“This is only suicide boys”: The Gallipoli Campaign’s August Offensive & The Battle of Sari Bair

Veterans of Gallipoli used to say it was one of the harshest theatres of the Great War. The August Offensive shows exactly why. Read the story of the Battle of Sari Bair here.

The August Offensive

Cemeteries & Memorials of Gallipoli: Memories & tragedy

The Dardanelles and the Gallipoli Peninsula are landscapes tinged with memory and tragedy.

The cemeteries and memorials that dot the peninsula are reminders of the time when the area was rent asunder by the carnage and chaos of warfare. 

At sites like the Lone Pine Memorial, the Nek Cemetery, and dozens more, tens of thousands of men are commemorated, side by side, regardless of rank, race, colour or creed.

Lovingly cared for by Commonwealth War Graves’ maintenance and horticultural teams, these sites mark the sacrifice and struggle experienced by men from across the Commonwealth in one of the Great Wars’ most notorious campaigns.

Thousands of casualties commemorated by CWGC’s Gallipoli cemetery and memorials lost their lives during the tumultuous August Offensive and the Battle for Sari Bair. Here, we share the story of the offensive’s myriad battles and the men who fought and fell here.

The Situation in Gallipoli

Image: Australian troops come ashore during the first wave of Gallipoli Landings in April 1915 (IWM (Q 112876))

The Gallipoli Campaign began with naval attacks in February 1915, followed by the main landings in April.

Its goal was to relieve pressure on the beleaguered Russian Empire, which was clashing with the Central Powers in the East, while potentially knocking the Ottoman Empire out of the war altogether.

On the morning of 25 April, the Allies launched a series of major amphibious landings at Gallipoli. French, British, Indian, and Australian and New Zealand troops hit the beaches in force but soon were faced with a stalemate.

By the summer of 1915, despite launching major assaults across the peninsula, the Allies were essentially still stuck on the beach. High bluffs and cliffs overlooked Allied landing zones, allowing Ottoman fire to pour down onto the beach, giving the defenders a natural advantage.

As the Allied soldiers dug trenches into the peninsula’s thin sandy soil, conditions began to worsen. Soldiers suffered enormous thirst, lacking drinking water as the sweltering summer sun beat down on exposed beaches or hilltops.

Concentrated on the landing zones and on captured ground, men buried their fallen comrades where they could in makeshift battlefield burial grounds. But, with limited space, the dead soon began to stack up.

The decay and the stench attracted clouds of buzzing black flies, making everyday tasks like eating and washing a trying ordeal.

As was the case with their contemporaries on the Western Front, British military planners in the Dardanelles sought new offensives to break the deadlock. August 1915 would be a chaotic time on the Gallipoli Peninsula.

The August Offensive: Planning & objectives

The August Offensive plan sounds basic, but was actually quite elaborate. Allied troops would attack the high ground of the Sari Bair ridge to create a new frontline linking ANZAC Cove in the south to Suvla Bay in the North.

The offensive's main objectives were to capture two important high points in the Sari Bair hills: Chunuk Bair and Hill 971.

If captured, these would:

• Give the Allies control of the two highest points in the Sari Bair range, dominating the Gallipoli Peninsula
• Protect further troops at ANZAC from enemy fire
• Get a clear view of the eastern Gallipoli peninsula

To pull this off, a series of actions and offensives were planned:

• The main landing at Suvla Bay with fresh troops and Australian engineers
• British troops breaking out of Helles at the peninsula’s tip
• Australian troops would attack at Lone Pine, southeast of ANZAC Cove
• British, Indian, and ANZAC units would attack Sari Bair
• New Zealanders would target Chunuk Bair
• The Australian 4th Brigade would assault Hill 971

The Ottomans knew that a renewed Allied offensive was coming. However, they didn’t know where or when. They had anticipated a breakout from the ANZAC sector but couldn’t be sure if it would head north towards Suvla or south. 

Ottoman commander Mustafa Kamel, later known as Ataturk and a foundational figure for modern Turkey, suspected the strike would focus north, but he was only given one regiment to defend the area north of ANZAC.

