Gallipoli 1915 (2)

The Impact of the Campaign
The Gallipoli campaign was a failure. Right from the start. The Allies could not force the Dardanelles Strait with ships alone. They could not open the strait by invading the Gallipoli Peninsula. The British government gave the fleet and later the army a hopeless task. But it would not admit it. Therefore both Army and Navy were ordered to carry on, month after month. In August, they tried a new offensive at Suvla Bay, and for a brief moment there was a chance, but they missed it because of poor planning, and then continued the war in the same way as before.

The consequences were disastrous: the two parties had a combined loss of 132,000 deaths and perhaps as many wounded. Thus the average cost of this campaign was more than 10,000 deaths a month. Finally, after almost a year of fighting, the British government realized the failure and ordered an evacuation. But by then 132,000 soldiers had lost their lives in a mission that could not be completed. This was the impact of the campaign in the short term. In the longer term the campaign also had some major consequences.

The Turkish officer Mustafa Kemal became a national hero because of his role in the defense of Gallipoli. After the war ended in 1918 he became the leader of the Ottoman army that stopped Greece's attempt to conquer the western part of Asia Minor. Thus his hero status among the Turks grew to new heights. In 1923 he founded the republic of Turkey and made ​​himself the country's first president - a post he retained until his death in 1938. He is the most famous and best-known person in the history of Turkey.

The Gallipoli campaign was planned and implemented by the British government. The Ministers with prime responsibility were Lord Horatio Herbert Kitchener, who was Secretary of War, and Winston Churchill, who was Minister of the Marine (First Lord of the Admiralty).

When news of the failed invasion reached England, the government became unpopular, and Churchill had to resign in May 1915. His political career came to a halt, but it was only a small price for having launched a disastrous action, and besides, this setback was only temporary.

In 1917 he was appointed Colonial Secretary, and in 1921 he was the chairman of the Cairo Conference, that decided what would happen to the remains of the Ottoman Empire. This conference created the modern state of Iraq, although from the outset it was clear that the state had many different ethnic and religious groups that had no national unity.

If you want to be blunt, you can say that Churchill first made Mustafa Kemal a national hero, who was able to establish the republic of Turkey, and then set up Iraq, thereby laying the groundwork for many of the problems that still plague this country in the 21st century.

Lord Kitchener was not affected by Gallipoli scandal. He continued as Secretary of War until his death in June 1916. He was on his way to Russia aboard the British warship the Hampshire when it hit a mine and sank. Kitchener and almost the entire crew perished.

Anzac Day
The Gallipoli campaign had (and still has) a special significance in Australia and New Zealand. During the First World War, these two nations were still young and closely linked to the motherland. Many young men volunteered to join ANZAC and fight on England’s side. Gallipoli was a baptism of fire for ANZAC. Thousands fought and fell during this campaign.

For the surviving veterans, their families, and friends, and for subsequent generations, Gallipoli is an event that helped create their national identity.

The date of the invasion, 25 April, was named Anzac Day, an official holiday, still marked by many in Australia and New Zealand. Some travel to Gallipoli to see the place where it all happened. For many it is not just an ordinary tourist trip, but almost a pilgrimage .

Today veterans from that time are no longer alive. But the memory of Gallipoli lives on and remains important. Perhaps it has a growing importance. On 25 April 2005, the 90th anniversary of the invasion, 20,000 people showed up at Anzac Cove to attend the official ceremony at the site.

Hellfire Pass
Since 1987 Anzac Day has also been marked at Hellfire Pass in western Thailand. During World War Two, thousands of Allied prisoners of war were forced by the Japanese to build a railway from Thailand to Burma, the infamous “Railway of Death.” Many of these prisoners of war came from Australia and New Zealand.

Work on the section of the line that is known as Hellfire Pass started (coincidentally) on Anzac Day, 25 april 1943. In April 1987 this place was declared a historic monument, and in April 1998 a historical museum was inaugurated at the site: Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum.

Anzac Day was originally about Gallipoli and the First World War. But nowadays it is also about Hellfire Pass, the Railway of Death, and World War Two.

Notes and References

** Tim Travers, Gallipoli, 1915, Tempus: Stroud, hardcover 2001, paperback 2002, 288 pages.

** Mustafa Askin, Gallipoli: A Turning Point, no year, ca. 2005, 56 pages.

** Commonwealth War Graves Commission, The Gallipoli Campaign, 1915 and The Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey. This material is available at the tourist office in Canakkale. The commission has a website on the internet. The address is: www.cwgc.org

** Christopher Catherwood, Winston's Folly: Imperialism and the Creation of Modern Iraq, Constable: London, 2004, 268 pages.

