William Lionel Wyllie, R.A., (British, 1851-1931)

The Dardanelles Campaign

The Dardanelles Campaign
signed and dated 'W.L.Wyllie/1917' (lower left)
oil on canvas
29.5 x 88cm (11 5/8 x 34 5/8in).

A letter from the artist describes this scene as follows:

'On the left is the old battleship Albion then comes Cape Helles and next V Beach where the collier River Clyde is run ashore close to Seddel Bakr. In the middle Queen Elizabeth with shells from the Turkish batteries falling all round her is firing towards the narrows. On the right is Murto Bay.'

Provenance
Commissioned from the artist by Mr Chadwick Kershaw in 1917.
Private collection, UK.

In the months preceding the outbreak of the First World War, the United Kingdom, France and Russia were keen to ensure the neutrality of the Ottoman Empire. The Central Powers - Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire - were keen to bring in the Turks, in the event of war, as a threat to Russia's southern flank. Britain and France were also concerned for their naval domination of the Mediterranean and any threat to the Suez Canal. From 1860, Turkey had been regarded as 'the sick man of Europe' and had been little regarded by the more highly-developed nations, but its strategic position remained important because it controlled the only ice-free supply route to Russia. In July 1914 the Ottoman Empire allied itself with Germany against Russia in return for military and naval assistance and formally joined the Central Powers against all of the Allies on 31st October. German successes during the first months of the war in France, Belgium and Russia prompted an Allied strategy aimed at eliminating the Ottomans, who were seen as a weak link in the Central Alliance, and this was to be achieved by the capture of Constantinople, the Ottoman capital, by means of a naval expedition through the Dardanelles Straits.

British and French naval assets attempted to force the waterway in March 1915 but were repelled, principally by skilfully laid mine fields and well-served, although obsolete, artillery. Some of which was manned by German gunners, who were part of a military mission intended to modernise and up-skill the Ottoman Army. The combined fleet lost three battleships sunk and three others were severely damaged. This rebuff led to a change of strategy that required the Army to land and advance parallel to the Straits thereby taking the coastal defences in the rear and eliminating them so as to allow the ships undisputed passage along the waterway.

Planning and assembling the force for the landings took about a month, which the Turks used to reinforce their positions. The main landings were made on 25th April 1915 on the tip of the Gallipoli Peninsula at Cape Helles, where a substantial beach-head was formed but held in check by Turkish forces occupying the higher ground inland. A flanking force made up of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) landed at Gaba Tepe, subsequently named ANZAC Cove, on the western shore of the peninsula. Its penetration inland was equally problematic. As land artillery was in short supply, the naval escorting force provided as much support as possible with its own guns, but target identification and accurate shooting were difficult.

British and Commonwealth troops remained in position despite unbreakable Turkish resistance and mounting casualties from appalling weather, until the turn of the year. The ANZAC positions were evacuated on 20th December and Cape Helles on 9th January 1916. Both departures were achieved, against expectations, with minimal casualties.

We are grateful to Dr Andrew Cormack for his assistance in cataloguing this lot.