The Battle of Sari Bair

Landing at Suvla Bay

"It was now broad daylight and the situation in Suvla Bay was verging on chaos…" 

Image: Troops Landing on C Beach, Suvla Bay, Later in the Day, 7th August 1915 (IWM)

For the upcoming offensive, Mediterranean Expeditionary Force Commander General Sir Ian Hamilton received three fresh New Army divisions: The 10th (Irish), the 11th (Northern) and the 13th (Western) Divisions, forming IX Corps. IX Corps would lead the landings at Suvla.

By a quirk of seniority over experience, Lieutenant-General Frederick Stopford, a man who had more experience in military administration, and no experience commanding men in the field, was selected for command. Despite being a veteran of 45 years, Stopford had never commanded troops in battle. This would prove costly as initial success turned into an embarrassing stalemate.

At 10.00 pm on the night of 6-7 August 1915, the assault began. Ottoman defenders were driven off a small hillock overlooking “B” Beach but at a heavy cost. 

The night time landings were chaotic. At “A” Beach, transport vessels ran ashore on hidden sandbars, leaving some troops no option but to wade ashore, sometimes up to their necks, in seawater. 

Coming ashore under a rising moon, British units became intermingled, and officers were unable to effectively locate and command their men. The chain of command was breaking down.

The original objectives required assault troops to push off the beach and attack hill points to the north and east, past a salt lake. However, by the evening, the chain of command was breaking down. 

Things weren’t helped by General Stopford. He elected to command the battle from offshore about HMS Jonquil. However, when the main attack began, the old general was asleep!

As the dawn broke, British troops were still sitting, unordered, on the beach. The delay gave the Ottomans valuable time to rush reinforcements to Suvla Bay and dig in. By the time the British began to advance inland, the opportunity to take the lightly defended hills overlooking Suvla Bay was lost.

Fighting intensified at Suvla, but due to the chaos of the initial landings and a complete lack of urgency and aggression from Stopford, the attack broke down into the familiar Gallipoli stalemate. By 15 August, the assault phase was over.

From an initial force of 27,000 men, it’s estimated that the casualties were as high as 20,000, with at least 1,700 dead.

Attack on Krithia Vineyard

“Absolute murder… for men fall like corn before the sickle…”

Cape Helles, the southernmost tip of the Gallipoli Peninsula, had been in British and French hands since the April 25 landings. Several offensives at Krithia (modern-day Alçıtepe), a village commanding a high plateau, had failed to achieve a breakout.

As part of the wider August Offensive, Krithia was targeted again in an action sometimes known as “The Fourth Battle of Krithia”. As with the wider Sari Bair attacks, the assault on Krithia aimed to draw forces away from the Suvla beachhead.

Beginning on 6 August, the 88th Brigade of the British 29th Division began probing attacks on Ottoman trenches in an area around Krithia known as the “Vineyard”. Fighting through vineyards and olive groves, both sides suffered heavy casualties.

The 88th Brigade was able to capture some trenches but was driven back. By the end of the first day, the brigade had suffered 1,905 casualties, equating to two-thirds of its fighting strength.

The following morning, the supporting 42nd Division put in an attack to the right of the 88th Brigade’s position. 127th Brigade was able to break the Ottoman lines but was thrown back by a strong counterattack.

Fighting would continue around the Vineyard until 13 August, when once more stalemate set in. Krithia would remain one of the most violent and busy sectors of the Gallipoli front for the rest of the campaign.

Bloody Ridge: The Battle of Lone Pine

“I wonder if I will live through…I have a big lump in my throat…”

Image: The Taking of Lone Pine, Fred Leist, 1921 (Australian War Memorial)

The Battle of Lone Pine was one of the fiercest actions of the wider Battle of Sari Bair. 

As with many of the Autumn Offensive’s targets, Lone Pine was strategically important, plateauing over the ANZAC’s southern sector. It was attacked on 6 August by the Australian 1st and 3rd Brigades to draw Ottoman attention away from the northern thrusts on Chunuk Bair.

In the build-up to August, Australian engineers had mined and tunnelled towards the plateau where the Ottomans had built heavily fortified defensive positions. In some stretches, the Turkish trench network featured log roofs, meaning attackers would have to break through them to reach the defenders.

At 5:30 pm on 6 August, as the evening sun streamed into the Ottoman defenders’ eyes, the Aussies rose from their trenches and attacked. Half the force went “over the top” while the others used the tunnels to cross No Man’s Land in safety.

In just 20 minutes, the Australians had captured the Turkish frontline trenches and were pushing through the communications and support lines behind the Ottoman front. 

