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Sections in this issue outline (in order):
1. What they said. 2 The issue at a glance. 3 Background. 4 Internet information links. 5 and 6 Arguments for / against. 7 Further implications on this issue. 8 Newspaper items used in the compilation of the outline.
Should items including sand from Gallipoli be sold as memorabilia?
What they said ...
'The collection celebrates the Australian spirit shown by those who fought on the sands of Gallipoli and all those who have followed ... These items provide a lasting reminder of battles lost and honour won'
The RSL national president, Major-General Bill Crews
'Personally I feel it is one of the most distasteful efforts in which the RSL has ever been involved ...
Perhaps they should re-evaluate their reason for existence if they need to stoop this low'
A member of the Australian Light Horse Association
The issue at a glance
In 2003 the "Sands of Gallipoli" Anzac memorabilia collection was launched in Queensland. The items raised some $300,000, and its Queensland success spurred the national launch, which occurred in Sydney on March 18, 2004.
A group called Market Link Solutions developed the items offered for sale. On their website, Market Link Solutions promotes itself and its merchandise in the following manner.
Market Link Solutions is uniquely positioned to provide a comprehensive promotional product, gift and merchandising service. We lead the Australian promotional product industry in the adaptation of new technologies to streamline product development, positioning, ordering and distribution.
We wanted to honour our Anzacs and commemorate the Australian Spirit.
From this thought an idea was born and trade marked, "Sands of Gallipoli".
This concept led to the development and production in our workshops of a collection of products containing sand collected from the beaches of Gallipoli.
Our in-house marketing team designed the marketing material for this collection.
Distribution of product will be through the RSL, Australia Post retail outlets, and by direct mail marketing.
The "Sands of Gallipoli" collection is made up of a plaque, a key ring, a medallion and a lapel badge, ranging in price from $10 to $60.
This memorabilia collection has met with a mixed response. Some returned servicemen, in particular, have condemned it as commercial exploitation of Australia's war dead. This view has been put by a number of members of the Australian Light Horse Association. A variety of RSL organisations have, however, defended the venture.
Background
(The following information is a slightly edited version of the information on Anzac Day presented on the Australian Government's Culture and Recreation Internet site)
A brief history of the Gallipoli campaign
On 25 April every year Australians commemorate Anzac Day. It is Australia's sacred day. The day has the same significance in New Zealand, Australia's confederate in the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (the ANZACs) at Gallipoli.
On 25 April 1915 Australia and New Zealand were at war. Along with the Allies (the major Allied Powers were the British Empire [Britain and her colonies and dominions], France and the Russian Empire), the ANZACs were fighting against the Central Powers (Germany, Turkey [then known as the Ottoman Empire], and Austria-Hungary).
In response to a request for help from Russia, which was fighting the Turks in the Caucasus, the Allies decided to begin a campaign they hoped would distract Turkey from its attack on Russia. The plan was for the Allies to take the Gallipoli Peninsula, on Turkey's Aegean coast. The Allies believed they could then take control of the Dardanelles - a 67 kilometre strait which connects the Aegean Sea with the Sea of Marmara - and lay siege to Turkey's main city, Istanbul (then Constantinople).
As part of the larger British Empire contingent the ANZACs were transported in after training in Egypt. The ANZACs comprised the 1st Australian Division and the composite New Zealand and Australian Division. On 25 April 1915, the ANZACs landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula.
Instead of finding the flat beach they expected, they found they had been landed at an incorrect position and faced steep cliffs and constant barrages of enemy fire and shelling. Around 20,000 soldiers landed on the beach over the next two days to face a well organised, well armed, large Turkish force determined to defend their country - and led by Mustafa Kemal, who later became Ataturk, the leader of modern Turkey. Thousands of Australian and New Zealand men died in the hours and days that followed the landing at that beach. The beach would eventually come to be known as Anzac Cove.
