Roadbook Quinn's Post

Quinn's Post Bomba Sirt

History : Quinn's Post was the northernmost of three indentations in the eastern flank of Monash valley, where the Australian advance on 25th April was brought to a standstill by rapidly growing Turkish resistance. The situation was spectacular : the frontline ran along the top of a narrow crest, with the opposing forces each defending their slope of the ridge. In some places, noman's land was not wider than 20m. Before long, the position became infamous because of the continuous danger for the occupants. A Turkish breakthrough at this vulnerable part in the line would immediately open the road to the beach through Monash Valley and would inevitably drive the Anzac forces back into the sea. It was no wonder then that the Allied firing line was more than fully manned 24h a day.

In English, the position was named after Captain Hugh Quinn of the 15th Battalion AIF, who commanded the Post from 29th April till his death there, one month later on 29th May.The Turkish name "Bomba Sirt" comes from the never-ending bombing activity with Turkish hand-grenades and Australian "jam tin bombs", which were continuously being thrown across the narrow stretch of ground that separated the opposing firing lines. Apart from this, Quinn's Post was also the scene of vigorous mining and counter-mining activities by both sides.

This photo, taken in 1919, shows the location of Quinn's, looking south-west with the Chessboard behind the back of the cameraman. As the road in the middle of the picture was some 2 m wide, it's easy to figure out how extremely narrow noman's land was.

Access : Reaching Quinn's Post is no problem at all. Depending on your adventurous spirit (or historical interest) however, different more strenuous approaches are possible.

1. The easy way : to Quinn's Post / Bomba Sirt by sealed road.

From anywhere on the Peninsula, follow the roadsigns that direct you to the Anzac area. Just after you have passed Gaba Tepe, there is a bifurcation : take the right hand side road that leads to Chunuk Bair. After 1 km, when climbing the 400 Plateau, you will spot the spire of the yellow Turkish monument just opposite your destination. The road takes you via Lone Pine and Johnston's Jolly to Steele's and Courtney's Post and ultimately to Quinn's Post. Park your car in the parking lot opposite the monument and continue your visit on foot.

2. The adventurous way (1) : to Australian Quinn's, on foot through Monash Valley.

This option is certainly more difficult, but on the other hand it follows quite accurately the steps of the Australian units who established Quinn's Post on 25th April 1915.

From anywhere on the Peninsula, fol- low the roadsigns that direct you to the Anzac area. Just after you have passed Gaba Tepe, there is a bifurcation : take the left hand side road that leads to Anzac Cove. 100 m before you reach the Cove, there is a track to the right that is signposted "Shrapnel Valley Cemetery". Follow this track for 50 m and park the car on the small open spot in front of the cemetery that is situated at the foot of MacLagan's Ridge.

Click the pic to see the trip in 1915

When after some time, you see the spire of the yellow Turkish monument at the right hand side high above, try to get underneath that spot. At this point, you will find an indentation in the side of Monash Valley, which once was the site of Quinn's post. You have two options now : climb the steep flank of the indentation, which was the 1915 method to reach Quinn's, or just continue till the ground starts rising. Use the gentler slope of Pope's Hill jutting out into the middle of a fork formed by the two gullies that mark the end of Monash Valley. When you reach the sealed road, turn right and follow it for some 300 m to the Turkish monument and Quinn's Post Cemetery.

Duration : 2 hours (one-way). Difficulty : rough walking through an overgrown gully, relatively stiff ascent at the end

Click the pics to see the climb then and now

3. The adventurous way (2) : to Turkish Bomba Sirt on foot from Kemalyeri.

This option is not easy either, but on the other hand it offers a panoramic view of the frontline area and then crosses the Turkish defensive sector and its supply routes.

From anywhere on the Peninsula, follow the roadsigns that direct you to the Anzac area. Just after you have passed Gaba Tepe, there is a bifurcation : take the right hand side road that leads to Chunuk Bair. You will actually pass Bomba Sirt, but do not stop. After you have left the Turkish monument behind you, there is a signboard to Kemalyeri, directing you to the right. Follow this road till you arrive at the big commemorative monuments and park your car there. Looking west, you can now see a major part of the old frontline, just the way it was observed by the Turkish commander-in-chief during the campaign : to the left, there is the 400 Plateau with Lone Pine, Owen's Gully and Johnston's Jolly. German Officer's Trench is in front, and to the right of it, you see Bomba Sirt with the yellow monument. Descend the hill in that direction. This course will first take you through Legge Valley, which was the main Turkish supply route, and then over a series of lower slopes, gradually climbing towards Bomba Sirt.

