First Name: | William Thomas | Last Name: | PURDY | |
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Date of Death: | 13/06/1915 | Lived/Born In: | Hammersmith | |
Rank: | Private | Unit: | Lancashire Fusiliers1 | |
Memorial Site: | Helles Memorial, Gallipoli | |||
Current Information:Age-20 Born-Fulham 26 Nasmyth Road, Hammersmith Gallipoli 1915 On 25 April, British, Australian and New Zealand forces landed on the Gallipoli peninsula. The plan was that these forces would soon defeat a demoralised Turkish army, knock Turkey out of the war, open up the Mediterranean to the Russian navy and threaten Austro-Hungary from the south. None of these things were achieved despite nine months of hard fighting in terrible conditions. It was an heroic failure. By the middle of June 1915, there had been three attempts at Helles to capture the village of Krithia and the heights of Achi Baba beyond it and all three had failed at great cost in human life. Future plans now revolved around fresh divisions arriving from Britain but that was still six weeks off and in the meantime it was a matter of holding the line and through a series of small attacks and raids trying to undermine, often literally, the Turkish positions. On 12th June, 1915, 1st Lancashire Fusiliers, 86 Brigade, 29th Division moved back into the line at Krithia Nullah and once again found themselves the targets of Turkish artillery and snipers. William Purdy was killed on 13th June. |
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