We soon found ourselves outside the Museum of Te Papa Tongarewa, said to have an exhibition space equivalent to three football pitches.
Although its collections included a number of significant Maori works of Art and treasures, which we were kindly asked not to photograph, we decided to go to the eight-month Gallipoli campaign of World War I reconstruction exhibition. Being very interactive the soldiers almost life-like sculptures did impress me. As visitors we were able to get into the survivors' minds and actually "witness" and feel what they went through.
In the words of Lieutenant Spencer Westmacott - "Never while I live shall I forget the grandeur of the scene. In front was thecoast, rugged and steep ... The Navy's fire seemed to scrape the mountainside bursting on top like a volcano. It was a cheering sight to us, but terrifying to the enemy".
I was shocked by Ataturk's words regarding what was expected of the Turkish soldiers but impressed by the respect he later paid to the enemy soldiers who died in the war, as I approached the gallery of the death numbers and casualties.
Lieutenant Percival Fenwick - " a more hellish Sunday one could not conceive".
Private Jack Dunn served as a machine gunner. Despite being fitter than most because of his athlete background he came down with pneumonia after the first brutal month of fighting.
"Ka mate, ka mate, ka ora, ka ora" (standing for the Maori cry of war- "We may die, we may die; we may live, we may live") could be heard in the night. "The breath of battle was in the air. It was an honour to be in such a fight."
Once I left the exhibition I felt slightly disturbed and wondered if leaders of nations shouldn't all be subject to similar reenactions and put themselves in the position of many who died and suffered because of their decisions irrespective of having survived.
No comments:
Post a Comment