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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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
[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]
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