Duration : 2 hours (one-way). Difficulty : variable, due to the absence of decent tracks

Caution :

Reaching Quinn's Post through Monash Valley or from Kemalyeri involves a relatively long walk over sometimes rough ground. For an expedition of this kind, good walking shoes, long trousers, a shirt with long sleeves (against thorns) and a decent supply of water are indispensable. Do not attempt this alone.

Apart from that, do not forget that when you reach your destination, your car will be where you left it, which means another - and longer - walk back. To return to Shrapnel Valley Cemetery, follow the sealed road down to Lone Pine, from there descend via Shell Green to the sea and then turn right to get back to your car. To return to Kemalyeri, just follow the sealed road in the opposite direction and follow the signposts

Some of the bomb fragments that still lie about everywhere as silent remains of the struggle.

Things to see : locating noman's land at Quinn's post is not a problem : the sealed road, which was constructed over an existing track, runs exactly in the middle of the opposing frontlines.

Perhaps the best spot to get a general idea of the situation during the campaign, can be found behind the Commonwealth cemetery. Follow its south wall till you arrive at the edge of Monash Valley. If some shrubbery obstructs the view, perhaps climb down a couple of metres till you arrive at one of the old terraces. You are now near the southern border of Quinn's : the cemetery covers most of the southern half of the position, which in 1915 continued further north for about the same distance.

From here, the precarious situation for its occupants can well be appreciated : to the left is Monash valley, running down to the sea. The big hill to the right, which overlooks the whole area, is Baby 700.

1. The Allied Positions

At your extreme left, hidden behind a shoulder in the flank of Monash Valley is Courtney's Post, which just like Quinn's was established on the day of the landing. Because decent communication soon became essential, it was later linked to Quinn's Post via a tunnel. At the other side of the valley, you are facing Russell's Top, with at its right hand side The Nek, which is easily recognized because of the trees that line the wall of the cemetery there. Just north of your viewpoint, in the middle of the fork that marks the end of Monash Valley, the gentle slope of Pope's Hill can be observed. It was named after Colonel Pope, the commander of 16th Battalion AIF, who conquered it during the night of 25th April.

Near your side of Monash Valley runs a deep gully, the infamous Bloody Angle, which got its name after an unsuccessful attempt to conquer it on 2nd May 1915. Near the very end of that branch of Monash Valley, a small sharp spur juts forward between Popes hill and the east flank of the valley. Its name, Dead Man's Ridge, was given when a number of British Marines tried to climb it during an attack on 3rd May and were annihilated by Turkish machine-gunfire coming from the direction of German Officer's Trench in the south.

2. The Turkish positions

It must be observed that the Australian positions did not form an uninterrupted frontline : there was a gap between the Nek and Pope's Hill, formed by the foot of the strongly defended Baby 700.

A second gap in the line existed between Pope's Hill and Quinn's Post. The Turkish positions there were called The Chessboard by the Australians, because of the the great number of trenches that criss-crossed the relatively flat terrain. All existing traces of them were obliterated by the construction of the big Turkish monument at precisely that spot.

Opposite the Allied cemetery, just across the sealed road was the position which the Turks baptized Bomba Sirt because of the never ending bombing action. The relics, small rusty pieces of metal, can still be found everywhere. When you cross the road and walk through the low shrub, the much gentler slope behind the Turkish line and the easy supply route through Legge Valley are clearly visible.

When one surveys these different Australian and Turkish Positions, two conclusions cannot be avoided :

1. Quinn's Post was a vital position for the Allies. If the Turks were to break through their line at that point, it would not be possible to stop the advance. The lie of the land made the construction of a second defensive line simply impossible and Monash Valley formed a direct fairway to the beach.

2. The positions at Quinn's Post inevitably led to a stalemate. Any Turkish advance across the narrow stretch of noman's land would be checked by fire from Russell's Top and the Nek across the valley and from Pope's Hill in the middle of it. An Australian advance was also out of the question because of crossfire from machine-guns situated on Baby 700 in the north and German Officer's Trench in the south. It is no wonder then that both opposing forces not only kept their frontline trenches fully manned, but also soon resorted to mining and counter-mining : life above ground had become simply impossible.

Apart from that, it is also clear why most Allied traffic through Monash Valley was organized after nightfall. Especially during the first stages of the campaign, an important number of men were killed there by Turkish bullets. Only after the Australians had organized an elaborate system of counter-sniping, did the situation improve a little, but never so much that it was safe to try and reach Quinn's Post during daylight.