Embassy reveals service will be held at Brookwood Turkish cemetery
THE TURKISH EMBASSY in London has announced plans to commemorate the 99th anniversary of the Dardanelles naval victory in Surrey.
The now-traditional memorial service will be held at the Brookwood Turkish burial ground near Woking.
A statement from the embassy said: “We invite journalists, association representatives, Turkish schools and students and all members of the community to mourn and remember those who gave their lives for the happiness and security of future generations.
“We will also remember the victory that our martyrs secured in the Çanakkale wars.”
The service will begin at 11.30am on Tuesday 18 March at Cemetery Pales, Brookwood, Woking, Surrey, GU24 0BL.
Buses to the cemetery in Surrey have organised by Turkuas-UK, the assembly of Turkish-speaking communities. Those interested in travelling are asked to contact the assembly by emailing info@turkuas-uk.org.
18 March 1915 saw a significant victory for Ottoman forces in the Gallipoli campaign when, for 118 casualties, they were able to sink three Allied battleships.
They also damaged another ship with mines and inflicted seven hundred casualties on the British-French fleet.
The loss was not decisive in ending the war in the region; to the contrary, it extended it as Allied leaders decided to launch a land campaign at Gallipoli on 25 April.
The front would not close until the Allied withdrawal on 9 January 1916. However, Turkish commemorations for the Dardanelles front of the First World War have always been held on 18 March.
