The deep connection between the Anzacs of the First World War and the island of Lemnos is set to be the subject of an upcoming documentary to be released this April, exploring in depth one of the key moments in fostering the great bond between Greece and Australia.
The strong relationship between the two nations is the result of many different factors, though a major one can be tied to the Anzacs using the island of Lemnos as a base during the Gallipoli campaign.
A one-hour documentary titled ‘Anzac.Lemnos.1915’ will release this year to showcase the contribution of Lemnos to the Gallipoli campaign, which is etched deeply into the history of Australia.
The documentary is being presented by the Lemnian Association of NSW, in partnership with the Consulate General of Greece in Sydney, and will be screened first at the club’s premises in Belmore on Tuesday 23 April (6.30pm for a 7pm start) before airing on SBS on Anzac Day.
The film incorporates rare photo archives and personal accounts to bring to life what that chapter in Australia’s wartime history was like.
Lemnos played a big role for the Allied troops during WWI, with Mudros Bay notably becoming the anchorage for one of the largest fleets ever assembled in the modern world.
During the conflict, roughly 50,000 Anzacs pass through the island to and from the Gallipoli frontline while 96,943 sick and wounded had arrived in Mudros Harbour from the frontlines during the period of August 6th to November 11th, 1915.
The island was transformed into a support base for the Allied soldiers (hospitals, supply units, camps for R & R (rest and recuperation) throughout the campaign) with only 136 Australian nurses there to care for the thousands of wounded, sick and dying.
There are 148 Australians and 76 New Zealanders buried in Lemnos in two Commonwealth War Graves, which will forever tie the island to the Anzacs.
This deep historical relationship led to a ground-breaking ceremony last May at the island, wherein Australia’s Governor-General David Hurley joined the President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, to mark the beginning of construction for an Anzac Remembrance Trail.
