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Lone PinePrint Page 
The Pine tree commemorates those who served in World War One. Pines which are planted as a memorial to the Australian and New Zealand soldiers who fought in Gallipoli are also known as "Lone Pines" or "Gallipoli Pines", referencing the original tree.
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).
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.
The Shrine of Remembrance's lone 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.
Melbourne Legacy and the Yarralumla Nursery in Canberra have grown seedlings sourced from the trees at the Shrine of Remembrance and the Australian War Memorial respectively, which they have presented to schools as well as ex-service and other organisations throughout Australia.
Location
| Address: | Tamba Street (Black Stump Way), Behind War Memorial, Tambar Springs, 2381 |
|---|---|
| State: | NSW |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -31.345556 Long: 149.828889 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
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
Plaque:
1914 ~ 1918
The Lone Pine
On August 6, 1915, the 1st Australian Infantry Division laaunched a major offensive at Plateau 400 at Gallipoli, Turkey. The ridges were once covered with Aleppo Pine (Pinus halepensis) however they had been cut down to cover & line trenches, leaving one solitary pine. Hence it became known as Lone Pine Ridge.
In the 3 days of fighting the A.N.Z.A.C.s lost 2000 men. Seven Victoria Crosses were awarded. The Turks lost approximately 7000 men.
Lane Corporal Benjamin Smith & Sgt Keith McDowell both brought home pine cones from the lone pine as souvenirs & gave them to family members who later propagated the seeds.
This tree was propagated by the Australian War Memorial from the pine cone of the Lone Pine
