The AIF Project

The Lone Pine Memorial, situated in the Lone Pine Cemetery at Anzac, is the main Australian Memorial on Gallipoli, and one of four memorials to men of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Designed by Sir John Burnet, the principal architect of the Gallipoli cemeteries, it is a thick tapering pylon 14.3 metres high on a square base 12.98 metres wide. It is constructed from limestone mined at Ilgardere in Turkey.

The Memorial commemorates the 3268 Australians and 456 New Zealanders who have no known grave and the 960 Australians and 252 New Zealanders who were buried at sea after evacuation through wounds or disease. The names of New Zealanders commemorated are inscribed on stone panels mounted on the south and north sides of the pylon, while those of the Australians are listed on a long wall of panels in front of the pylon and to either side. Names are arranged by unit and rank.

The Memorial stands over the centre of the Turkish trenches and tunnels which were the scene of heavy fighting during the August offensive. Most cemeteries on Gallipoli contain relatively few marked graves, and the majority of Australians killed on Gallipoli are commemorated here.

Father wrote to son, 7 December 1914: 'Dear Leonard, Your wire to hand asking my written consent for you to go to the war. I was going to sugest [sic] to you when I wrote to you last to offer yourself. I am very pleased indeed to give it and wish you a safe return for Germany must be put down now and forever or else we are in for a bad time later on. I will close with wishing you safe voyage and be a man every time. Write when you can. You [sic] loving father. B.S. Humphreys, Butcher, Leyburn, Captain, Leyburn Rifle Club.

War service: Egypt, Gallipoli

Taken on strength, 2nd Bn, Gallipoli, 7 May 1915.

Killed in action, Gallipoli, 14 August 1915.

Note on Form B103: Graves Registration Unit, Alexandria, 17 July 1917: 'No trace Grave Site'.