Stopping at nightfall, the Aussies consolidated their position and dug in, anticipating intense counterattacks. Soon, the real battle began.

For the next three days, Australians and Ottomans clashed in desperate hand-to-hand combat, including claustrophobic fighting in the Turks’ own tunnel network. Bodies stacked high in the trenches, further damaged by endless grenades hurled by both sides.

Despite the intensity of the fighting, the Ottomans were unable to dislodge the Aussies. The Australians would hold the ground taken at Lone Pine until the Gallipoli Evacuation in December 1916.

The Battle of the Nek

“This is only suicide boys, I’m going to make a jump for it…”

Image: The charge of the 3rd Light Horse Brigade at the Nek, 7 August 1915, George Washington Lambert, 1924 (Australian War Memorial)

The Gallipoli Campaign strongly demonstrates the importance of high ground in warfare.

Take the Nek, for instance. A narrow land bridge at the northern end of the ANZAC sector, the Nek linked two significant hills: Russell’s Top, held by the Australians, and the Ottoman-controlled Baby 700. 

Normally, such a piece of land would be unremarkable, but as it bridged two strategic locations, the Nek was fiercely fought over in the August Offensive. 

The original plan called for a two-pronged assault on Ottoman positions following a successful New Zealand attack at Chunuk Bair to the north. Once the Kiwis had taken Chunuk Bair, they would fall on the Ottomans occupying Baby 700 from the rear, while the men of the Australian 3rd Light Horse Brigade attacked the front.

The 3rd Light Horse Brigade had come to Gallipoli without its mounts and was employed on foot. It was chosen to lead the assault on Baby 700 from Russell’s Top. Unfortunately for its men, the attack on the Nek would not go accordingly.

For starters, the New Zealanders' attack on Chunuk Bair had stalled. However, planners still went ahead as they believed the Aussie’s attack could distract the Turks enough for the Kiwis to push home their assault.

Artillery and naval gun support opened up at 4 am on 7 August, peppering the Ottoman frontline. Much to the Aussie’s confusion, it abruptly stopped seven minutes before the attack was due to start at 4:30. 

Rather than go in immediately after their guns stopped firing, Australian commanders chose to wait until the assigned start time to attack. This allowed Ottoman defenders to come out of cover and set up their machine-guns.

Those guns subsequently opened up and began firing into the first wave of Australian soldiers. The Aussies were scythed down in droves. Despite the heavy casualties, some eyewitness accounts say some Australian soldiers made it to the Ottoman lines.

Even as the first two waves lay dead and dying across the Nek, the third wave went in. Another disaster. Midway through, or just after, the third wave’s assault, orders were given to halt any further attacks. Sadly, half of the fourth wave had already committed itself and were cut down by gunfire.

The attack on the Nek was over by 4:45 am. In just 15 minutes, 234 of the 600 Australian troops involved had been killed.

Clash at Chunuk Bair

“The place became a corner of hell…”

Image: The battle of Chunuk Bair by Ion G. Brown (Alexander Turnbull Library, D-001-035)

Dominating the Sari Bair range is Chunuk Bair, nearly 300 metres of strategically important high ground. Taking Chunuk Bair was the key to unravelling the Ottoman defensive axis and could have forced their withdrawal from the peninsula.

New Zealanders were chosen to lead the assault on Chunuk Bair. Supported by Indian Army troops, some 15,000 men were chosen to assault the high ground, defended by up to 20,000 Ottomans.

The first attacks began on an area known as Rhododendron Spur on 6 August. Much like the Aussies at the Nek, many New Zealand dismounted cavalry units participated in the battle, as did men of the Maori Battalion.

The Auckland Mounted Rifles and Wellington Rifles started their attacks well, clearing out Ottoman outposts at Destroyer Hill and Table Top. Elsewhere, the Otago Mounted Rifles and Canterbury Mounted Rifles performed similarly well at Bauchop’s Hill, named for the Otagos’ commander, Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Bauchop, who was killed in the attack.

Despite these successes, the New Zealanders were two hours behind schedule. They planned to attack the summit of Chunuk Bair before first light. This now looked unlikely.

The main assault on Chunk Bair came on 8 August. The chance for a swift victory had disappeared, with Ottoman reinforcements reaching the summit after the failed attack on the Nek.

