Memorial to the ‘Johnnies and the Mehmets’ that lie side by side on Gallipoli
Memorial to the ‘Johnnies and the Mehmets’ that lie side by side on Gallipoli The Australian Turkish Friendship Memorial is located in the leafy gardens in Kings Domain in Melbourne, Australia. It was built to mark the Anzac Day centennial anniversary, and celebrate the shared values between the two nations. As striking as the memorial is, it’s the words on its base that are most evocative. It reads, ‘Those heroes that shed their blood.’ It’s an excerpt from Turkish President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s longer passage that reassured the grieved: ‘you, the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace.’ Atatürk, who came to prominence for his role in securing the Ottoman Turkish victory on Gallipoli, reassures the grieved that their loved ones are ‘lying in the soil of a friendly country.’ He finishes with the comforting reassurance: ‘After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as w