A beautiful Aegean sky basks Lemnos as it honours the Gallipoli fallen in annual service

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On 28 April 2026 commemorative services were held connected the bluish Aegean Island of Lemnos to honour the fallen of the Gallipoli run of 1915-16 under a beauteous bluish sky. The services were held under the theme Honor and Memory of the Fallen successful the Gallipoli Campaign Anzac 2026. This is an yearly work held connected the Island under the auspices of the Northern Aegean Regional Government and the Lemnos Municipality. The work is held pursuing the authoritative Australian Government commemoration of Anzac Day astatine the Phaleron War Cemetery successful Athens.

As with erstwhile years, the services was attended by galore government, diplomatic, military, religious, schoolhouse groups and assemblage representatives, including those representing Australia. Along with the Deputy Australian Ambassador Lachlan Scully, the Department of Veterans Affairs was represented arsenic well arsenic our ain Australian Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee (the Committee). The Committee was represented by Peter Sotiropoulos, who was accompanied astatine the services by Lemnian Australian Jim Elias and Australian veteran Dimitri Petrellis. Many section and planetary visitors besides attended the services. No uncertainty there were galore different Australians of Lemnian practice contiguous too.

The work comprised a bid of commemorative events. These centred connected the commemorative services held astatine some East Mudros Military Cemetery and Portianos Military Cemetery. These are the resting spot of astir 1,200 Commonwealth war dormant from the First World War, including 148 Australians crossed some cemeteries.

The main work was held astatine East Mudros Military Cemetery. Attendees arrived on with a Hellenic subject honour guard. The services encompassed a spiritual blessing, addresses by cardinal attendees, a ceremonial wreath laying work and the playing of nationalist anthems. As portion of the wreath laying service, the Committee’s Peter Sotiropoulos laid a wreath connected behalf of the Committee successful Australia.

The Deputy Australian Ambassador delivered an code to the work arsenic well arsenic Australian veteran Dimitri Petrelis, the second delivering a abbreviated code connected behalf of Committee President Lee Tarlamis MP. Tarlamis’ code reiterated the relation of Lemnos successful Australia’s Anzac story, including the information that the archive of documents and photographs amusement that while connected Lemnos they enjoyed the relationship of the land and its people. In the midst of the horrors of war, these young radical recovered some normality and warmth. His statement added that these young Australians connected Lemnos were the archetypal large radical of Australians to travel to Greece, a transportation betwixt our two peoples that would beryllium enriched implicit the decades and which continues to this day.

The services connected the Island besides included a well –attended presentations astatine the Cultural Centre of Mudros comprising a presumption by section precocious schoolhouse students connected the theme “Young radical narrate the past of the Anzacs” and different by AF Major General (Ret) Tsipouridis Diogenis connected “The First World War – The Gallipoli Campaign”.

This was followed by a commemorative work astatine Portianos Military Cemetery, where flowers were laid astatine the memorial arsenic portion of the service. This Cemetery is besides the determination of the Nurses Memorial erected arsenic portion of the Anzac Centenary commemorations successful 2015 connected the inaugural of the then Canadian Ambassador to Greece Robert Peck with the support of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. So it was due that a Lemnian from Canada delivered an code during this service. Georgios Konstantellis’ code was titled “Those who cannot retrieve the past are condemned to repetition it”. Konstantellis is the exertion of the work entitled Lemnos: Historical and Cultural Heritage.

The erstwhile evening a screening of the documentary produced by Sydney-based Lemnian Liz Kaydos entitled Anzac Lemnos 1915 took spot astatine the Apothiki assemblage connected Lemnos. The documentary highlights the very important relation of Lemnos successful the Gallipoli run during World War.

The Gallipoli commemorative events connected Lemnos besides included a visit to the celebrated navigational beacon connected what was known arsenic the Turks Head Peninsula successful 1915. The caller Royal Australian Navy (RAN) commemorative plaque researched by myself and funded by the Committee was then installed and unveiled by Deputy Mayor Boulotis and the Committee’s Peter Sotiropulos. The plaque commemorates the relation of the RAN connected Lemnos during the Gallipoli run and the First World War, peculiarly the AE2 Australian submarine, the Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train and the Australian warships who came to Mudros astatine the extremity of the war pursuing the signing of the Armistice of Mudros. The determination with its navigational relation stretching backmost to the Gallipoli run is an due ιστοσελίδα for this memorial.

Lemnos Deputy Mayor Dimitris Boulotis said that it was a privilege for Lemnos to big the yearly work to the Gallipoli run connected the Island. “Lemnos and its radical are arrogant of the relation the Island played successful the Gallipoli campaign, including the Anzac story, particularly arsenic a spot of remainder and recuperation pursuing the horrors of the campaign. And we are besides big to so galore work unit who stay connected Lemnos successful its Gallipoli subject cemeteries”, helium said.

Sotiropoulos reflected connected representing the Committee astatine the service. “This was not my archetypal visit to beauteous Lemnos but my archetypal to enactment successful the yearly commemorative service. I person attended galore Anzac services successful Australia and I tin accidental that the section authorities person held an awesome work and associated events. It was a moving to beryllium capable to take portion and to laic a wreath connected behalf of our Australian Committee. Lest we forget”.

Sotiropoulos had besides earlier participated successful the Anzac Day commemorations held astatine Athens’ Phaleron War Cemetery where helium besides laid a wreath connected behalf of the Committee arsenic well arsenic made presumption to the Australian Ambassador Alison Duncan from the Kalamata Municipality of their medallion and their publication commemorating Kalamata’s relation successful the Greek Revolution.

Committee President Lee Tarlamis congratulated the authorities connected Lemnos for continuing with their commemorations connected Lemnos of the Gallipoli campaign. “It is very important to the thousands of Australian descendents of Anzac veterans that these services proceed to beryllium held. In honouring the fallen – arsenic well arsenic each who served and those Lemnians who helped them – the authorities are paying homage to this important transportation betwixt Hellenes and Australians. We besides thank Peter Sotiropoulos for ensuring that our Committee was represented astatine the work and Petrellis for presenting our Committee’s code to the service”, helium said.

Lemnos will σύντομα spot the operation and instauration of the Australian Government-funded Lemnos Remembrance Trail which will usher commemorative visitors crossed the Island, revealing the relation of Lemnos successful the Gallipoli run and the cardinal sites connected to this role. Watch this space.

Liz Kaydos’s documentary Anzac Lemnos 1915 tin beryllium seen successful Australia via SBS OnDemand.

*Jim Claven OAM is simply a trained historian, freelance writer and published writer who has researched the Hellenic nexus to Anzac crossed some world wars for galore years. He is the writer of Lemnos Gallipoli Revealed, the large humanities work detailing the past of the Anzacs connected Lemnos successful 1915-16. He thanks Deputy Mayor Dimitris Boulotis and Peter Sotiropoulos successful the mentation of this article. He besides thanks Peter, Dimitris and the Lemnos Municipality for support to reproduce some of their photographs of the Lemnos services. He tin beryllium contacted via email – [email protected]

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