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Lemnos Gallipoli MemorialPrint Page Print this page

06-May-2020
06-May-2020

Photographs supplied by Jim Claven
The sculpture commemorates the nurses and soldiers who served on the Greek Island of Lemnos during the Gallipoli campaign in 1915 during World War One, and the role of Lemnos in the campaign. It was erected by the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee on 8th August 2015, which was the centenary of the arrival of the Australian nurses on Lemnos during the Gallipoli campaign. 

The sculpture consists of two statues  - one of a nurse and one of a sick or wounded soldier – standing and resting on a stone plinth, that has been etched with the names of villages on Lemnos visited by the ANZACs in 1915 as well as Lemnos and Gallipoli, in Greek and in English. The sculpture is complemented by an information board and flagpoles, the latter for commemorative events.  The memorial is the site of the annual Lemnos Gallipoli commemorative service conducted by the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee every August.

The sculpture was designed and created by Mr Peter Corlett, OAM, one of Australia’s most well-respected commemorative sculptors. Committee Secretary and historian, Mr Jim Claven, shared with Peter the results of his research into the Lemnos link to ANZAC, the role of Australia’s nurses and their hospitals during the Gallipoli campaign, documented in the hundreds of photographs and writings of the ANZACs themselves. Peter Corlett was able to combine these key features of Lemnos’ ANZAC link, with his appreciation of classical Greek sculpture and mythology, to create the sculpture that speaks of this vital Hellenic connection to Australia’s Gallipoli story.  The sculptures’ green hue echo’s classical sculpture, so that plinth is a reminder of the stones of Lemnos’ ancient amphitheatre at Hephaestia.

The location of the memorial in Albert Park, was subsequently honored with its official re-naming as Lemnos Square by the City of Port Phillip in May 2017. The location was chosen due to its proximity to Princes Pier, where the many of the ANZACs departed for Lemnos and Gallipoli.  Nearly 5,000 soldiers and nurses who served in World War One came from Port Phillip. Many of these served at Gallipoli and would have known Lemnos.  For example, Albert Park’s Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Mitchell Wilson, St Kilda builder’s labourer Trooper Albert Bent, electrician Corporal George Knight  and Elwood’s Nurse Clarice Daley who both served at the 3rd Australian General Hospital. Also, Matron Grace Wilson, who returned from the war to become Matron of the local hospital, the Alfred. 

At the unveiling in August 2015, over 400 people attended including many diplomatic, government and service organisation representatives. Many veteran descendents attended the unveiling, Dr David Weedon, a descendent of Matron Grace Wilson, Ms Judith Gunnarsson, the daughter of Nurse Evelyn Hutt, who served with Grace Wilson at the 3rd Australian General Hospital on Lemnos, Ms Helen O’Connor, a descendent of St Kilda’s Trooper Albert Bent, Nick Dwyer, a descendent of Grace Wilson, and the Reverend Richard Hall, a descendent of the families of Nurse Clarice Daley and Sergeant Ernest Lawrence, who were famously married on Lemnos during the Gallipoli campaign.

A feature of the unveiling were performances by three dance Greek community groups – the Hellenic Dance Group, the Cretan Brotherhood Dance Group and the Pontiaki Estia Melbourne Victoria Dance Group. These traditional performances were in honour of the Greek contribution to ANZAC by the Lemnians who supported the ANZACs on Lemnos, by the Cretan and Asia Minor volunteers – as well as Private Peter Rados – who fought alongside their ANZAC allies.

It was erected with the support from the local Greek community, both from organisations and individuals including the Lemnian Community of Victoria, the Hellenic RSL Sub-Branch, the Pontiaki Estia, Coburg's Marble Centre Exclusive, as well as Terry Paule and Nick and Sophie Kambouris. 



 

Location

Address:Foote & Graham Streets, Lemnos Square, Albert Park, Albert Park , 3206
State:VIC
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -37.843932
Long: 144.947058
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Sculpture
Monument Theme:Conflict
Sub-Theme:WW1
Actual Event Start Date:04-August-1914
Actual Event End Date:28-June-1919
Artist:Peter Corlett (Melbourne, VIC)
Monument Manufacturer:Meridian Sculpture
Link:https://lemnosgallipolicc.blogspot.…

Dedication

Actual Monument Dedication Date:Saturday 8th August, 2015
Front Inscription

Lemnos      Gallipoli

ΛΗΜΝΟΣ    ΚΑΛΛΙΠΟΛΗ 

Left Side Inscription

This memorial was erected on 8 August 2015 by the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee Inc. on the centenary of the arrival of the Australian nurses on the Greek Island of Lemnos to honour the role of Lemnos in the Gallipoli Campaign in 1915.

The Committee recognises the following foundation supporters

City of Port Phillip
State Government Victoria
Australian Government Department of Veterans` Affairs
Electrical Trades Union
CFMEU Victorian

Dr. David Weedon AO - in fond memory of his great aunt, Matron Grace M. Wilson, CBE

The Committee recognises the following major supporters

RSL (Victorian Branch) Hellenic Sub-Branch                                 Lemnian Community of Victoria
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (Federal Office)       Nick and Sophia Kambouris
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (Victorian Branch)   Pontiaki Estia Melbourne
S and T Paule Families

On behalf of the Committee
Lee Tarlamis JP - President       Jim Claven - Secretary
Scupltor - Peter Corlett OAM     Founders Meridian Sculpture

Back Inscription

Pournias Bay ΚΟΛΠΟΣ ΠΟΥΡΝΙΑΣ   Moudros ΜΟΥΔΡΟΣ

Sgourogianni ΣΓΟΥΡΟΓΙΑΝΝΗ          Sarpi ΣΑΡΠΙ                Therma ΘΕΡΜΑ

Portianou ΠΟΡΤΑΝΙΟΥ                       Myrina ΜΥΡΙΝΑ           Kontias ΚΟΝΤΙΑΣ

Profitis Ilias ΠΡΟΦΗΤΗΣ ΗΛΙΑΣ         Kontopouli  ΚΟΝΤΟΠΟΥΛΙ

Right Side Inscription

1915

2015

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