Britons and Turks mourned their wartime ancestors together a century after they fought in World War One’s Gallipoli campaign.
British and Turkish guests were united at the event in King’s Lynn Town Hall
Gathering at King’s Lynn Town Hall last Friday, representatives from countries around the world were guests at the event organised by the Association of Turkish Women in Britain (BTKD), where the guest of honour was retired Turkish brigadier-general Haldun Solmaztürk.
Also in attendance were the descendants of soldiers who fought at Gallipoli.
John Crowe, whose father Robert was part of the Sandringham Company that fought at Gallipoli, was accompanied by members of his charity, Gallipoli and Dardanelles International.
He said: “They [the Allied troops] certainly weren’t all killed. My father came back as did my uncle Frances and the post master at West Newton and many others.
“A lot of bad things, done by both sides, happened in the war, sadly that is what happens.
“It is a waste of time to focus on such negativity we are all friends now and we should look to the future.
Retired Turkish brigadier-general Haldun Solmaztürk
“What we are doing is using a tragic event in history as a conduit to create international relationships.”
Brig-Gen Solmazturk, now a defence and security analyst and lecturer, gave a talk on the lessons to be learned from Gallipoli and their role in the current political climate
He said: “This association is about coming together as friends and sharing our cultures and ideas.
“We all share the same concerns about the state of affairs in the world today.
“It is about learning from what has happened in the past, at Gallipoli, and making sure that does not happen today.
“It is also about setting perceptions of history right.”
West Norfolk mayor Mr Ayres added: “It is a great honour for me to be here today. It is about extending the hand of friendship.
“In war often the normal people get along it is just the politics that gets in the way.”