Lala Baba Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Lala Baba Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission
cemetery on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey. It contains the remains of some of the soldiers killed during World War I
during the battles at Gallipoli
. This was an eight month campaign fought by Commonwealth and French forces against Ottoman Empire forces to try to force the Ottoman Empire out of the war which it was hoped would open a supply route from the Mediterranean to Russia through the Dardanelles and Istanbul and to relieve the deadlock on the Western Front.
Several months into the campaign, additional troops were landed at Suvla, just North of the Anzac sector and attacks launched simultaneously from the existing positions. The Suvla landing was intended to capture high ground around the bay, but delays caused by indecision and confusion allowed the defending Turks to reinforce and few of the objectives were achieved.
The cemetery is sited on a small hill, Little Lala Baba, half a mile southwest of a larger, 160 high hill called Lala Baba. Lala Baba was captured on the morning of 7 August 1915, the day after the Suvla Bay Landings
, . The cemetery was constructed after the Armistice from isolated graves and the concentration of burials from nine surrounding cemeteries. As well as named grave markers, 53 markers are unnamed and special memorials commemorate 16 soldiers thought to be buried in the cemetery but whose graves have not been identified.
VC DSO is buried in the cemetery. Kenna was commissioned in 1886 and awarded his VC following the Battle of Omdurman
in 1898. He had competed in horse riding in the 1912 Summer Olympics
. Kenna died of his wounds on 30 August 1915, aged 53. At the time was in command of the 3rd Mounted Brigade.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves, and places of commemoration, of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars...
cemetery on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey. It contains the remains of some of the soldiers killed during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
during the battles at Gallipoli
Battle of Gallipoli
The Gallipoli Campaign, also known as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Battle of Gallipoli, took place at the peninsula of Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire between 25 April 1915 and 9 January 1916, during the First World War...
. This was an eight month campaign fought by Commonwealth and French forces against Ottoman Empire forces to try to force the Ottoman Empire out of the war which it was hoped would open a supply route from the Mediterranean to Russia through the Dardanelles and Istanbul and to relieve the deadlock on the Western Front.
Several months into the campaign, additional troops were landed at Suvla, just North of the Anzac sector and attacks launched simultaneously from the existing positions. The Suvla landing was intended to capture high ground around the bay, but delays caused by indecision and confusion allowed the defending Turks to reinforce and few of the objectives were achieved.
The cemetery is sited on a small hill, Little Lala Baba, half a mile southwest of a larger, 160 high hill called Lala Baba. Lala Baba was captured on the morning of 7 August 1915, the day after the Suvla Bay Landings
Landing at Suvla Bay
The landing at Suvla Bay was an amphibious landing made at Suvla on the Aegean coast of Gallipoli peninsula in the Ottoman Empire as part of the August Offensive, the final British attempt to break the deadlock of the Battle of Gallipoli...
, . The cemetery was constructed after the Armistice from isolated graves and the concentration of burials from nine surrounding cemeteries. As well as named grave markers, 53 markers are unnamed and special memorials commemorate 16 soldiers thought to be buried in the cemetery but whose graves have not been identified.
Notable graves
Brigadier General Paul Aloysius KennaPaul Aloysius Kenna
Brigadier General Paul Aloysius Kenna VC DSO was an English born British Army officer of Irish descent and recipient of the Victoria Cross , the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that could be awarded to British and British Empire forces.-Background:He was...
VC DSO is buried in the cemetery. Kenna was commissioned in 1886 and awarded his VC following the Battle of Omdurman
Battle of Omdurman
At the Battle of Omdurman , an army commanded by the British Gen. Sir Herbert Kitchener defeated the army of Abdullah al-Taashi, the successor to the self-proclaimed Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad...
in 1898. He had competed in horse riding in the 1912 Summer Olympics
1912 Summer Olympics
The 1912 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 5 May and 27 July 1912. Twenty-eight nations and 2,407 competitors, including 48 women, competed in 102 events in 14 sports...
. Kenna died of his wounds on 30 August 1915, aged 53. At the time was in command of the 3rd Mounted Brigade.