Statement from the CWGC regarding fires in Gallipoli

Update: 4 September 2024

We are relieved to announce that our team in Gallipoli are making excellent progress in returning all our affected sites to their previous state, following the damage caused by the fires two weeks ago. Surveying works have now been completed for all affected sites including the Farm Cemetery.

We have been concentrating on carrying out a full cleaning operation including the stonework to Canterbury Cemetery, New Zealand No.2 Outpost Cemetery, The Farm Cemetery and Embarkation Pier Cemetery. And have been working hard to assess the damage to our operational sites while taking all precautions to keep our staff safe.

As and when it is safe to do so and as suitable working and weather conditions permit, we will focus on repairing the stonework and completing horticultural renovations. Our goal is to restore our cemeteries to their previous state as quickly as possible.

We’d like to thank again the fire service and local authorities for their continued support during this time.

Update: 22 August 2024

We are pleased to say we are making excellent progress in returning all of our sites to their previous state, following the damage caused by the fires in Gallipoli last week.

Our teams have this week been busy carrying out a full cleaning operation to Canterbury Cemetery and the New Zealand No.2 Outpost Cemetery.

We have also been working hard today to assess, clean and clear the Embarkation Pier Cemetery.

Surveying works have now been scheduled for all sites to help us fully assess the stonework and any further damage in remote sites which are more difficult to reach, such as The Farm Cemetery. These will be carried out as soon as it is safe to do so.

We’d like to thank again the fire service and local authorities for their continued support during this time.

Update: 19 August 2024

Following the large fires which swept through the Gallipoli Peninsula in Türkiye last Thursday and Friday, our colleagues have been able to make initial assessments of the damage caused to a number of our cemeteries in the region.

Whilst there is extensive fire damage to the gardens, trees and horticulture in and around the cemeteries, it appears there has been no damage (other than superficial) to the headstones, graves and memorials which we look after. 

It is currently not possible to carry out a full scale inspection of all cemeteries, which total more than 30. Some of our operational storage sites and gardening machinery have been destroyed by the fires. As soon as it is possible, we will complete our inspections and determine what work should be undertaken, and when. 

The Lone Pine, as well as the saplings of the Lone Pine which we hold in our nursery, all survived the fires. 

We appreciate the widespread concern regarding the consequences of these fires, and we understand the distress of those with personal connections to those who lie in our care. We will endeavour to keep providing updates of the condition of the cemeteries. 

We are grateful to the fire services and local authorities who prioritised the safety of those in the region as the fires spread rapidly across the peninsula. 

Statement:16 August 2024

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is deeply concerned to learn that large fires, reportedly started by an electrical fault, have burnt historical areas of the Gallipoli peninsula in Türkiye. 

Our foremost priority is the safety of those in the region and we can confirm all our staff were evacuated from the peninsula and are safe. 

The fires, fanned by high winds, have spread rapidly across the peninsula and we understand several of our commemorative and operational sites, have been affected. The full scale of the damage is not yet known but a preliminary assessment is underway. A full assessment is likely to take some time.

The CWGC cares for the graves and memorials of Commonwealth casualties of the First World War in more than 30 cemeteries on the Gallipoli Peninsula. 

We understand this news may cause distress, especially to those with personal connections to those commemorated but any damage will be assessed and work to remediate it will be undertaken as soon as it is possible to do so. 

In the interim, our thoughts are with our colleagues, their families and the wider communities affected by the fires, and with those with personal connections to those we commemorate on the Gallipoli Peninsula. The CWGC would like to extend our profound thanks to those who are fighting to keep local people and villages safe, and to limit damage to commemorative sites of all nations.

Updates will be provided when available.