (in Melbourne, Australia) and the Prefecture of the Northern Aegean who instigated the project
• The Greek Government and the Ministry of National Defence
• The Australian Government and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs
• Ms Elizabeth Kaydos (who is here today) — who has uncovered evidence of Australian servicemen who served on the island in World War I giving their sons the middle name, Lemnos.  

It is thanks to your collective passion and determination to preserve the memory of those who fought in the Gallipoli Campaign that future generations will be able to learn about their sacrifices for our nation.

The Lemnos Remembrance Trail will be the very embodiment of ‘Lest we forget’.

[Ends]