Thousands from Australia and New Zealand gather to mark 101st anniversary of Gallipoli landings of troops.

Dawn service held in Turkey to mark Gallipoli landings, in Gallipoli, April 25, 2016.
Dawn service held in Turkey to mark Gallipoli landings, in Gallipoli, April 25, 2016. (TRT World and Agencies)

Thousands of visitors from Australia and New Zealand attended a dawn service in Turkey's western Canakkale Province on Monday to commemorate the 101st anniversary of the landing of foreign troops on Turkish soil during World War One.

The participants prayed for their veteran Australian and New Zealander ancestors who were killed in the battle in a small cove on the Gelibolu (Gallipoli) peninsula called ANZAC Cove.

Visitors from Australia and New Zealand attend a dawn ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli, at Anzac Cove in Gallipoli April 25, 2015.
Visitors from Australia and New Zealand attend a dawn ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli, at Anzac Cove in Gallipoli April 25, 2015. (Reuters (Archive))

New Zealand Minister Gerry Brownlee, Australian Veterans' Affairs Minister Dan Tehan and Canakkale's Deputy Governor Sitki Dag as well as many soldiers from Australia and New Zealand attended the ceremony.

People attend the Anzac dawn service at Anzac Cove in commemoration of the 101st anniversary of Canakkale Land Battles on Gallipoli Peninsula on April 25, 2016 in Gallipoli, Turkey.
People attend the Anzac dawn service at Anzac Cove in commemoration of the 101st anniversary of Canakkale Land Battles on Gallipoli Peninsula on April 25, 2016 in Gallipoli, Turkey. (AA)

Brownlee thanked Turkey for hosting the event. "We are here to honour our family members who came here to serve us," he said.

Tehan underlined the "sacrifices" made by the soldiers during World War One.

A bagpiper from the Australian army salutes during a dawn ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli, at Anzac Cove in Gallipoli April 25, 2015.
A bagpiper from the Australian army salutes during a dawn ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli, at Anzac Cove in Gallipoli April 25, 2015. (Reuters (Archive))

Separately, people across Turkey organised marches to commemorate the Canakkale Martyrs' Day.

April 25 is known as ANZAC Day in Australia -- a significant national holiday that honours the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought and died in Canakkale on Turkey's western coast in 1915. Australia and New Zealand commemorate the event as Gallipoli.

Australian police said Monday that a 16-year-old Sydney boy had been charged with planning an act allegedly linked to Sydney's coverage of the national commemorations.

The year 2016 marks the 101st anniversary of the battle in the Canakkale (Dardanelles) Strait in Canakkale's Gelibolu district, which served as a turnaround in favour of the Turks fighting in World War I against the Allied Forces.

An Australian visitor looks at tombstones of Australian soldiers at the Lone Pine Australian memorial in Gallipoli, where the first battle of the Gallipoli campaign was fought, April 25, 2015.
An Australian visitor looks at tombstones of Australian soldiers at the Lone Pine Australian memorial in Gallipoli, where the first battle of the Gallipoli campaign was fought, April 25, 2015. (Reuters (Archive))

On April 25, 1915, eight months into World War One, Allied soldiers landed on the shores of the Gelibolu peninsula. The troops were there as part of a plan to open Canakkale Strait on Turkey's Aegean coast to Allied fleets, allowing them to threaten the then Ottoman capital, Istanbul.

Australian, New Zealand and Turkish soldiers attend a dawn ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli, at Anzac Cove in Gallipoli April 25, 2015.
Australian, New Zealand and Turkish soldiers attend a dawn ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli, at Anzac Cove in Gallipoli April 25, 2015. (Reuters (Archive))

The Allied Forces, however, encountered strong and courageous resistance from the Turks and the campaign turned out to be a costly failure. Tens of thousands of Turkish nationals and soldiers died, along with tens of thousands of Europeans, plus around 7,000 - 8,000 Australians and nearly 3,000 New Zealanders.

Source: TRT World