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Near Eceabat, Çanakkale, Turkey — West Asia or Southeast Europe
 

The Nek - Sergeant Mehmet's Memorial

Cesaret Tepe - Mehmet Çavuş Anıtı

 
 
The Nek - Sergeant Mehmet's Memorial Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, May 10, 2015
1. The Nek - Sergeant Mehmet's Memorial Marker
Inscription. English:
The Nek is a hillock, 157 m. above sea level, located at Russell's Top. It is a very important point which connects Russell's Top - which is 700 m. high and 40-100 m. wide and extending over Plugge's Plateau on the southwest - first to the Baby 700 and then to Chunuk Bair over Battleship Hill. Today, there stands Sergeant Mehmet's Memorial on the Nek.

At the night of 25 - 26 April 1915, the 2nd Battalion of the 57th Regiment, which was positioned at the right flank of the attack line, continued its forward operating after Baby 700 was recaptured and succeeded to advance up to first the Nek and then to Arıburnu cliffs.

However, the 2nd Battalion had to leave the territory they captured due to the nightfall, structure of the territory, impossibility of reinforcement and the Anzac counter-attack. They formed forward defence positions at this very point - where Sergeant Mehmet's Memorial is standing today — and they retreated to the slope of Baby 700 on the east.

The Anzac attack which started after the heavy artillery gun fire of the Allied fleet in the morning of 26 April 1915 was stopped by the units of the 57th Regiment who incredibly and selflessly resisted the enemy despite the heavy casualties at the end of the severe fighting lasted about an hour.
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So, the enemy was repulsed once again.

The Turkish attack, started as the 64th Regiment arrived at the front at 10 am, on 27 April 1915, developed in spite of the heavy bombardment of the allied fleet and the heavy casualties. Consequently, the units of the 57th and 64th Regiments dominated the line of The Nek - Quinn's Post.

The Memorial, on the other hand, is one of the several Turkish memorials built in the region right after the Gallipoli Campaign ended. It was built in memory of “the martyrs of the 19th Division” indeed.

Lt. Col. Mehmet Şefik, the commander of the 27 Regiment was appointed to command the 19th Division as Col. Mustafa Kemal was promoted as Anafartalar Group Commander. Lt.Col. Mehmet Şefik ordered a memorial to be built commemorating the 60 Turkish soldiers who martyred because of a mine exploded beneath the Turkish lines here by the Anzacs who had completely evacuated Ariburnu Front in the very first hours on 20 December 1915.

The memorial which had formerly been named “Mehmetçik‘s Memorial”, was then renamed “Sergeant Mehmet's Memorial".


Turkish:
Cesaret Tepe; deniz seviyesinden yaklaşık 157 metre yüksekte yer alan ve günümüzde üzerinde Mehmet Çavuş Anıtı yükselen, Yüksek Sırt üzerinde küçük
The Nek - Sergeant Mehmet's Memorial Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, May 10, 2015
2. The Nek - Sergeant Mehmet's Memorial Marker
bir yükseltidir. Bu mevki; güneybatı yönünde yer alan Hain Tepe'ye doğru uzanan yaklaşık 700 metre uzunluğunda, 40-100 metre genişliğindeki Yüksek Sırt'ı önce 180 Rakımlı Tepe'ye, sonra ise Kılıç Ba yırı ve Düz Tepe üzerinden Conkbayırfna bağlayan önemli bir noktadır.

25 - 26 Nisan 1915 gecesi, 57'nci Alayın taarruz hattının sağ yanında yer alan 2'nci Taburu 180 Rakımlı Tepe'nin geri alınmasından sonra ileri harekâtına devam etmiş, önce Cesaret Tepesi'ne, sonrasında da Arıburnu Yarları'nın bulunduğu bölgeye kadar ilerlemeyi başarmıştır. Ancak 2'nci Tabur; havanın iyice kararmış olması, arazi yapısı, takviye olanağı bulunamaması ve Anzak karşı taarruzu gibi nedenlerle kazanılan araziyi terk ederek, Mehmet Çavuş Anıtı'nın bulunduğu bu noktada ileri savunma mevzileri oluşturarak, buranın doğu yönündeki 180 Rakımlı Tepe'nin yamacına doğru geri çekilmiştir.

26 Nisan 1915 sabahı Ğtilaf donanmasının şiddetli topçu ateşi ardından başlayan Anzak taarruzu, ağır zayiata uğramış 57'nci Alay
The Nek - Sergeant Mehmet's Memorial image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, May 10, 2015
3. The Nek - Sergeant Mehmet's Memorial
birliklerinin olağanüstü ve özverili direnişi sayesinde, yaklaşık bir saat süren şiddetli çarpışma sonucunda durdurulmuş ve düşman bir kez daha geri atılmıştır.

64'üncü Alayın cepheye gelmesiyle birlikte 27 Nisan 1915 saat 10.00'da başlayan Türk taarruzu, düşman donanmasının yoğun topçu bombardımanı ve verilen ağır zayiata rağmen gelişmiş, 57'nci Alay ile 64'üncü Alay birlikleri Cesaret Tepe - Bomba Sırtı hattına hâkim olmuşlardır.

Burada bulunan anıt ise Çanakkale Muharebeleri son bulduktan hemen sonra bölgede yapılan birkaç Türk anıtından blri olup aslında "19'uncu Tümen Şehitleri" anısına yapılmıştır. Albay Mustafa Kemal Bey'in Anafartalar Grubu Komutanlığı'na atanması üzerine 19'uncu Tümen Komutanlığı görevine getirillen 27'nci alay Komutanı Yarbay Mehmet Şefik Bey, 20 Aralık 1915 sabahının ilk saatlerinde Arıburnu Cephesi'nl tamamen tahliye eden Anzak kuvvetlerinin çekilmelerinin hemen sonrasında buradaki Türk hatları altında patlattıkları lağımın 60 kadar Türk askerini şehit etmesi üzerine buraya bir anıt yaptırmıştır.
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Bu anıt yıllar içinde önce "Mehmetçik Anıtı", daha sonra da "Mehmet Çavuş Anıtı" olarak tanımlanmıştır.

 
Erected by T.C. Orman ve Su İşleri Bakanlıǧı and Gelibolu Yarımadası Tarihi Milli Parkı.
 
Topics. This memorial is listed in this topic list: War, World I. A significant historical date for this entry is April 26, 1915.
 
Location. 40° 14.554′ N, 26° 17.458′ E. Marker is near Eceabat, Çanakkale. Memorial can be reached from Edirne Çanakkale Yolu (Route E87), on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Eceabat, Çanakkale 17900, Turkey. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Nek (within shouting distance of this marker); The Nek Cemetery (within shouting distance of this marker); 57th Infantry Regiment (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Anzac Commemorative Site (approx. 0.9 kilometers away); North Beach & Sphinx (approx. 1.2 kilometers away); Ariburnu (approx. 1.2 kilometers away); Ari Burnu Cemetery (approx. 1.3 kilometers away); Atatürk's Tribute (approx. 1.3 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Eceabat.
 
More about this memorial. The Nek - Sergeant Mehmet's Memorial is located in the Çanakkale Savaşı (Battle of Çanakkale, Battle of Gallipoli) memorial park grounds. Internal park roads are not named, at least on the park map or Google maps. Most road inside the park are one-way and signs point the way to the various cemeteries and sights.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on July 7, 2015, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 331 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on July 7, 2015, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.

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May. 8, 2024