Current Information:

Age-24

377, Cable Street, Shadwell

Born-Mile End

Twelve Tree Copse Cemetery, Helles, Gallipoli

Gallipoli 1915

On 25 April, British, Australian and New Zealand forces landed on the Gallipoli peninsula. The plan was that these forces would soon defeat a demoralised Turkish army, knock Turkey out of the war, open up the Mediterranean to the Russian navy and threaten Austro-Hungary from the south. None of these things were achieved despite nine months of hard fighting in terrible conditions. It was an heroic failure.

By the middle of June 1915, there had been three attempts at Helles to capture the village of Krithia and the heights of Achi Baba beyond it and all three had failed at great cost in human life. Future plans now revolved around fresh divisions arriving from Britain but that was still six weeks off and in the meantime it was a matter of holding the line and through a series of small attacks and raids trying to undermine, often literally, the Turkish positions.

On 17th June, 1915, 1st Border, 87 Brigade, 29th Division moved forward to support trenches near White House , south-east of Gully Ravine. On the night 18th-19th June the enemy attacked Turkey Trench held by 1st Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and some of 1st Border moved forward to assist in the defence. The following day, 18th June, 1915, they moved into the front line where Henry Berning was killed in action