← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · Ed Toner
Thread ID: 13390 | Posts: 1 | Started: 2004-04-27
2004-04-27 14:44 | User Profile
I'm a modeller, and belong to an international group of modellers.
An Off Topic discussion discussion started when a few Aussies mentioned ANZAC Day. Here's comments from a Turk:
Dear Friends,
I am a Turkish modeller from Istanbul. I studied primary and lyceum at Istanbul Lyceum, which is one of the oldest western style Turkish schools in Turkey, founded at 1884. The colours of our school is black on yellow and here is the colours story;
At 1915, shortly after the beginning of Gallipoli ( Gelibolu is the Turkish name ) Istanbul was in grave danger. A young colonel, Mustafa Kemal was trying to stop superior allied troops from advancing and the Turkish-German high staff was on the wrong place, at Anatolian side with the main troop concentration. So, a mere colonel was commanding allmost all the troops at europan side, which were out numbered and out gunned.
At that grim days, lyceum and university students from all Istanbul voluntered for Gellipoli and over 10,000 boys with just 2 weeks training arrived to the front. All sophomores and seniors of Istanbul Lyceum and seniors of Istanbul Medical University were among them . The schools building was converted to hospital and painted in yellow, which was the official colour for hospital buildings, to avoid air raids by British planes.
At very early hours of 19th Mai, 2nd Division, consisting of Istanbul volunteers charged down the hills which were held by Mustafa Kemal's troops. The goal was to drive Allied troops against the sea and deny them the chance to reach the highland with a strong attack. 2nd Division was annihilated to the last man, annihilating an Allied division doing so and the fallowing Turkish troops secured their gain.
When the news from the front arrived, a black strip was painted around the school building and afterwards, black on yellow was adopted as the colours of Istanbul Lyceum , which I proudly carry on my neckties.
The Anzacs are still highly regarded in Turkey, because they were worthy enemies, which fighted valiantly yet were still human. British troops preferred to kill the wounded where as Anzac usually take POW's and cared them. So did our troops for Anzac wounded. In the final days of Gellipoli War, just before Allied withdrawing, both sides were at equilibrium and some kind of unofficial case fire started. During this last few days, Turkish and Anzac troops even exchanged gifts over the fances.
So, today we wellcome grandsons and doughters of the Anzac troops who fighted in Gellipoi every year and pray together for half a million young man who died there, doing their duty to their lands, pray that it never becomes necessary again.
Best Wishes,
Ismail Sarioglu Istanbul Aeromodelling Club