Battle of Lone Pine
Lone Pine, Gallipoli Peninsula, Çanakkale Province, Turkey
What happened
The Australian 1st Division under Major General Harold Walker fought Ottoman forces coordinated by Esat Pasha. In August 1915, Australian troops attacked the Ottoman trenches at Lone Pine to draw attention away from a larger attack elsewhere on the peninsula. They found the trenches roofed with pine logs but captured them within hours. For three days the Ottomans counter-attacked, but the Australians held the ground.
Why it matters
Why it matters: Seven Australians received the Victoria Cross, and the battle holds a central place in Australia's memory of Gallipoli. But the wider August Offensive failed, and the Allies left Gallipoli that December.
What came next
The Allies evacuated Gallipoli in December 1915. Lone Pine Cemetery and Memorial were built after 1923, and Australia's Anzac Day dawn service at Gallipoli is held there.
Did you know?
The battle was named after a single pine tree on the ridge, and trees grown from Gallipoli pine seeds now stand in Australia and New Zealand.
Timeline
- 6 August 1915The Australians attack at Lone Pine.
- 9 August 1915Ottoman counter-attacks end.
- December 1915The Allies evacuate Gallipoli.
- 1920sThe Lone Pine Cemetery is landscaped and a pine is planted.