The ANZACs and the Turks dug in - literally - digging kilometres of trenches, and pinned down each other's forces with sniper fire and shelling. With their backs to the water the ANZACs were unable to make much headway against the Turkish force.
In Britain, the lack of success of the campaign created arguments about whether it should be continued. While political leaders argued, the Australian and New Zealand soldiers died in battle, from sniper fire and shelling, and those that lived suffered from a range of ailments due to their dreadful living conditions - typhus, lice, gangrene, lack of fresh water, poor quality food, and poor sanitary conditions all took their toll.
Eventually it was decided that the Allied troops would be withdrawn from the Peninsula; the attempt to control the Dardanelles had failed. The ANZACs were evacuated and returned to the Middle East and the Western Front where they were involved in other battles.
The Gallipoli campaign was a failure, a failure bought at the cost of an enormous number of lives, and the failure led to the resignation of senior politicians in London. Thousands of Australian and New Zealand soldiers had died, and thousands of other troops from France, Britain and Turkey also died.
An Anzac commemorative location has been built at Gallipoli in conjunction with the New Zealand government and with the approval of the Turkish government.
Internet information
The Australian Government's Culture and Recreation Internet site has a section detailing the history of Australia's involvement in the Gallipoli campaign.
This can be found at http://www.acn.net.au/articles/anzac/
The manufacturer and distributor producing the "Sands of Gallipoli" collection, Market Link Solutions, have an Internet site.
This can be found at http://www.marketlinksolutions.com.au/aboutframe.html
Scroll down the page for information about the "Sands of Gallipoli" collection. Click on the logo for detailed product descriptions.
The Returned Services League of Australia (Queensland Branch) has a media release dated March 18 2004 that reports on the national launch of the "Sands of Gallipoli" collection. The release presents the product very favourably.
It can be read at http://www.rslqld.org/docs/SOG_Media_Release_18_March.pdf
(This is a pdf file and requires Adobe Acrobat reader)
The Australian Light Horse has a long history of military engagements dating back to the Boer War (1899 - 1902). The Light Horse took part in a number of battles in the Gallipoli campaign.
The Australian Light Horse Association was formed in 1986 by a group of army officers who had served in the 2nd 14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry) and other interested parties who wanted to preserve the history of the Light Horse. The Association has an Internet page that can be found at http://www.lighthorse.org.au/toc.htm
The Association's Internet site includes a discussion forum that includes vigorous consideration of the "Sands of Gallipoli" collection. The majority of contributors appear highly critical of the merchandise.
There are two discussions of these memorabilia on the Light Horse Association Forum. One can be found at http://www.lighthorse.org.au/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=885
The other can be found at http://www.lighthorse.org.au/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=901
On March 30 2004, The Sunday Mail, published a news item titled, 'RSL defends Gallipoli sand sale.' The item reports on the RSL's national president, Major-General Bill Crew, speaking at the Victorian launch of the "Sands of Gallipoli" collection.
It can be found at
http://www.thesundaymail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,9131031%255E1702,00.html
On April 8, 2004, the Advertiser published a news item titled, 'Gallipoli sands a tribute to the fallen, says RSL'. The item quotes the League's South Australia and Northern Territory executive director John Spencer also defending the product.
It can be found at http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,9218511%255E911,00.html
Arguments against sand from Gallipoli being sold in memorabilia
1. Gallipoli is the site of thousands of Australian deaths; it should not be used for commercial exploitation
A member of the Australian Light Horse Association has stated, 'I would have thought that Gallipoli was "a sacred site" to most Australians and New Zealanders, but it is indeed a sad day when sand (or anything else) is mined or collected and taken from Gallipoli, packaged and exploited for commercial gain ...
So, we can now add this one to the never-ending list of profiteering and similar operations going on today which cash in on the words "Anzac" and "Gallipoli" ...
What can we expect next?
"Sands from Beersheba"?
"Mud from Passchendaele"?
"Mud from Kokoda"?'
