Gallipoli

The Inglorious 12th of July

A new exhibition opened at The Devil’s Porridge Eastriggs on Saturday 12th July 2003 to coincide with the anniversary of one of the darkest days in the history of the King’s Own Scottish Borderers. On the 12th of July 1915 in Gallipoli, our men were ordered into a battle that was doomed to failure from the start. The losses of the 5th Battalion in this battle were 11 officers and 259 men.
The 4th K.O.S.B. had 535 casualties. The story is told through a display of one hundred photographs and through the experiences of the soldiers who were there.
We also look at the misadventure through the eyes of the Commander-in-Chief, Sir Ian Hamilton and his diaries, andfrom the very different perspective of Joseph Murray, a Private in the Royal Naval Division, son of a Scots miner, who served alongside the KOSB on the Peninsula. His graphic descriptions of what war meant to the ordinary Tommy shows us the futility of the whole venture

Why Go to Gallipoli?

The Gallipoli expedition was conceived by Winston Churchill, in his capacity as First Lord of the Admiralty. The Dardanelles was regarded as the most important stretch of water in the world. Since Turkey had joined the conflict on the German side, the Black Sea had been cut from the Mediterranean and our vital supply line to Russia, a main ally at the time, was sealed off.

The idea was to force the Dardanelles and seize Constantinople, so ending Turkish participation in the war. The rewards would have been great, but the element of surprise needed was lost and initially Lord Kitchener would not supply troops to the venture, so the Navy had to go it alone.

Poor organization, using outdated maps, lack of ammunition and men meant the expedition was doomed from the start. Men died in their thousands and suffered from, heat and cold, thirst, starvation, flies and dysentery.

Tel: 01461-700021 email: devils-porridge@tiscali.co.uk

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