By 8 August, after intense and exhausting fighting, the Wellington Battalion succeeded in capturing and holding the summit of Chunuk Bair. However, the position was highly exposed, and the troops faced relentless Ottoman artillery and counterattacks. 

Lieutenant Colonel Malone, who had refused an earlier daylight assault order to preserve his men, was killed during the action, and his leadership became emblematic of the bravery and tragedy of the battle.

On 10 August, the Ottomans launched a powerful bayonet charge led personally by Mustafa Kemal. The assault drove the remaining Allied troops from the summit in brutal hand-to-hand combat. The Allies never regained the position.

Aftermath

The loss of Chunuk Bair marked the end of the wider Battle of Sari Bair.

Fighting would rage across Gallipoli until the end of August. The last two major Allied offensives of the Gallipoli Campaign took place today.

The Battle of Scimitar Hill

“The reports of this operation are very brief and non-committal... no one knew exactly where he was... one finds bewildered troops falling back on occupied lines and a paralysing mixing up of units...all were well-nigh exhausted”

The capture of Scimitar Hill, a prominent height overlooking the Suvla Plain, was deemed vital to ensure control of the area. Holding this position would allow British forces to link up with Anzac troops pushing toward Chunuk Bair and the surrounding heights.

However, with the failure of the earlier August Offensive, attacks, morale was low.

On 21 August, the British 11th Division advanced. A thick morning mist obscured the battlefield, initially covering the British advance, but as the fog cleared, machine and artillery fire intensified, and casualties began to mount.

The area around Scimitar Hill was covered in dry, loose scrub, which quickly caught ablaze thanks to the gunfire. Now battling the elements as much as the Turks, many men of the 11th Division either suffocated or burned in the smoke and flame.

The burning landscape also made moving reinforcements up to the front very difficult, while local flare-ups could cause units to retreat and scatter.

In the afternoon, the 53rd (Welsh) Division reached the Scimitar Hill front. These new troops were fresh but inexperienced, and like many fighting in Gallipoli were inadequately trained for the conditions.

Coming on in waves, the Welsh were simply cut down. Without sufficient artillery support, the attack was called off.

5,000 British soldiers became casualties on Scimitar Hill. Over 1,300 would never leave Gallipoli.

The Battle of Scimitar Hill

“The reports of this operation are very brief and non-committal... no one knew exactly where he was... one finds bewildered troops falling back on occupied lines and a paralysing mixing up of units...all were well-nigh exhausted”

The capture of Scimitar Hill, a prominent height overlooking the Suvla Plain, was deemed vital to ensure control of the area. Holding this position would allow British forces to link up with Anzac troops pushing toward Chunuk Bair and the surrounding heights.

However, with the failure of the earlier August Offensive, attacks, morale was low.

On 21 August, the British 11th Division advanced. A thick morning mist obscured the battlefield, initially covering the British advance, but as the fog cleared, machine and artillery fire intensified, and casualties began to mount.

The area around Scimitar Hill was covered in dry, loose scrub, which quickly caught ablaze thanks to the gunfire. Now battling the elements as much as the Turks, many men of the 11th Division either suffocated or burned in the smoke and flame.

The burning landscape also made moving reinforcements up to the front very difficult, while local flare-ups could cause units to retreat and scatter.

In the afternoon, the 53rd (Welsh) Division reached the Scimitar Hill front. These new troops were fresh but inexperienced, and like many fighting in Gallipoli were inadequately trained for the conditions. 

Coming on in waves, the Welsh were simply cut down. Without sufficient artillery support, the attack was called off.

5,000 British soldiers became casualties on Scimitar Hill. Over 1,300 would never leave Gallipoli.

Attack on Hill 60

“Mind me arm, mate!”

Fought between 21-29 August 1915, the Battle of Hill 60 was the last major assault of the Gallipoli Campaign.

Hill 60 itself was only a modest piece of high ground, but as this blog has repeatedly shown, controlling high points was of the utmost importance for the Gallipoli combatants. In Hill 60’s case, it overlooked communications lines between the ANZAC and Sulva sectors, commanding excellent views.

A mixture of British, Indian (Including Gurkhas), New Zealand, and Australian units was assembled for the action at Hill 60.

The first assault began on the afternoon of 21 August, coinciding with the failed attack on Scimitar Hill. The plan was for infantry supported by artillery to overrun the Ottoman trenches on Hill 60.

Initial attacks by British and Indian troops met fierce resistance. The terrain was rugged, dry, and heavily defended, and the attackers had to advance across open ground.

The ANZAC forces, including the Australian 18th Battalion, attacked on the left flank and managed to gain a foothold in the Turkish trenches, but at heavy cost.

Over the next two days, the fighting devolved into a gruelling close-quarters battle, with bombing raids, bayonet charges, and hand-to-hand combat.

Despite small advances, the Allies failed to secure the summit. The attacks were disorganised, and communications between units were poor: a recurring theme of the Gallipoli Campaign.

A renewed offensive was launched on 27 August, this time with stronger reinforcements, including the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade and Gurkhas.

On 27 August, the Allies succeeded in capturing more Ottoman trenches and part of the summit of Hill 60.

However, intense counterattacks by Ottoman forces prevented a full takeover. The trench systems were complex and often intertwined, meaning both sides were sometimes fighting in adjacent or even connected trenches.

The final major attacks occurred on 29 August, with vicious close-quarters fighting, particularly by the New Zealand and Australian troops.

By the end of the month, the Allies held only a portion of the hill. The summit remained disputed, and no decisive advantage was gained.

Stories from Gallipoli & the Autumn Offensive

Captain John Alfred John Shout VC

Image: Captain John Shout VC (Australian War Memorial)

Captain John Shout’s military career begins in the early 1900s in South Africa when he served in the Second Boer War. Mentioned in Despatches and promoted to Sergeant, this was just a taste of things to come for John.

At the outbreak of the First World War, John was working as a carpenter and joiner in Sydney, Australia, living with his wife and daughter. Nonetheless, he enlisted once more, becoming a founding officer of 1st Battalion, Australian Infantry.

With the 1st Battalion, John went into action at Gallipoli on 25 April. Then a Lieutenant, Alfred performed many heroics during this ill-fated campaign, earning the Military Medal and further Mentions in Despatches. 

On August 6, the ANZACS were engaged in the battle of Lone Pine. During this action, Alfred lost his life but performed the deeds that saw him posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, one of seven Australian VCs awarded at Lone Pine.

Alfred took part in the initial assault and over the next three days was instrumental in capturing several Ottoman outposts. 

On 9 August, Alfred charged an Ottoman trench, hurling grenades. He killed eight opposing soldiers and wounded many others.

As part of a final charge, Alfred primed three grenades. The third went off prematurely, horrifically injuring Captain Shout.

Shout was evacuated to the rear, still seemingly cheerful despite his wounds. He was evacuated to a hospital ship, but succumbed to his injuries on 11 August 1916.
 
Alfred was buried at sea and so is commemorated on the Lone Pine Memorial in Gallipoli.

Alfred’s Victoria Cross citation reads:

“On the morning of 9th August, 1915, with a small party, Captain Shout charged down trenches strongly occupied by the enemy, and personally threw four bombs among them, killing eight and routing the remainder.

“In the afternoon, he captured a further length of trench and continued personally to bomb the enemy at close range, under very heavy fire, until he was severely wounded, losing his right hand and left eye. He succumbed to his injuries.”

Serjeant David Robert Brannigan Lascelles

Image: Serjeant David Lascelles (New Zealand War Memorial)

David Lascelles was born in 1890 and grew up in Greenmeadows, Napier, New Zealand. He worked as an accountant before the First World War.

David was also serving in the 9th Hawke’s Bay Regiment, a territorial infantry regiment of the New Zealand Military Forces, at this time.

On the 12th of August 1914, David enlisted in the Wellington Regiment of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, known during the Gallipoli campaign as the Wellington Battalion.

The Wellingtons arrived in Gallipoli during the initial landings and took and held a piece of high ground known as Walkers Ridge. 

From April to August 1915, David and the Wellingtons occupied frontline positions along the Sari Bair range, such as at Quinn’s Post a stone’s throw from the Turkish front.

In May, the Kiwis were in action at the failed Second Battle of Krithia, as well as the Ottoman counterattack at ANZAC, where the Ottomans sought to force an Allied evacuation.

With the August Offensive, the Battle of Sari Bair began, and the Wellingtons were involved in one of the key engagements of the campaign: Chunuk Bair.