Another member of the Light Horse Association has written, 'The selling of sand from Gallipoli for commercial gain is a tacky, tacky, tacky business. Perhaps the RSL President has forgotten the history of the men that I believe would never have considered such actions appropriate.
As the years pass it appears that groups may try to justify the unjustifiable for profit and distort the memory of these Anzacs. I ask all to please consider what these men would make of all this nonsense. I am personally happy that none of these men are alive today to witness it.
It is a tacky piece of rubbish that has the ill-conceived consent of an organisation that is itself struggling to remain relevant any longer.'
2. Only a portion of the proceeds from the sale of these memorabilia will go to returned service men and their families
It has been noted that the company producing the memorabilia Market Link Solutions will automatically receive 40 percent of the profit from the sale of the items. Though the RSL may receive up to 60 percent, when the products are sold through Australia Post the RSL will receive only 35 percent.
It has also been noted that the items are being produced in a way that will maximise the profits being returned but not necessary maximise either product quality or Australian input. The items are finished in Australia but most of the production is taking place in China. This is presumably because production costs are far lower in China. Some critics have suggested that it is inappropriate to have these items produced outside Australia solely so that they can be produced more cheaply.
3. It should be possible to fund the work of the RSL without the sale of these memorabilia
It has been argued that the welfare work of the RSL should be undertaken without the need to sell sand from highly honoured battle scenes such as Gallipoli. It has been suggested, far example, that a larger percentage of the profits from RSL poker machine venues should be directed toward the RSL's welfare work and that the division between RSL sub-branches and RSL clubs should be removed.
One of the members of the Light Horse Association has claimed, 'The Sub-branches [in New South Wales] are the ex-servicemen, and they usually run their association on the smell of an oily rag.
The RSL clubs [on the other hand] are getting that way they will accept nearly anyone as members. They are run by an elected board, and headed by a salaried manager. They can make millions, but may only give the RSL sub-branch a small amount ...'
4. Australia has previously protested when Turkey apparently planned to commercially exploit Anzac Cove
In February 2004 it was reported that Turkey was planning to commercially develop Anzac Cove and would then be charging tourists entry fees. Australian commentators roundly rejected this proposal.
In an editorial published on February 14 The Herald Sun wrote, 'To Australians, Gallipoli is a revered and terrible place.
It is where the Anzac spirit was born, and where the best of a generation died.
No other place means so much to us. Nowhere is held in our hearts with such profound sadness and immense pride.
Gallipoli deserves the utmost respect - respect that soon it might not get.
The Herald Sun yesterday revealed a push to turn this most sacred place into something akin to a theme park. A sound and light show, a cinema, a light-rail system and a restaurant were planned. Such garish intrusion must not happen.'
Parallels have been drawn between the commercial exploitation just described and the sands of Gallipoli enterprise. It has been suggested that a number of Australian bodies, including the RSL, are being at best inconsistent and at worst hypocritical about this issue.
(In the event it turned out that the reports of Turkey's supposed development plans were inaccurate)
5. Some returned soldiers object to the sale of these memorabilia
Numbers of returned soldiers, especially members of the Australian Light Horse Association, have protested vigorously about the sands of Gallipoli project.
One member of the Australian Light Horse Association has written, 'Personally I feel it is one of the most distasteful efforts in which the RSL has ever been involved ...
Perhaps they should re-evaluate their reason for existence if they need to stoop this low.'
6. Australia is adopting too proprietorial an attitude to another nation's territory
Prime Minister John Howard put Anzac Cove at the top of the Australian National Heritage List that he launched on December 18 2003.
Mr Howard said his nomination of Anzac Cove had already been supported by New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark. He also said that although it was not Australian land, 'you feel as an Australian it's as much a part of Australia as the land on which your home is built.'
The Prime Minister's proposal met with immediate opposition from many who felt he was ignoring the rights of Turkey, within whose country Anzac Cove is located and for whom it also has major historical significance.
