Turkish gardener lays wreaths at deserted memorials in honour of Kiwi soldiers

A Turkish gardener living on the Gallipoli Peninsula has paid special tribute to Kiwi soldiers who fought in the First World War.

Burak Gundogan, a member of staff with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, undertook a solo pilgrimage of the Turkish peninsula to lay wreaths on behalf of those who would’ve attended this year’s cancelled commemorations.

"Usually our cemeteries and memorials would be filled with people paying their respects on Anzac Day but that’s just not possible right now," said Mr Gundogan.

He attended Lone Pine Cemetery, Chunuk Bair (New Zealand) Memorial and the Helles Memorial.

Together these sites contain the graves and memorials to thousands of men from the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.

Their landing on the beaches of Gallipoli on 25 April 1915, and the bloody campaign that ensued against Ottoman forces, continues to act as a focal point of both countries on a national day of remembrance.

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"I hope this small act of remembrance from here in Turkey can show that wherever we are in the world and whatever circumstances we find ourselves in, it is still possible to pause and reflect on the generations before us," he said.

For the first time since World War II, Anzac Day services, marches and memorials were cancelled amid the coronavirus pandemic, putting decades of tradition on hold.