Acts of heroism, great humanity and supreme tragedy during the Gallipoli campaign have been marked by poignant events in Tayside.
During a worldwide programme of remembrance, one of the UK’s largest Anzac commemorations took place at the Western Cemetery, Arbroath, by the graves of four New Zealand airmen killed during the Second World War.
That followed the unveiling of a permanent Carnoustie memorial to Petty Officer George Samson, who sustained serious injuries during the First World War campaign in the Dardanelles and is one of the town’s two Victoria Cross recipients.
Both events took place against a backdrop of Anzac Day ceremonies marking the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli beachhead on April 25 1915.
The Royal Navy’s top officer in Scotland, Captain Mark Smith, described the landings as “a modern-day Trafalgar” conceived by Winston Churchill that went catastrophically wrong.
In Arbroath on Sunday, Lt Col Ian Ballantyne welcomed members of the Armed Forces, service associations and dignitaries from Australia, New Zealand and home.
The annual ceremony was given additional gravity by events around the world.
The Lord Lieutenant of Angus, Georgiana Osborne, gave the Gallipoli Address for Anzac troops who had “freely joined” the new corps following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany.
She said: “The politicians, the press and the pulpit proclaimed it was ‘for King and country’, and for some it was.
“Like youths in every age they saw themselves as immortal; it was their mothers trying to hold back the tears and fearing the worst, and with good reason.”
Special guests included Ereti Mitchell and Molly Smith of the New Zealand Society Scotland, Wing Commander Dominic Sims of the Australian Defence Force, Lieutenant Mark Douglas of the New Zealand Defence Force, David Lilly of the New Zealand High Commission, and Angus Provost Helen Oswald.
The home forces were represented by a troop from 45 Commando Royal Marines, gunners from 212 Battery RA Scotland, and local cadets.
On Saturday, crowds gathered by the links at Carnoustie Golf Centre to see the unveiling of a plaque to PO Samson, who was buried in Bermuda following his death at sea eight years after Gallipoli.
And on the island, Depute Lord Lieutenant of Angus Dr Alexander McKendrick presented a plaque on behalf of RBLS Carnoustie with a blessing from the Rev Canon Douglas McKay expressing the “profound thanks” of those back home.
On 25 April 1915, during the landing at Victoria Beach, Cape Helles, Gallipoli, George Sampson and three others assisted the commander of their ship, HMS River Clyde.
Under heavy fire he and his team mates attended to the wounded, before being dangerously wounded himself.
The 26-year-old later received the rank of Petty Officer and rejoined the Merchant Navy after the war, ultimately dying of pneumonia.
He is buried at St George’s Military Cemetery, in St George, Bermuda.
Captain Chris Smith, the Navy’s Rosyth-based Regional Commander for Scotland and Northern Ireland, said the battle was envisioned by Churchill and his staff as “a modern-day Trafalgar” that went catastrophically wrong.
He said: “It was born out of a stalemate on the western front, the need for a diversion to relieve Turkish pressure on Russia, and the perception of Churchill and senior members of the war cabinet for the Royal Navy to make a splash.”
Representing Angus, Mrs Georgiana Osborne said: “Despite suffering horrific injuries, George Samson survived the war and joined the merchant navy, only to die at sea eight years later from double pneumonia.
“His body was brought ashore at Bermuda where he was buried with full military honours…
“How fitting that George Samson VC, buried so far from home to be honoured in Bermuda today not only by the Bermudians but by a representative of his home town, while here we honour his memory with a beautiful stone that will honour his memory for years to come.”
Angus Provost Helen Oswald said: “It is entirely fitting that his gallantry continues to be recognised 100 years on.”
The plaque joins that of Lance-Corporal Charles Alfred Jarvis, an engineer whose acts of bravery in 1914 earned him the Victoria Cross.
PO Samson’s 98-year-old son John, from Muir of Ord, attended the event with his family.
Music was provided by Carnoustie High School Band, the Pipe Band of the Legion’s Arbroath Branch, and a Royal Marines bugler.
The dedication was conducted by the Rev Mark Davidson.
The eight-month campaign on the Gallipoli peninsula in modern-day Turkey was one of the bloodiest of the First World War and the first to involve troops from Australia and New Zealand.
The allied operation was an attempt to force the Ottoman Empire out of the war.
More than 130,000 men died on both sides, including 8,700 Australians and almost 3,000 New Zealanders.
At dawn on 25 April 1915, thousands of allied troops launched an amphibious attack on the strategically-important Gallipoli peninsula, which was pivotal to controlling the Dardanelles strait, a crucial route to the Black Sea and imperial Russia, a key ally in the early part of the conflict.