Reflections from Gallipoli: A Warning from History

Malcolm Knox, April 24, 2026

First Impressions of a Sacred Shore

"The peninsula was mostly deserted and Turkish, with light rain similar to conditions on April 25, 1915."

Australian journalist and author Malcolm Knox visited the Gallipoli peninsula ahead of Anzac Day, finding a landscape largely unchanged by time. Turkish workers were constructing temporary seating for the annual Australian commemorations, a quiet testament to the enduring relationship between former enemies.

The largest memorial at Gallipoli is the Turkish monument at Chunuk Bair, which commemorates the Turkish victory. Knox observes that Turks view the battle with pride—as a successful defense of their homeland.

The Campaign That Defined a Nation

The Gallipoli Campaign of 1915 saw Allied forces—including the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC)—attempt to capture Constantinople (Istanbul). After an eight-month siege, the campaign ended in failure. Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, had been the chief advocate for the naval attack.

Knox writes that a Western empire attempted to invade a Muslim country and was defeated, undone by hubris and poor planning. He describes the Royal Navy's guns as the equivalent of today's US Air Force bombers, and characterizes the invasion as having "muddled aims and contempt for the local people."

The Terrain and the Toll

"It was simply murder."

The terrain is described as steep and difficult—unyielding even before the guns opened fire. 16,000 Anzacs landed on April 25, 1915, and the campaign would ultimately claim over 50,000 total casualties among them.

Knox quotes a diary entry from Sergeant Cliff Pinnock of the 8th Light Horse Regiment, written after the Battle of the Nek on August 7, 1915: "It was simply murder."

The full human cost includes British, French, and Turkish soldiers. For every Anzac death, there were approximately 10 Turkish deaths.

A Parallel Too Obvious to Ignore

Knox draws direct comparisons between the 1915 campaign and current US foreign policy under Pete Hegseth, a former journalist turned US defense official in 2026. He references current US-led "Epic Fury" operations and states that the comparison between the 1915 campaign and current events is "too damned obvious."

"Washington in 2026 thinks history is its to invent."

A Mature Reflection on National Identity

The column concludes with a powerful argument: Australia may now be mature enough to refuse participation in wars at the request of an imperial power.

"Gallipoli is a place to commemorate the futility of running into a war when an imperial master clicks his fingers."

Knox asserts that Anzac Day should be a reminder of the futility of war, and that the original veterans themselves viewed the day as anti-war. His closing words carry the weight of a century of remembrance:

"Nobody should have done this and nobody should ever do it again."