2015 marks the Centenary of the ill fated allied invasion of Gallipoli in which almost 600,000 Allies and Turkish soldiers were killed. Included in the British Forces were the men who formed 1/6th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers. These men were drawn mainly from Bury, Heywood, Middleton, Rochdale, Todmorden and what is today Greater Manchester. It is to the memory of the men of both sides and the recognition of their sacrifice this blog and the Reading The Century events have been facilitated by the Rochdale Co-operative Members Volunteer Group.
Local Area Roll of Honour

Fun on the Beach

Waist deep in water, tripping over rocks,
going under, rifle barrels blocked.
Four feet of water, fathoms deep,
trip wire concealed, beneath our feet.
A sandy cove beyond a raging sea,
Lancashire Landing, Gallipoli.

Soldiers silhouetted against a morning sky,
boats of dead and wounded slowly floating by.
Shot in helpless batches, bathing under fire,
a mass of dead men dancing along a line of wire.
A sandy cove beyond a raging sea,
Lancashire Landing, Gallipoli.

Rifles and machine guns accompanied by pom poms,
bullets whizzing past us, attacks of screaming bombs.
Picked off by snipers in cliffs above the beach,
mission objective close though almost out of reach.
A sandy cove beyond a raging sea,
Lancashire Landing, Gallipoli.

Fun on the beach Mam. Fun on the beach!

© Shirley-Anne Kennedy 2015
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