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Lone PinePrint Page Print this page

02-November-2014
02-November-2014

Photographs supplied by Arthur Garland

The pine tree commemorates those who served in World War One and those who lost their lives during the Battle of Lone Pine. 

The Lone Pine was the name given to a solitary tree on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey, which marked the site of the Battle of Lone Pine in 1915 during World War One and it was the sole survivor of a group of trees that had been cut down by Turkish soldiers who had used the timber and branches to cover their trenches.

The tree was obliterated during the battle; however, pine cones that had remained attached to the cut branches over the trenches were retrieved by two Australian soldiers and brought home to Australia. Private Thomas Keith McDowell, a soldier of the 23rd Battalion brought a pine cone from the battle site back to Australia, and many years later seeds from the cone were planted by his wife's aunt Emma Gray of Grassmere, near Warrnambool, Victoria and five seedlings emerged, with four surviving. These seedlings were planted in four different locations in Victoria: Wattle Park (May 8, 1933), the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne (June 11, 1933), the Soldiers Memorial Hall at The Sisters near Terang (June 18, 1933) and Warrnambool Botanic Gardens (January 23, 1934).

The Shrine of Remembrance's Pine was felled in August 2012 and the timber used as part of a remembrance project, after a disease known as Diplodia pinea or blue stains fungus as it commonly called killed it.

Another soldier, Lance Corporal Benjamin Smith from the 3rd Battalion, also retrieved a cone and sent it back to his mother (Mrs McMullen) in Australia, who had lost another son at the battle. Seeds from the cone were planted by Mrs McMullen in 1928, from which two seedlings were raised. One was presented to her home town of Inverell (New South Wales) and the other was forwarded to Canberra where it was planted by Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester at the Australian War Memorial in October 1934.

 

Location

Address:Cecilia Street, Memorial Park, St Helens, 7216
State:TAS
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -41.322324
Long: 148.249325
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Tree
Monument Theme:Conflict
Sub-Theme:WW1
Actual Event Start Date:04-August-1914
Actual Event End Date:28-June-1919

Dedication

Approx. Monument Dedication Date:2009
Front Inscription

Lone Pine

This Aleppo Pine (pinus halepensis) was planted by the Hon. Michael Polley in 2009.

It was grown from seed brought back from the battlefield of Lone Pine Ridge at Gallipoli.

More than 2000 Australians and 7000 Turks were killed in an area of approximately one hectare during the battle 6th - 9th August 1915.

About 30 Tasmanians from the 12th Battalion were among those killed in the final stages.

Seven Victoria Crosses (VC) were awarded for this action

Source: MA
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au