Why are we so upset over the disturbance of a battlefield (that contains human remains) to build a road in Turkey, but we don't really seem to give a damn that the Bypass in Wellington required the digging up a graveyard and the removal and breaking of many, many gravestones? To build a road also, I note. You will be driving over the bones of your ancestors when you commute to work.
They'd probably be glad that their descendants had efficient transportation systems and safer cars, but are the dead (Turkish, Australian, Kiwi and others) in Gallipolli any less progressive and forgiving in their views? And how would you feel, if your gravesite is turned into a motorway in 100 years time?
At least the war dead in Turkey get visited. Who will write 'Lest We Forget' in the wet asphalt of the motorway bypass?
Where is the graveyard? (Serious question from non- resident Wellingtonian)
Posted by: Georgina at April 22, 2005 09:46 PMThe graveyard up by Vic Uni was also the site of some debate (Well, I assume they didn't debate *on* the site) about whethere it should be razed and turned into a carpark.
Y'know, I think Turkey probably have a right to make their roads safer, given the increase in road traffic to that area and it being their very own country. It was all very nice of Ataturk to call everyone brothers, but I don't think that bit of Turkey should get stuck in a developmental time warp because the invadee was nice about the invaders (to simplify immensely). Also - tis not bad to rebury someone in a graveyard, large parts of many countries have old dead people all over them, and chances are they're local anyway given the ratios of deaths.
Posted by: Rachel at April 23, 2005 11:47 AMIts often easy to forget that we didnt win. And seeing that they are so nice about it, sometimes I think its a bit rude that we demand so much of this special relationship with Turkey.
But I have very strong feelings about that part of the world and Turk, Aussie, Kiwi, Brit, Irish, Welsh and Scottish soldiers deserve peace where they fell for what they had to put up with while they were alive.
Posted by: Vincent at April 23, 2005 02:37 PMYeah, fair enough. Also the Indians, and the African French conscripts too...
I have to admit to being fairly unsentimental about bodies. I'm sure I'd feel differently if I'd been to the place - it's hard to read much history of WW1 without getting a bit teary anyway, so I imagine standing in the spot would elicit a pretty significant response. But I think that if a tourbus went off the coast road into the sea people would be pretty upset too :).
Posted by: Rachel at April 23, 2005 03:22 PMHmmm, actually on closer scrutiny, it was the Thorndon Cemetary, but it was in the 70's motorway extension, not the current bypass work. Sorry for the factual error.
Even considering this, though, I think my point holds. Poor old Turkey! Maybe the Japanese want their midget-submarine-sinking-sites within our territorial waters designated as no-fishing areas?
Oooh! And can someone in Wellington spray-paint "Lest We Forget" on the motorway for me, early-early Monday morning? I'll pay your bail :)