100th Anniversary of the Battle of Lone PinePrint Page

This Aleppo pine, propagated from the Lone Pine at the Australian War Memorial, has been planted by the Yea & District Historical Society on 6 August 2015 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Lone Pine.  Mr Ron Drysdale, a founding member of the Society, unveiled the dedication plaque.

On 6 August 1915, the 1st Australian Infantry Division launched a major attack at Plateau 600 at Gallipoli, Turkey.  It was one of the most famous assaults of the Gallipoli campaign.  The diggers faced withering fire from the heavily fortified Turkish trenches and succeeded in capturing them in less than two hours.  They withstood fierce counter-attacks over the next four days and held the position until the ANZAC withdrawal from Gallipoli in December 1915.  Seven Australians were awarded the Victoria Cross for their actions during the fighting at Lone Pine.

Before the fighting on the Gallipoli Penisular, the ridges were clothed with Aleppo Pine (Pinus Helepensis (sic)).  However, they had been cut down to line and roof the Ottoman trenches, leaving one solitary pine.  Hence, it became known as Lone Pine Ridge.  This solitary pine was shattered by the heavy artillery.

At least two diggers salvaged pine cones from the Lone Pine Ridge in 1915.  Sgt. K. McDonald from Victoria brought one home to his aunt and a seedling from this is planted at the Shrine of Remembrance.  LCpl B. Smith from New South Wales gave one to his mother, who raised the seedling planted at the Australian War Memorial.

An Aleppo Pine was planted at the Lone Pine Cemetery by veterans in 1920 and this was replaced in 1990 to mark the 75th anniversary.  The Lone Pine Cemetery is the Memorial to the Missing at the ANZAC area of Gallipoli.  It commemorates 4,224 Australians with no known grave as well as the 652 Australians buried there.

The Aleppo Pine