Current Information:

Age-18

61 Durlston Road, Upper Clapton

East Mudros Military Cemetery, Greece

Gallipoli 1915

On 25 April, British, Australian and New Zealand forces landed on the Gallipoli peninsular hoping for a quick campaign that would knock Turkey out of the war. But it was not to be. The Turks fought bravely, the terrain was a maze of ravines and very soon the stalemate of trench warfare had set in. Add to this the summer heat, water shortages, dead bodies lying around and millions of flies and the place took on nightmarish proportions. By January 1916, all British, French, Indian, Australian and New Zealand forces had left Gallipoli, leaving only behind the dead, over 56,000 of them.

The10th London battalion arrived in Gallipoli in early August, 1915 as part of 162 Brigade, 54th Division. They saw action on 15th August at Kiretch Tepe Ridge and this is probably when Private Searing was wounded. From Gallipoli he was evacuated to Mudros on the nearby island of Lemnos where he died on 19th August, 1915.