Customer Reviews

Quinn's Post: Anzac, Gallipoli

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This book conveys what happened at Gallipoli when opposing soldiers were at very close quarters, even by the standards of World War I. Turkish trenches at Quinn's Post were a few meters from those occupied by Australians or New Zealanders, and these lines did not move throughout the campaign. Stanley has tapped an immense reservoir of correspondence and other material accessible through his association with the Australian War Memorial. New Zealand receives the credit earned by her soldiers who solely occupied the post much of the time.

An account of what took place in such a small area might become tedious. This does not. Stanley is an excellent writer. He duly chronicles the Turkish and Anzac attacks. But the most fascinating aspects of his tale relate to the soldiers themselves. He melds the personal stories of changing tenants, the micro-arms race of bombs (grenades), and the growing respect between Turk and Anzac. The eight (!) maps are invaluable and there are many substantive photos, almost all of which were unpublished.

If you seek a book covering World War I, or even the Gallipoli campaign, this one is not appropriate. But I know of no book exposing the reader to as intense a struggle over as small a patch of ground for as long a time. It is incomparable.

In any collection of Australian military history books you will find a wide assortment of books on the Gallipoli campaign. Here in the United States there isn't much on Gallipoli, after all, our troops were not there. To be sure, the campaign itself is covered in the general histories, but not the details.

In this book Dr. Stanley looks at one little part of the battle. It was a position held by Quinn and his company throughout almost all of the campaign. It was a critical point, almost in the middle of the ANZAC lines. From the standpoint of this one position, the essense of the whole campaign can be understood. Not the grand strategy that Churchill had in mind, but the story of what was happening on the ground in the middle of the mess.

The book is well researched, and a story well told. But the best part is the feeling that it gives of the overall situation that must have existed at Quinn's Post. Tragic Story, Excellent Book.

A book of principal interest to Australians and New Zealanders.

This was a very good read indeed. The author's whole focus is on Quinn's which was the most dangerous position, in terms of proximity to the Turkish line and hence bombings (and mines), on the peninsula. Stanley has made a point of using sources other than Bean's to bring a fresh look to his subject, so aside from Anzac sources, there are also some from British Naval troops. Accordingly there was a lot that I hadn't read before - for instance the key role the New Zealanders played in transforming the post into a defensible position. There was also the sad story of one New Zealander sentenced to death.

Aside from the stories of the various units and individuals the author has done a particularly good job of describing the strain involved in holding the post. The conditions were horrendous and hygiene was appalling. Many bodies lay within feet of the trenches and could not be buried (and indeed remained so until after the war). The horror of this was further conveyed with one story about two brothers coming to the position only to see, through a periscope, their older brother lying where he'd fallen weeks before.

I learned a lot that I hadn't known about the campaign, including the efforts of the Turks to communicate with the Anzacs (and to surrender to them as well). I also learned there are snakes on Gallipoli!!! Obvious really but the first time I'd heard of it. I recommend this book. It gives extensive coverage to all the holders of the Post, including the very praiseworthy New Zealanders.

Mr. Stanley treads lightly on the English generals who bungled this campaign. Did it really matter whether the New Zealanders kept Quinn's Post more tidy than the Aussie's?? Churchill, Kitchener, and Hamilton got thousands of good men killed for nothing. Stanley must be hoping for an English edition later.