The Age in an editorial published on January 3, 2004, stated, 'We should always honour those who died in these places, but that does not mean we have the right to claim the ground in which they are buried as part of our heritage.' A very similar criticism could be made of the sands of Gallipoli project.
Arguments supporting sand from Gallipoli being sold in memorabilia
1. Up to 60 percent of the profits from the sale of memorabilia will go to the Returned Soldiers League (RSL)
The RSL national president, Major-General Bill Crews, has claimed, 'In terms of the profit from the sale it goes to the welfare of veterans, so there's really not a huge commercial ingredient in this. There's a commercial company who are doing the production. Once they've met their reasonable costs then we get the proceeds.'
The Returned Soldiers League's marketing officer, Leigh Morris, has said proceeds would be split between the RSL, Australia Post and Market Link Solutions (the company producing and marketing the memorabilia), with the largest proportion going to the creators. The RSL keeps up to 60 per cent of proceeds (foregoing 25 per cent when items are sold by Australia Post) and Market Link Solutions keeps 40 per cent.
It has been claimed that it appropriate that much of the profits from the sale of the memorabilia should go to returned soldiers and their families. The RSL has argued that these items will honour the memory of those Australian soldiers who died at Gallipoli and in the process raise some $500,000 for the League's welfare programs.
An editorial published on March 31, 2004, stated, '...those who ... buy will help the RSL fulfil its purpose - helping its members, who are heirs to the ANZAC tradition.'
2. The significance of the sand is entirely symbolic
Supporters of the project have stressed that it is not a desecration of the actual sand on which so many Australian soldiers died.
Supporters of the memorabilia have been careful to point out that though the sand has been taken from Anzac Cove it is not the actual material on which battles took place. They appear to be trying to reassure potential purchasers and the public generally that the physical remains of fallen soldiers are not being offered for sale.
The Returned Soldiers League's marketing officer, Leigh Morris, has stated, 'It's not sand that was there in 1915, it's just symbolically the same sand.'
' ... new sand washes up every day,' she has said.
The Victorian RSL state president, Major-General David McLachlan, has similarly said, 'The sand came from Anzac Cove and it's purely symbolic.'
3. The memorabilia are intended to honour those who died
The RSL national president, Major-General Bill Crews, has claimed, 'It actually commemorates Gallipoli rather than desecrates it ... The collection commemorates the bravery and determination of those who fought at Gallipoli.'
Major-General Crews has also said, 'The collection celebrates the Australian spirit shown by those who fought on the sands of Gallipoli and all those who have followed. These were ordinary people who gave extraordinary service. We can never forget the sacrifices they made. These items provide a lasting reminder of battles lost and honour won.'
Major General Crews said the collection would appeal to all Australians.
'Every year, young and old make the trip to visit Gallipoli on ANZAC day for the dawn service. It's one of the most inspiring, thought-provoking, memorable journeys any Australian can make. For many people who've been there and for those who can't make the journey, this collection is something we can all treasure and pass down through the generations.'
The Victorian RSL has stated, 'The "Sands of Gallipoli" collection has been specially designed to commemorate the bravery, determination and sacrifices of Australia's service men and women, lest we forget the Australian spirit exemplified by those who fought in the Gallipoli Campaign.'
4. The relatives of Anzacs do not object to the memorabilia
A number of the descendants of Australian soldiers who fought at Gallipoli have indicated that they support the project.
Gallipoli descendant Cheryl Smith, whose uncle Henry Richard Kent Stanley landed in Gallipoli in 1915 and died in France in 1917, said she supported the RSL making the money for its good work. 'There are so many books and films making money about Gallipoli - are they disrespectful?' Ms Smith has asked.
Jo Gemmell, another descendent of a World War I soldier killed at Gallipoli, has said the series was a good educational tool.
'I think to have something like this is a wonderful way to make sure that the next generation is made aware of the sacrifice these young men made,' she has said.