** The Hassle Free Travel Agency, Anzac House, Canakkale, Turkey.
The website on the internet: Hassle Free Travel Agency.
E-mail address: hasslefree@anzachouse.com

** Major and Mrs. Holt's Battle Map of Gallipoli, T. & M. Associates, 2000. You can order this item online. The internet-address is: www.guide-books.co.uk

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Go to the next installment:

Gallipoli 1915 (3)

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Gallipoli 1915 (3)

The Current Situation
What can you see at the site today? How do you get to Gallipoli ? How do you get around the peninsula, when you get there? From Istanbul the distance is approximately 250 km to the city Gelibolu that has the same name as the peninsula. The peninsula is almost 100 kilometers long. It is not very wide, but distances are still so long that you do not wish to walk from one place to the next.

If you have a car, you can make the whole trip on your own. But it will be a rather expensive solution. In addition, you will need a detailed map, and you will need to study before going. The area is quite well signposted, but it does not help much that you find a place like Johnston's Jolly, if you do not know what it means.

Another option is to take a bus from Istanbul to Gelibolu and from there take a guided tour around the peninsula. When you walk with a guide, you are more likely to get something out of the trip, and you avoid wasting time searching in vain for specific locations.

A third option - which I chose - is to take a guided tour that begins and ends in Istanbul. The Hassle Free Travel Agency, whose head office is located in Canakkale, offers a day trip to Gallipoli where you are picked up at your hotel early in the morning (6:30-07:00) and dropped off at your hotel the same evening (around midnight).   

The journey from Istanbul to Canakkale takes approximately five hours. This means that you have all afternoon (13-18) to visit the various sites of Gallipoli.

The tour can be extended with an overnight stay in Canakkale, which I did. You can decide how much you wish to spend: you can choose a hostel or a hotel with one, two, three, four or five stars. In the morning there is a guided tour to the ancient city of Troy, which is located 35 kilometers southwest of Canakkale, while the afternoon is free time. In the evening the bus will bring you back to Istanbul.

It is pretty bold to call a travel agent the Hassle Free Travel Agency. But I must say that the agency lived up to its name. The trip was well-organised and not expensive. The guides were skilled and efficient. The trip was - as the name promises - Hassle Free. I found the agency on the internet. I asked some of my fellow passengers on the bus, how they had found this agency. Several of them said family or friends had recommended it. Now I can do the same.

The Central Zone
How much can you see in one afternoon? The tour includes the central zone of the peninsula, i.e. the Anzac zone. It does not cover the northern zone at Suvla Bay, nor the southern zone at Cape Helles . If you want to see all three zones, you will have to spend at least two days. You can take a guided tour to the central zone on the first day and then see the other two on your own. But you should remember that it can be hard to get around from place to place. Public transport is limited on the peninsula. Of course it is best to see it everything, but it is my impression that you get a good sense of the whole area by visiting the central zone.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has established 31 cemeteries in the three zones. Twenty-one of them are located in the Anzac zone. The Commission has built three memorials. Two of them are in the Anzac zone. The French cemetery is in the southern zone at Cape Helles. The Turks have established a number of cemeteries and monuments. Many of them found in the Anzac zone.

The trip to the Anzac zone consists of five segments. You will be driven in a bus from place to place. Every time the bus stops, the guide will tell about the place. You can leave the bus and take a closer look at the particular location. You have approximately one hour to visit each of the five segments. Even if you are not on your own, it is still a good idea to bring a detailed map of the area, for instance Major & Mrs. Holt’s Battle Map of Gallipoli.

Brighton Beach and Anzac Cove
The first stop is at the two beaches called Brighton Beach and Anzac Cove. Brighton Beach is approximately three kilometers long and fairly flat. It is well-suited to a landing. The Turks could see this, and therefore they expected a landing here. Anzac Cove, located just north of Brighton Beach is only a mile long. Here the landscape is completely different. There are steep cliffs and deep ravines. This beach is not suited to a landing. The Turks could see this, and therefore they did not expect a landing here.

The Anzac force was scheduled to go ashore on Brighton Beach, but for some reason it landed a little further north, in Anzac Cove. It was hard to go ashore at this place. But if the soldiers had gone ashore on Brighton Beach, it would have been even harder, because here the Turks were expecting them. It took a while before the Turks realised that the enemy had landed at Anzac Cove, and therefore the Anzac soldiers were able to dig in and establish a bridgehead.

If the change was due to an accident, it was a blessing in disguise. If the change was done on purpose, it was probably a good idea. In any event, it is very instructive to visit the site. When you see this landscape, you will understand how difficult it must have been for the inexperienced soldiers to make a landing here.

One of the many ravines is called Shrapnel Valley. Here is a cemetery: Shrapnel Valley Cemetery. Anzac Cove is bordered on the north by a headland called Ari Burnu. Here is another cemetery: Ari Burnu Cemetery.

When you stand on the beach below this burial ground and look at the hillside, you will see a large rock formation which the soldiers called The Sphinx. They had been in training camp outside the Egyptian capital Cairo, where they had seen the pyramids and the sphinx. Therefore they gave this name to the large rock formation.

