Commemorating the connection of 2 nations

Over 100 years ago, in the first World War, there was a link formed, that many people don’t know about, that connects our 2 countries, Australia and Greece, forever in time. On the 4th of March 1915, over 3,000 Australian soldiers, troops, nurses and medical staff landed on the Greek Island of Lemnos, which was provided as a base for Australian and New Zealand forces for hospitals, supplies and refuge. Lemnos was the main staging area for supporting allied troops throughout World War One in Gallipoli.

The First Australian and New Zealand nurses as they arrived on the island of Lemnos in 1915

Over 100 years ago, in the first World War, there was a link formed, that many people don’t know about, that connects our 2 countries, Australia and Greece, forever in time. On the 4th of March 1915, over 3,000 Australian soldiers, troops, nurses and medical staff landed on the Greek Island of Lemnos, which was provided as a base for Australian and New Zealand forces for hospitals, supplies and refuge. Lemnos was the main staging area for supporting allied troops throughout World War One in Gallipoli.

Australian soldiers resting at camp on Lemnos in 1915

Throughout this great war, over 300 Australian nurses who were all volunteers for this great cause, served on the Island in over 10 hospitals. When Australian troops finally retreated from Gallipoli in December 1915, they returned to Lemnos to find solace and rest. To this day, Lemnos is the site of 2 Commonwealth War Graves, where many Australians are buried. The people of Lemnos welcomes the Australians as allies and friends of theirs, allowing access to their land and resources for as long as they needed. For those brave soldiers that were wounded, Lemnos represented a place where they could recover and find joy away from the atrocities occurring around ANZAC Cove. Through these times, the people of Australia and the people of Lemnos have a bond which will last for all of eternity.