I would be surprised if there wasn't a gathering at the dedicated Aussie Cemetery that I visited --Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) there's only one in France ??? - maybe the only one in Europe - I can't remember.
It's a stunningly peaceful and beautiful place - I remember thinking - if this is where I was put to rest - it'd do me.
It's incomprehensible to realise the horror that went on here - I'm totally mystified why men go to such beautiful places to kill each other.
The Germans buried our blokes about 100 m or 120 metres from memory - from where they now lay --------- the Germans buried them with great respect, so it is written.
It was actually one of the most memorable days for me in France - I had intended to leave to walk there at about 4.30 (from memory) - I got away a bit later - and, the walk there was just stunning - the smells of France in the country are incredible - the morning was completely still - most of the terrain very flat to not much at all in bumps - and, I've never seen such beauty in flat ground. Then - when I got to the cemetery - it's on a little rise - and, there's this incredible peace about it - very difficult to describe. --- Pics at the bottom.
I'm unsure about the one in Turkey - if there's anyone other than Ozzies buried there
"Ari Burnu Cemetery in Gallipoli, Turkey, was originally established in 1915 during the Gallipoli Campaign in World War I. It houses the graves of 252 Commonwealth soldiers who died during the eight month attempt to remove Turkey from the war, including 42 unidentified graves. Ari Burnu Cemetery also has several memorials to those believed to be buried there but who have not been identified. History of Ari Burnu Cemetery
Ari Burni Cemetery, which gets its name from the Cape at the North end of the Anzac Cove, was created in 1915. Interestingly, it was established during the campaign by the Allied troops to lay their fallen soldiers to rest, in spite of the fact that the area itself was under fire from Turkish outposts.
The cemetery primarily houses Australian soldiers, among whom are the men of the 8th and 10th Light Horse Regiments who were killed in the ill-fated charge at the Nek on 7th August 1915. There are also graves dedicated to those who gave their lives in a non-soldier capacity."
