This article is about Chunuk Bair New Zealand Memorial and is one of a number of articles I have written about Gallipoli. I have also written guides to help you research soldiers who served in the British Army during the First World War:

• Guides to Gallipoli
• Guides to Researching Soldiers who Served with the British Army

Chunuk Bair New Zealand Memorial Gallipoli

The Chunuk Bair New Zealand Memorial commemorates 849 New Zealanders who died on Gallipoli and have no known grave. The Chunuk Bair New Zealand Memorial is located at the end of the road which runs along Sari Bair and there is plenty of parking available. There are also a few stands where you can buy snacks, drinks and souvenirs.

The Chunuk Bair New Zealand Memorial is sited on Chunuk Bair, which is one of the summits of the Sari Bair ridge and was attacked between 6 and 10 August 1915. The Allied force which attacked Chunuk Bair suffered severe casualties and few bodies could be recovered. The panel in the middle carries the following inscription:

In Memory of These Non-Commissioned Officers and Men of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force who Lost Their Lives In the Heroic Assault On the Heights of Sari Bair, 6th-10th August, 1915, In The Capture of Chunuk Bair, And In Subsequent Battles And Operations From August To December, 1915, And Who Are Not Definitely Recorded As Buried In This Or Adjoining Cemeteries.

While the vast majority of men commemorated on the Chunuk Bair New Zealand Memorial died during the August Offensive, there are also men commemorated who died during throughout the campaign. The last casualty commemorated on the memorial is Serjeant Thomas Fawcett who died on 19 December 1915.

The memorial is close to the New Zealand National Memorial, Chunuk Bair which can just be seen poking above the cross below. Opposite the New Zealand National Memorial is a large statue of Ataturk which marks the approximate spot he was hit by a large piece of shrapnel (he was saved by his pocket watch).

Below is the view from the Chunuk Bair New Zealand Memorial looking across to the Dardanelles, the Allied objective. The Memorial stands on the north-west side of the Chunuk Bair Cemetery and I have written a separate article about the cemetery here: Chunuk Bair Cemetery. The Chunuk Bair Cemetery was created after the war and many of the men commemorated on the Chunuk Bair New Zealand Memorial are buried here. Of the 632 Commonwealth soldiers buried in the cemetery, only 10 are identified.