News / Military

UK marks centenary of Gallipoli

Saturday, 25 April 2015 12:16 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 25 April 2015 12:16 PM ]

UK leaders mark anniversary of Gallipoli campaign.

The UK has marked the centenary of the Gallipoli campaign in World War I.

The Queen also attended the UK ceremonies. She took part in a two-minute silence before laying a wreath at the Cenotaph in Whitehall. The Queen was joined by Prince William and party leaders at the memorial parade, ahead of a service at Westminster Abbey.

A second day of services is also taking place in Australia, Turkey and New Zealand to mark the centenary.

At dawn on 25 April 1915, thousands of allied troops launched an amphibious attack on the strategically-important Gallipoli peninsula, which was key to controlling the Dardanelles strait, a crucial route to the Black Sea and Russia.

The eight-month Gallipoli campaign is most frequently associated with the forces of the Australian and New Zealand army corps, the Anzacs, but of the more than half a million allied troops who were involved in the operation, some 350,000 came from Britain.

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