Son of British soldier who fought in Gallipoli now building a friendship bridge

CANAKKALE, Türkiye 

The son of a British soldier who fought in Gallipoli is now trying to build a friendship bridge between fighting nations 108 years after the 1915 military campaign during World War I.

John Crowe, 83, is the son of Robert John Crowe, who was part of the 5th Battalion Norfolk Regiment at Kucukanafarta Plain in Gallipoli in which, according to a myth, the regiment disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

Crowe is now the founder and head of Gallipoli and Dardanelles International, a UK-based charity, and wants to strengthen the bonds of friendship with the descendants of the soldiers who participated in a Gallipoli (Gelibolu in Turkish) peninsula military campaign in World War I, better known in Turkish as the Battle of Canakkale.

Born in Norfolk, England in 1891, Robert John Crowe was called up at the age of 24 to join the 5th Norfolk Battalion. After arriving at Suvla (Kucukanafarta) Bay on the Gallipoli Peninsula with his battalion on Aug. 12, 1915, he was wounded during a clash with Turkish soldiers.

He was later sent to his country for treatment, and he also served in Egypt, Gaza, and Palestine in the following years. After his military service, Crowe worked as an animal caretaker at Queen Elizabeth's farm in Norfolk for 30 years and died in 1963 at the age of 72.

‘Turks were good fighters’

John Crowe was a 23-year-old policeman when his father died, and the only thing he heard from him was that the Turks were good fighters. All other memories of the war were lost to history with his death.

John Crowe was born 25 years after the Battle of Canakkale and was curious about what happened in the lands where his father fought and started to research the Gallipoli War after his retirement.

Reading history books during his research process, Crowe came to Türkiye for the first time 20 years ago and visited the Gallipoli Peninsula.

Crowe founded Gallipoli and Dardanelles International in London in 2013 to develop friendly relations and strengthen the bonds of friendship by bringing together every year the descendants of the soldiers who participated in the Canakkale Wars on the Gallipoli Peninsula.

Türkiye’s defenders ‘fought very hard and paid a higher price’

Last week, Crowe along with a group of people from the UK, France, and Türkiye visited the Martyrs' Monument, the French Monument, the British Monument, and the Turkish village Kucukanafarta, which is a sister village to the village of Snettisham in the Norfolk region.

Speaking to Anadolu during this visit, Crowe said that visiting Gallipoli was “very moving, very interesting.”

Noting that the accounts about the war are not very accurate, he said that Türkiye’s defenders “fought very hard and paid a higher price.”

“I think the casualties for the Turkish forces are far higher than the combined allied forces, so it's a high price to pay to defend their country,” he added.

‘Disappearing into cloud of smoke’

On the myth about the disappearance of the Norfolk Regiment, he said there were reports, saying that the company “disappeared, either in a cloud or in smoke or fog.”

“I think that's ridiculous,” he said. “But it helped to sell books. In fact, the whole company did not disappear.”

“Research shows that 18 members from the estate didn't return. They died. But the bulk of them did return, including my father and my uncle who were both in that same company,” he added.

“A research has been carried out by the nephew of Captain Franck Beck to that effect. So, it's pretty reliable information,” he added.

Crowe said many accounts of the events inferred that “the captain and others were literally shot as prisoners by Turkish troops. They had wounds to their heads, but there were snipers in bushes, and so on. So, soldiers did come in close contact with the defenders,” he said.

“So, it's quite possible they would be injured in that way. Definitely not summarily executed as prisoners. I don't believe that for a minute,” he explained.

Noting that his father did not talk much about the war, he said: “Like a lot of people of my age, we were too busy living our lives as young people. I was just 23 when he died and had left home four years before starting a new career in the police service.”

“I regret deeply that I didn't talk at length with him. I didn't know enough at that time,” he said.

“But there were a few things he said. He had a high regard … for Turkish defenders,” he added.

Through books, Crowe also learned about Türkiye’s founding leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

“It's an amazing story, amazing man,” he said.

Crowe had several times visited Kucukanafarta village, which was the first target of the Norfolk Battalion, where his father served on the Gallipoli Peninsula. He would like to meet the descendants of the Turks who participated in the Gallipoli Wars in the years to come and talk about their memories.

Gallipoli campaign

Tens of thousands of soldiers died in one of the world's most ferocious battles 106 years ago in the Gallipoli campaign in the Ottoman Empire during World War I.

The battle took place between April 25, 1915, and Jan. 9, 1916.

Britain and France wanted to secure their ally Russia, as the Gallipoli peninsula provided a sea route to what was then the Russian Empire.

Their aim was to capture the capital of the Ottoman Empire, Istanbul.

Turks repelled a naval attack, and there were many casualties on both sides during the eight-month offensive.

When the land campaign also failed, the invading forces withdrew.

Victory against the Allied forces boosted the morale of the Turkish side, which then went on to wage a war of independence in 1919-1922, and eventually formed a republic in 1923 from the ashes of the old empire.