The sign over the road telling you you are entering the National Military Park. You have to turn off to the right, while the road goes on to the town of Eceabat, which was called Maidos in 1915. A number of places have changed their name over the years, and some places are known by both the Turkish name and the English one. It can become quite confusing as you try to work things out. Even in 1915 getting the names right was a challenge, and led to confusion as to where the soldiers actually were. The road to the Gaba Tepe Museum turns off to the right just ahead.

 Gaba Tepe Museum entrance.  

Outside the Gallipoli Military Museum there is a field gun. By a strange irony, about 1910 the New Zealand Government bought some guns like these. They were later found not to be what was needed and were sold. Some of them went to Turkey and possibly may have been used against the New Zealanders. This might even be one of those guns.

 

The Museum is built on the flat land at the bottom of the hills, called the Sari Bair Range, running up to Chunuk Bair. Looking north, between the second and third flag poles, is the place called Hell Spit. That is the southern end of Anzac Cove, where the Anzacs landed by mistake. The little dots on the skyline between the two triangle parts of the memorial are the Australian Memorial at Lone Pine.

 

This view shows Hell Spit more clearly than the previous picture.

The name of Gaba Tepe is given because it is the Turkish name of the headland just nearby at the south end of Brighton Beach.

The flat, open beach below the Museum was where the army was actually supposed to land. The British called it Brighton Beach. Because of all the British Navy action, the Turks were now expecting an invasion. They thought that this beach might be a place an invasion would land, and they were ready here for it. They had it covered by machine guns, and had the soldiers actually landed there they may have had just as difficult a time as they did landing in Anzac Cove. They landed by mistake just around the corner of Hell Spit, which you can see very clearly in this picture. Not only that, but because of the angle of the point of land poking out as it does (and there is another point at the northern end of Anzac Cove), the hills luckily gave some protection from direct fire by machine guns and artillery.

 The Australian Memorial at Lone Pine is clearly visible on the skyline.

As you approach the door to the Gallipoli Military Museum, you have to pass by a huge empty shell case which had been fired from one of the British battleships. The shell had not exploded however, and has been put on display.

 

To show you just how big the shell is, here is my friend Mike standing by it. The shell was from a gun size called 15 inch, which was the measure of the diameter of the shell. Only the largest battleships carried guns of this size and power.

 

Mike standing beside one of the guns outside the Museum. The rain from yesterday had stopped, but you can see the puddles everywhere.

 

At last, a clear view of Hell Spit on the left, and the ridges running up to Chunuk Bair. These were the ridges named on the day the Anzacs landed as First, Second and Third Ridges, as they ran north, up towards the crest of Chunuk Bair.

A collection of cartridge cases and bullet heads. All of these have been hit by other bullets. The ones at the top have hit each other in the air.

 

A collection of shell casings. The one at the top has exploded before it was put into the gun for firing.

A collection of shells and hand grenades, which the soldiers used to throw at each other.

 

A collection of teeth and jaw bones.

 

A soldier's boot, with the foot still in it.

A collection of bones and two skulls. The one at the top has a bullet hole through it.

 A collection of revolvers.

 A collection of other weapons.