Text from Gallipoli Plaques Book*
Standing at Plaque No. 3 you can see the entrance to Shrapnel Valley. it
is along here that men and supplies moved to the front line during the
campaign. The floor of the valley had a road wide enough for six men to
march abreast. Towards the end of the campaign, the engineers dug a deep
stormwater drain which is still visible today. What cannot be seen today
is the telegraph line erected on poles at the same time. Along the
valley, in its many gullies and ravines, were the medical and
engineering depots which provided support to the frontline troops.
30 minutes' walk from here, about 1 kilometre away, the valley divides
into two forks, the most important of these being to the left and known
as Monash valley; it provided the only access to the vital positions of
Quinn's Post and Courtney's Post. Unfortunately for the ANZACs, the
Turks controlled a crucial position called Baby 700; this hill, 180
metres above sea level, overlooked the length of Monash Valley. During
the first month and a half of the campaign, Turkish snipers dominated
the valley during daylight hours. So deadly was their fire that many
Allied soldiers were killed bringing supplies to the front line. No one
was spared this fire and the senior Australian officer, Major General
Bridges, aged 49, was fatally wounded in Monash Valley on 15th May. To
counter this incessant sniper fire, New Zealand sharpshooters we
permanently stationed on Russell's Top and they eventually subdued the
Turkish sniping from Baby 700. However, even with the snipers
controlled, walking along Monash Valley and Shrapnel Valley was always
risky because Turkish artillery, located on the right flank of ANZAC,
targeted the area.
Return to the road and the next plaque, No. 4.... Shell Green, can be
found approximately 900 metres south and to the left, down the dirt road
that is signposted to Shell Green Cemetery. If you do not wish to leave
the main road, go back towards the Kabatepe Information Centre and,
about 1 kilometre before the Centre, a sealed road to your left will
take you to Lone Pine and Plaque No. 5. This road is directly opposite a
Turkish Army station (jandarma).
* - © - This text is taken from "Gallipoli
Plaques, A Guide to the Anzac Battlefield", by R.J.Bastiaan. 2nd
Edition Published by ANRAB Pty. Ltd. 1991.
|
