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Mustafa Kemal AtaturkPrint Page 
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881- 1938) was an Ottoman and Turkish army officer, revolutionary statesman, writer, and the first President of Turkey. He is credited with being the founder of the modern Turkish state.
At Gallipoli, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was the only Turkish commander who foresaw the enemy landing in the Gaba Tepe area. As word came through, he risked his career by not waiting for orders and hastening from the south to repel the Anzacs. He understood the critical importance of the Sari Bair range – whoever held its heights would hold the centre of the peninsula.
Mustafa Kemal held back the Anzac advance, launched a counterattack and continued to play a key role in the defence of Gallipoli, the last victory of the crumbling Ottoman empire. As a general he continued to record military success during the rest of the war. Afterwards he led his country and was pivotal in repelling moves by the Allied victors to partition Turkey.
The famous speech later attributed to him appears to have been synthesised from statements to Australian media outlets in relation to Anzac Day commemorations.
In 1930 he was reported as saying: ‘Whatever views we of the present or future generations of Turks may hold in regard to the rights or wrong of the world war, we shall never feel less respect for the men of Anzac and their deeds when battling against our armies … They were nearer to achieving the seemingly impossible than anyone on the other side realises.’
Location
| Address: | Sussex Street, Gallipoli to Armistice Walk, Queens Park, Maryborough, 4650 |
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| State: | QLD |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -25.535983 Long: 152.704032 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
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| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Foreigners |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Friday 23rd July, 2021 |
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