The last of the 36,000 troops to be evacuated from Anzac Cove left on December 20, 1915. It had taken just 5 nights to move everyone. The Gallipoli campaign was recognised as a costly failure for the Allies: 44,000 soldiers died trying to take the peninsula from the Ottomans.
Among the dead were 2779 New Zealanders – nearly a sixth of those who fought on the peninsula. Victory came at a high price for the Ottoman Empire, which lost 87,000 men during the campaign.
Gracious God,
remembering the end to the Gallipoli campaign brings to mind again the cost of war.
We pray for peace in our world especially at Christmas when we celebrate the coming of the Prince of Peace.
We ask that there may be a peaceful resolution to the conflicts that are happening in so many parts of our world and an end to the misery and suffering that war brings.
Amen
By Fr Pat O'Shea - Lower Hutt
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