The AIF Project

The Lone Pine Memorial, situated in the Lone Pine Cemetery at Anzac, is the main Australian Memorial on Gallipoli, and one of four memorials to men of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Designed by Sir John Burnet, the principal architect of the Gallipoli cemeteries, it is a thick tapering pylon 14.3 metres high on a square base 12.98 metres wide. It is constructed from limestone mined at Ilgardere in Turkey.

The Memorial commemorates the 3268 Australians and 456 New Zealanders who have no known grave and the 960 Australians and 252 New Zealanders who were buried at sea after evacuation through wounds or disease. The names of New Zealanders commemorated are inscribed on stone panels mounted on the south and north sides of the pylon, while those of the Australians are listed on a long wall of panels in front of the pylon and to either side. Names are arranged by unit and rank.

The Memorial stands over the centre of the Turkish trenches and tunnels which were the scene of heavy fighting during the August offensive. Most cemeteries on Gallipoli contain relatively few marked graves, and the majority of Australians killed on Gallipoli are commemorated here.

War service: Egypt, Gallipoli

Embarked Alexandria to join the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force (Gallipoli Campaign), 12 April 1915.

Reported wounded and missing, 7 May 1915.

Court of Enquiry, held at Serapeum, 6-8-28 April 1916, concluded: Killed in Action, 2 May 1915'.

Statement, Red Cross File No 0040703E, 1210 Pte C. REPPE, D Company, 16th Bn, 3 August 1918: Alderson was in D. Coy. I was wounded on May 2nd. and sent back to Egypt on a hospital ship. A man I knew was on board, and he told me that Alderson had been killed the day I was wounded. I cannot remember his name, but he came from Port Pirie, as Alderson did, and I knew him quite well in the Company. He said Alderson was shot through the head. Alderson was a very young man of short stature. He and I enlisted about the same time in Port Pirie, S. Australia.'

Second statement, 1183 Pte T. JENKINS, 16th Bn, 8 March 1916: Witness says he saw Alderson wounded at Dead Man's Ridge on the night of 2nd May, 1915, but thinks it was by a rifle bullet, and could not say where. He was about 10 yards away from him. He did not see him carried away.'

Third statement, 1200 Pte A. O'GORMAN, D Company, 16th Bn, 3 March 1916: 'Witness says that Alderson had his right side blown in by a bomb on Sunday night 2nd May at Dead Man's Ridge. The last witness saw of him he was being carried down to the ambulance. Witness enquired about him afterwards and heard that he had died. Witness and he both came from Port Pirie and Alderson was a cabinet-maker.'

Fourth statement, 1362 Corporal N.R. WATTS, D Company, 16th Bn, 8 March 1916: 'Witness says that Alderson was wounded on the right side of the waist by a bomb on the night of 2nd May at Dead Man's Ridge and witness helped him down to the doctor. He seemed to be badly wounded and when the doctor saw him he made an exclamation as if there was not much hope. Witness left him there and never saw him again.'

Fifth statement, Lt E. DAY, 16th Bn, 25 July 1916: 'Alderson's name appeared in Battn records at the Peninsula as severely wounded on May 2nd 1915, died of wounds on hospital ship and buried at sea.'