Lemnos and Gallipoli Revealed.
The Australian and Greek communities have a long and proud history together, mainly evident through the mass migratory flow to Australia from Greece in the decades following WWII. But not many are aware of the strong connection between Greece and Australia that goes right back to the Gallipoli Campaign in the First World War.
The Greek island of Lemnos was the advanced base for the Gallipoli campaign in 1915-16. It’s great harbour of Mudros Bay witnessed the arrival of the soldiers as they prepared for the landing at Gallipoli on the 25th of April. It was home to rest camps and medical facilities, and it was where the soldiers returned to after the evacuation of the Peninsula at the end of the campaign in 1916. Lemnos war cemeteries are the final resting place for 148 Australians, amongst the over 1,300 allied soldiers who are buried there.
Author and Historian Jim Claven has been researching Greece’s Anzac trail for over a decade, leading a number of commemorative tours there. Having this passionate interest and vast knowledge base, Jim undertook to capture the proud history in a hard cover printed pictorial essay. President of the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee, Lee Tarlamis, was also involved in the publication of the book.
Lee comments “it was fantastic to work with Kosdown on the production of the book. They really understood our vision for the book and collaborated with us to achieve this. The guidance from Dave and the team from start to finish was invaluable, ensuring we got an outstanding end result. Touches like the inside dust jacket which doubles as a wall poster and the gold foil stamping on the cover done in-house by Kosdown really helped the book stand out as a unique piece.”
2,000 copies were produced, and since publishing ‘Lemnos & Gallipoli Revealed’ it has been distributed to libraries both in Australia and worldwide including Greece, USA, Canada, Britain, NZ and France. Copies have been gifted to State and Federal archives as well as School and University libraries to be used as an educational and historicial resource.
The book is the only complete record dedicated to telling the story of Lemnos and the Anzacs, and the first to depict it with photographs and stories of those that were there, many of which are from archives never before published. Interestingly the book and the story it tells has had a big impact on the commemorative services held in Lemnos, which now take place couple of days prior to Anzac day to reflect that Lemnos was the starting point for the Gallipoli campaign. The publication has also played a part in obtaining funding from the Aust Government of $4.5 mill to build an Anzac commemorative trial on Lemnos.
Since the successful launch of ‘Lemnos & Gallipoli Revealed’, Jim has followed on and written a second book entitled ‘Grecian Adventure’. This book documents the Greek campaign of April – May 1941, again told from the point of view of many of the young Australians who served there and also photographed their experiences. ‘Grecian Adventure’ is a soft copy publication of 336 pages, produced by Kosdown in a run of 500 copies. For this publication Kosdown’s new PUR Binding machine was used, which provides more permanent glueing and binding for thick books, done more quickly and more effectively.
Check out the ‘Lemnos and Gallipoli Revealed’ review.
Purchase ‘Lemnos and Gallipoli Revealed’ by Jim Claven by contacting the President of the Lemnos Gallipolis Commemorative Committee Lee Tarlamis OAM by email on lee.tarlamis@hotmail.com or by calling 0411 553 009. The book is also available for sale at the Shrine of Remembrance.
