Did the conditions at Gallipoli lead to the creation of the ANZAC Legend?

Answer 1

Very much so.

ANZAC means Australia and New Zealand Armed Corps. The original Anzacs were the soldiers who landed at Gallipoli on Turkish Aegean coast, on 25 April 1915. The legend is borne of the stories of their bravery, loyalty, selflessness, feats of endurance and mateship through an horrific time: a time which Australians really had not faced previously.

Conditions in the trenches were horrible. As men died, their bodies became maggot-infested, and the stench was unbearable. Yet the soldiers fought on, not questioning their orders, but steadfastly following what they had been told to do.

Of particular importance is the story of Simpson and his donkey. Simpson landed at Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915 and, from the first night, took a donkey (or possibly donkeys) that had been landed for one of the field artillery units, and began carrying wounded soldiers from the battle line to the beach for evacuation. Leading the donkey, which he variously named Duffy or Murphy, he began his journeys from the beach, up Shrapnel Gully and then Monash Valley. He carried water on his way and wounded on his way back. Simpson continued this for three and a half weeks, disregarding the danger until, on the morning of 19 May 1915, he was killed by Turkish machine gun fire near Steele's Post, as he was returning down Monash Valley with a wounded man. The donkey continued on the well-worn track, obediently carrying the wounded man to where he would be tended. It is interesting to note that, some time after Simpson was killed, a New Zealand primary school teacher by the name of Richard Henderson took over Simpson's work, guiding the donkeys while they carried wounded men to safety. The story of Simpson, therefore, does not belong to Australia alone.

CEW Bean was the Australian official war correspondent, and later official war historian of the time. He landed with the ANZACs at Gallipoli, and his writings contributed significantly to the development and growth of the ANZAC legend. His detailed reports on the landing and subsequent battle/s provided a unique and personal perspective on the events.