‘A camera on Gallipoli’ showcases a series of 39 candid photographs captured by Charles Ryan while serving with the AIF in Turkey in 1915.
In 1914, at the age of 61, Sir Charles Ryan was appointed consulting surgeon to the AIF, embarking from Melbourne in October towards the Middle East and on to Gallipoli. Director of the Australian War Memorial, Dr Brendan Nelson, says Charles Ryan’s photographs capture the reality behind the 1915 Gallipoli campaign, depicting a unique and often harsh view of our soldiers experiences.
“Ryan’s photographs reflect the Australians’ true experience of war: the dry, forbidding landscape, tired troops in the trenches, and squalid dug-outs,” Dr Nelson said. “Ryan also managed to capture the true spirit of the Australian soldiers who fought at Gallipoli. Their mateship, stoicism and endurance underpin the photographs and embody the meaning of the Anzac spirit.”
Behind the photographs in the exhibition is the story of Charles Ryan’s remarkable life. He served as a doctor with the Turkish army in 1877–78, treated Ned Kelly at Glenrowan, was a leading Melbourne surgeon and gave long service as a senior military officer. He was extended high civil and military recognition by his peers.
The exhibition is an initiative to commemorate the centenary of the First World War. The display will also include a feature a local component with a display of 21 still images of local soldiers who served in the campaigns at Fromelles and Pozieres in France. These pictures have been developed from East Gippsland Heritage Networks’ recent research project and publication on local World War I soldiers – ‘East Gippsland Anzacs’.
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| Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey. c May 1915. Surgeon General Sir Charles S. Ryan standing outside the dugout of the Aide-de-Camp as denoted by the ADC sign above the doorway. |
‘A camera on Gallipoli’ will be displayed at the Bairnsdale Library until Monday, August 15.
