The Australian War Memorial welcomes delegates and speakers to this important history conference, Gallipoli 1915 a century on. This event marks the centenary of that tragic campaign. It also represents the culmination of a valued partnership between the Australian War Memorial and the Australian National University, further forging links between Australia’s leading research-intensive university and our world-renowned war museum, shrine, archive and research facility.
Gallipoli remains both a pivotal historical event and a compelling epic story. It continues to draw writers, film-makers, artists, historians, archaeologists and researchers across diverse fields. A part of the appeal of the Gallipoli saga undoubtedly lies in its spectacular Aegean setting and the remote and rugged landscape of the timeless battlefields. Gallipoli was also distinctive for its intermingling of soldiers drawn from many nations and the intensity of the fighting at close quarters on that confined peninsula, lending the campaign a human dimension that was overshadowed by the dehumanising ‘industrialised’ warfare of the Western Front.
In conceiving and developing the program for this conference, the principal organisers, Professor Joan Beaumont of the Australian National University and Ashley Ekins, chief historian of the Australian War Memorial, have aimed to capture that diversity. Their intent has been to provide international perspectives on many aspects of the campaign. These objectives converge in three main themes: the strategic conception and conduct of the campaign on land and sea, the military experience of soldiers from many nations, and the memory, legacies and heritage of the Gallipoli campaign.
This conference provides a rare opportunity for this international gathering of eminent historians, authors and specialists from various disciplines to examine aspects of the campaign, exchange discoveries, and bring fresh insights drawn from their original research. This will greatly enhance our understanding of the many and diverse faces and facets of the enduring Gallipoli story. Participants are fortunate indeed to be able to absorb and share their knowledge and insights.