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British forces mounted a naval expedition to attack the Gallipoli Peninsula and the shores of the Dardanelles in February 1915.

The aim was to capture Constantinople, link up with the Russian army and knock the Turks out of the war. The plan was devised by the then First Sea Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill.

The initial naval attack made little progress. By the time troops, including the Norfolk Regiment’s Sandringham Company arrived on the coast they were met with fierce Turkish resistance. The lack of progress led to a political crisis in London. The War Council ended the expedition in December 1915.

Altogether 214,000 allied troops were lost in the campaign and among them were members of the Sandringham Company of the Norfolk Regiment.

There is a myth, popularised in the TV programme ‘All the Kings Men’ that the company mysteriously disappeared during the campaign.

John Crowe is the chair of the Gallipoli and Dardanelles International group and his father served in the Sandringham Company. Today a stained glass window at West Newton Church commemorates their sacrifice.

Location: West Newton Church, Norfolk PE33 0HE
Image: West Newton Church

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