Family :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

The Gallipoli Campaign was fought on the Gallipoli peninsula 25th April 1915 to 9th January 1916. in a failed attempt to defeat Turkey by seizing the Dardanelles and capturing Istanbul. Ill-conceived and planned, the initial effort by the Royal Navy failed to force passage through the Dardanelles by sea power alone. It was then realised that a land force was needed to support the project by suppressing the Turkish mobile artillery batteries. By the time all was ready the Turks were well aware and well prepared. Despite amazing heroics on the day of the landings only minor beachheads were achieved and over the succeeding 8 months little progress was made. Eventually the beachheads were evacuated in a series of successful ruses.

Despite Gallipoli rightly becoming a national source of pride to Australians and New Zealanders, far more British casualties were sustained, and these days the substantial French contribution is almost forgotten.

Detail :

BUCHANAN Cecil Gordon Gray 592 Pte 2 LHR C Sqn reported MIA 13/14-5-15 at Quinns Post Enlist 2-9-14 KIA 29-5-15 buried Shrapnel Valley Cemetery Gallipoli AKA Cecil Gordon Gray-Buchanan father Col JR Gray-Buchanan British Army Grazier age 28 from Aramac Qld Nok Glasgow Scotland Cecil was one member of C Sqn 2 LHR under Maj Graham, who on the night of the 15th May 1915 were to advance into no mans land between Quinns post and the Turkish front line to fill in holes. The 2nd LHR had just arrived on Anzac on the 12 May and were very new to the front but were quickly put into action at Quinns on the 13 May and suffered heavy casulties from bombs over two days, enough for the Regt to be relieved after a short stay. But before they could get away the action by C Sqn had to be carried out. That night the attack was quickly spotted and cut down, but Maj Graham stopped the attack and went out himself to recover the wounded and was killed. The war diary records 1 officer and 13 OR KIA, 25 OR's WIA and 11 OR MIA. Other records show 25 KIA and 21 WIA. Cecil was reported MIA believed KIA that night, but thats not what is written on the roll of honor, that date 29 May 1915 is used after the Turkish attack on the 2nd LHR on Popes Post. The offical inquiry over this man, records his loss on the night of the 13/14 May 1915, the day before the 15 May attack? When did he die? The attack by C Sqn 2 LHR on the early morning of the 15 of May 1915 can be accounted for in a number of ways. Since two major operations happened around the same time both have become inter mingled. First the holding on Quinns Post which on the 14 May, claimed around 21 or 32 men depending on sourses, while the attack on the 15 May is said to have claimed another 14 KIA 25 WIA and 11 MIA or 25 KIA and 21 WIA. The records show a lot confusion here as two inquiries failed to correctly identify the real date for these losses? The first inquiry was held the 10 June, after the action, but only looked at a few men while the second took place in France on the 3 Sept 1917 but had no man from the 2 LHR to conduct it and there conclusions were false giving the casulties a date of death of the 14 May or 13/14 May? The attack by C Sqn under Maj Graham took place at 1.45 AM or 0145 on the 15 May 1915 yet few men are recorded as such, most show the date 14 May or 13/14 May, while some bodies, which were recovered during the ceast fire on the 29/30 May are shown died that day? These are the known losses during the two days, most of these can be confirmed while others are mixed in between; Casulties 15 May 1915 *all C Sqn in the raid at Quinns post BUCHANAN Cecil Gordon Gray 592 Pte reported MIA 13/14-5-15 (shown KIA 29-5-15)

Masonic :

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley