Courtney's and Steel's Post Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Courtney's and Steel's Post Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission
cemetery
located near ANZAC Cove
on the Gallipoli
peninsula in Turkey
. It contains the graves of some of the former British Empire
troops who died during the Gallipoli Campaign
.
The campaign lasted eight months and was fought by British Empire
and French
forces against the Ottoman Empire
in an attempt to force Turkey
out of the war and to open a supply route to Russia
through the Dardanelles
and the Black Sea
.
British, French and other Allied troops landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula on 25 April 1915 at Cape Helles in the south whilst Australian and New Zealand troops (the ANZAC corps) landed on the west coast. Courtney's Post was named after Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Courtney
of the 14th Australian Infantry Battalion who took command of it on 27 April. Steel's Post, named after Major Thomas Steel was just to the South West of it. Both positions were captured on the day of the landings and held until the Allies withdrew in December. The cemetery contains special memorials to 58 casualties believed to be buried amongst 160 unidentified graves.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves, and places of commemoration, of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars...
cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
located near ANZAC Cove
Anzac Cove
Anzac Cove is a small cove on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey. It became famous as the site of World War I landing of the ANZAC on April 25, 1915. The cove is a mere long, bounded by the headlands of Ari Burnu to the north and Little Ari Burnu, known as Hell Spit, to the south...
on the Gallipoli
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula is located in Turkish Thrace , the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. Gallipoli derives its name from the Greek "Καλλίπολις" , meaning "Beautiful City"...
peninsula in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. It contains the graves of some of the former British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
troops who died during the Gallipoli Campaign
Battle of Gallipoli
The Gallipoli Campaign, also known as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Battle of Gallipoli, took place at the peninsula of Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire between 25 April 1915 and 9 January 1916, during the First World War...
.
The campaign lasted eight months and was fought by British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
and French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
forces against the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in an attempt to force Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
out of the war and to open a supply route to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
through the Dardanelles
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...
and the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
.
British, French and other Allied troops landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula on 25 April 1915 at Cape Helles in the south whilst Australian and New Zealand troops (the ANZAC corps) landed on the west coast. Courtney's Post was named after Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Courtney
Richard Edmond Courtney
Lieutenant Colonel Richard Edmond Courtney CB VD was an Australian Soldier in World War I. Courtney's and Steel's Post Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery is named after a position in the Anzac sector named after him during the Battle of Gallipoli.He was born in Castlemaine, Victoria and...
of the 14th Australian Infantry Battalion who took command of it on 27 April. Steel's Post, named after Major Thomas Steel was just to the South West of it. Both positions were captured on the day of the landings and held until the Allies withdrew in December. The cemetery contains special memorials to 58 casualties believed to be buried amongst 160 unidentified graves.