Some of the descendants of Gallipoli veterans attended the Sydney launch of the Sands of Gallipoli collection together with the RSL national president, Major-General Bill Crews. The aim of having descendants of soldiers who fought at Gallipoli attend the product launch appeared to be to demonstrate their support for the venture. The implication would appear to be that if the relative of those who fought and died at Gallipoli have no objections to the product, then their sale should be of no concern to anyone else.
5. The sand was taken with the permission of Turkey and meets Australian regulations
Market Link Solutions has imported 280 kilograms of sand from Anzac Cove after satisfying Turkish and Australian regulations.
The RSL national president, Major-General Bill Crews, has thanked Turkey for allowing the sand to be removed.
It thus appears that the Turkish Government has no objections to sand being taken from Anzac Cove. The exact location from which the sand was taken has not, however, been made public.
The Returned Soldiers League's marketing officer, Leigh Morris, has stated, 'We have a copy of the quarantine certificate, so it definitely comes from the beaches of Turkey.' However, Ms Morris has said she did not have information from Market Link Solutions on how the sand was collected, where exactly on the Gallipoli peninsular it came from, and who had collected it.
6. Those who object to the memorabilia do not have to purchase these items
It has been claimed that those who find memorabilia made from Gallipoli sand inappropriate or offensive simply need not purchase such items. These people should not, however, have the power to prevent those who wish to buy such items from doing so.
An editorial published on March 31, 2004, stated, 'Those who object to the scheme need not buy the associated key rings, badges and plaques.'
Further implications
In April it was reported that the sale of the "Sands of Gallipoli" memorabilia collection might be held up because the company, Market Link Solutions, had not applied to the Department of Veterans Affairs for permission to use the word Anzac in their product promotions.
It has not yet been reported whether the permission to use the word Anzac has been granted. Should permission not be forthcoming it seems likely that Market Link Solutions should be able to sidestep the problem by removing the word from their promotional material.
The RSL national president, Major-General Bill Crews has suggested that this particular collection of memorabilia is likely to be the only one of its kind. One is forced to wonder whether this will in fact be the case.
In the 1970s in the aftermath of the Vietnam War and while the Cold War fed fears of nuclear annihilation, Anzac commemorations were often condemned as attempts to glorify and promote war.
This view is no longer current. There seems to be a strong and growing desire to honour Australia's war dead. There are doubtless many reasons for this. It may in part be that the generation currently in power in politics and elsewhere is the generation born immediately after World War II. Commonly referred to as the 'baby boomers' this generation has now reached a point where its parents, those who actually fought in World War II, are dead or dying. The passing of the World War II generation seems to have inspired a renewed respect for those who fought in each of the World Wars. Further, the reputation of Vietnam veterans has now been substantially rehabilitated.
Given these developments it would appear that there is likely to be a growing market for war memorabilia of various types at least for the foreseeable future. The "Sands of Gallipoli" collection is likely to be but one of many.
Sources
The Age
19/12/03 page 8 news item, 'Anzac Cove backed'
28/12/03 page 13 comment by Humphrey McQueen, 'PM's fresh assault on a distant friend'
3/1/04 page 18 editorial, 'A place we should not call our own'
9/1/04 page letter from J. Gul Arslan, founder, Australia-Gallipoli Friendship Society, 'Anzac Cove'
14/2/04 page 9 news item by Mark Forbes, 'No fee plan for Gallipoli, says Downer'
The Herald Sun
13/2/04 page 2 news item by Bill Sellars, 'Anzac fury at Gallipoli fee plan'
14/2/04 page 28 editorial, 'A show of respect'
30/3/04 page 8 news item by Catherine Hockley and Neil Wilson, 'Anzac sand to be sold'
31/3/04 page 20 editorial, 'Sands of time'
3/4/04 page 12 news item by Catherine Hockley, 'Gallipoli sand hits a hurdle'