Today marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the land campaign on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey. The need for an ice free port in Russia prompted the Allied Forces to focus on the Dardanelles. A failed attempt to take the straits with naval power resulted in plans to secure the straits from land. The campaign lasted from 25 April 1915 to 9 January 1916 and ended in a failure that ultimately claimed more than a hundred thousand lives.

My grandfather spent almost two months in Gallipoli as part of the only North American unit to serve in the region. Lance Corporal James Ryan had to lie about his age to join the Newfoundland Regiment and Gallipoli was his first experience in combat.  Continue reading “Gallipoli – In his own words” →