On the morning of 8 August 1915, the Wellingtons reached the summit of Chunuk Bair, alongside battalions of the Gloucestershire and Welsh regiments. This had been no easy feat, and the attacking troops were seriously depleted. This was more than likely the first time any of the men had seen the Dardanelles, too.

It was in the attack on Chunuk Bair that Serjeant David Robert Brannigan Lascelles lost his life, however, it is not known how exactly. He is one of just 10 identified casualties buried at Chunuk Bair Cemetery, alongside 620 unidentified burials.

298 men of the Wellington Regiment lost their lives on 8 August, the majority of whom are commemorated on the Chunuk Bair New Zealand Memorial opposite the cemetery.

On 10 August 1915, Chunuk Bair was recaptured by the Ottoman forces by a gallant bayonet charge, and it remained in their hands until the end of the campaign, providing tactical advantage over the entire ANZAC sector.

Commemorating the fallen of the Battle of Sari Bair

Dozens of cemeteries and memorials sit on the Gallipoli Peninsula, very often on the very battlefields where the men they commemorate fought and fell. Here is a small selection of the sites commemorating war dead from the Battle of Sari Bair.

The Nek Cemetery, Anzac

Image: The Nek Cemetery, Anzac

Representing the devastation of the August Offensive, just ten identified soldiers are buried in the Nek Cemetery, Anzac, one of the dozens of Commonwealth War Graves cemeteries and memorials dotting the Gallipoli Peninsula.

While ten men are commemorated here by name, the burial ground actually holds more than 325 Commonwealth servicemen of the Great War. Five special memorials mention by name five Australian soldiers thought to be commemorated here.

The cemetery was built after the Armistice on the former No Man’s Land between the Australian and Ottoman frontlines. Now, they lie eternally at the site where they fell, during the ill-fated bayonet charge of 6 August 1915.

Lone Pine Cemetery & Memorial

Image: Lone Pine Cemetery and Memorial

The Lone Pine Memorial stands sentinel over the site of some of the fiercest fighting of the Gallipoli campaign. Its gleaming white stone panels and central tower are a stunning landmark but also commemorate nearly 5,000 Australian and New Zealand servicemen with no known grave.

Other names on the memorial include those who died at sea and were buried in Gallipoli’s waters.

The Australian charge at Lone Pine was dashing and daring, soon descending into intense close-quarters combat. A small battlefield cemetery was started once the situation began to calm. After Armistice, the cemetery was enlarged as scattered burials and graves were brought in from the surrounding area.

Over 1,160 servicemen lie in Lone Pine Cemetery, just over 500 of whom are unidentified.

Chunuk Bair Cemetery & (New Zealand) Memorial

Image: Chunuk Bair Cemetery & Memorial

When you stand in Chunuk Bair Cemetery, you can see exactly why it was such a choice target for the Gallipoli combatants. The site commands sweeping vistas over the peninsula, essentially providing the holder with total visibility of the region, which is essential for success.

You can also see the cost. While only ten of the men buried here are identified, like The Nek, it holds many more. Over 630 soldiers are buried here in a landscape forever tinged with tragedy.

Within the burial ground, overlooking the Gallipoli countryside, sits the bright white stone Chunuk Bair (New Zealand) Memorial. This is one of four sites commemorating New Zealanders who died in the Dardanelles with no known grave, bearing the names of over 850 officers and enlisted men.

Hill 10 Cemetery

Image: Hill 10 Memorial

Suvla Bay is studded with CWGC cemeteries, including Green Hill, Lala Baba, and Amzak Cemetery, showcasing the struggles and confusion of the chaotic landings.

Hill 10, a low, isolated mound in the northern Suvla sector, was captured in the early hours of August 1916, one of the few objectives to be taken that fateful morning. 

A cemetery was set up here after the war, taking in burials from across the north of Suvla Bay, including those from the 88th and 89th Dressing stations, as medical hubs were set up on the beach during the landings and beyond.

Now, there are nearly 700 men buried here, 150 of whom are unidentified.

Got a story to tell from the Gallipoli Campaign? Share it on For Evermore

For Evermore: Stories of the Fallen is our online resource for sharing the memories of the Commonwealth’s war dead.

It’s open to the public to share their family histories and the tales of the service people commemorated by Commonwealth War Graves so that we may preserve their legacies beyond just a name on a headstone or a memorial.

If you have a story to tell, we’d love to hear it! Head to For Evermore to upload and share it for all the world to see.