North of Ari Burnu is North Beach, where a large area called Anzac Commemorative Site has recently been established. On Anzac Day, on 25 April, so many people show up that there is not room for them at Anzac Cove. Therefore this area has been established for the official ceremony .

There are two Turkish monuments here. Both consist of a large monolith with an inscription. The first monument is at Hell Spit Point (or Queensland Point) that separates Brighton Beach from Anzac Cove. The text is about the Turkish soldiers, who resisted Anzac during the invasion, on 25 April 1915. The text is in Turkish, but an English translation is placed at the foot of the monolith .

The second monument stands just south of Ari Burnu Cemetery. It is a famous text written by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1934. The text is in English, because it is addressed to foreign visitors, but a Turkish translation is placed at the foot of the monolith. It runs as follows:

"Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives ... you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours ... . You, the mothers, who sent [your] sons from far away countries, wipe away your tears. Your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.” 

The dots do not mark not an omission. They are part of the original text. They mark a moment of hesitation and reflection or a short pause.
 
Kabatebe Museum and Lone Pine
The second stop is at the local museum in Kabatebe. The museum is located in a small circular building surrounded by an open space. Inside a number of objects from the war are exhibited: pistols, rifles, etc. There are also several pictures, some from 1915, others from more recent times.

Outside you can see a number of guns, some monuments and reliefs that show soldiers in action. On the wall of the staircase leading up to the museum, there is a poem about Gallipoli written in 1988 by Bülent Ecevit (1925-2006), who was prime minister of Turkey four times between 1974 and 2002. The poem (printed in English) is too long to be quoted here, but it shows that Gallipoli plays a major role in Turkish consciousness.

The third stop is Lone Pine and Johnston's Jolly, which are located next to each other. Lone Pine was a strategically important plateau in the south of the Anzac zone. It was conquered during the offensive that began on 6 August 1915, and was held until the evacuation four months later. Here there is a cemetery as well as a memorial to Australia and New Zealand.

Today there are trees everywhere. But this was not the case in 1915. The place got its name because a lone pine stood at this location, although nearly all vegetation in the area was lost because of the war. The tree that stands here today is not the original, but it is close. Our guide tells us that one of the Australian soldiers took some seeds from the tree back home to Australia, where he planted a tree. Later the seeds from the Australian tree were brought to Gallipoli and planted here.

Lone Pine is not far from Johnston's Jolly where there is a small cemetery known as Johnston's Jolly Cemetery. The modern name of this place refers to Colonel J. L. Johnston from the 11th West Australian Battalion. Whenever he wished to fire up his men, he would always say: “Let's jolly up the Turks.”

To the right of the modern road were the Turks. To the left the soldiers of Anzac. The modern road corresponds to the narrow strip of no man’s land between the two sides. This shows how close they were to each other. To the left you can see some of the Anzac trenches from 1915. To the right you can see the entrance to a Turkish tunnel. The trenches are not deep . It was usually not possible to dig more than one meter down, before you encountered solid rock. Therefore the soldiers had to build a parapet using sandbags on the side facing the enemy.

The Turks usually placed their trenches close to the Allies in order to achieve greater security. British ships lying off the coast of Gallipoli tried to bomb the Turkish positions. But when the two sides were close to each other, the British risked hitting their own people instead of the enemy (this phenomenon is know as “friendly fire”).

Hand grenades were often used during the campaign. When a grenade landed in a trench , it was important to be fast, pick it up and throw it back where it came from. Our guide says that there are reports of grenades that were thrown back and forth both three and four times before they finally exploded.

As time went by the two sides began to respect each other. Sometimes a strange friendship developed between them. Our guide tells us that soldiers from Anzac would throw some cans of beef to the Turks as a gift. Fearing it was pork, which Muslims must avoid, the Turks threw the cans back with a brief message attached: “We do not want meat, but please send some milk!”

The 57 Regiment and Chunuk Bair
The fourth stop is the Turkish monument to the 57th regiment of the Ottoman Army, which was under Mustafa Kemal’s direct command. This regiment was almost completely wiped out while fighting against the invasion in April 1915.

To the left of the road there is a large statue of the typical Turkish soldier, Johnny Turk. To the right of the road there is a cemetery and at the end a pyramidal tower with three levels . There is also a large relief which shows Mustafa Kemal leading the 57 regiment.

The fifth and final stop is Chunuk Bair - a strategically important hill in the northern part of the Anzac zone. It was conquered and lost during the offensive in August 1915. There are some reconstructed Turkish trenches here. There is a cemetery and a monument to New Zealand. There is also a statue of Mustafa Kemal, standing on a high platform.

Looking northwest, you can see the northern zone around Suvla Bay and the great salt lake behind the bay. Looking southeast, you can see all the way to the Dardanelles. As I stand here, it becomes really clear to me how much the landscape and the geography meant for this campaign:

The Ottoman troops had occupied all the highest points on the peninsula before the invasion, and they held on to most of them throughout the campaign. The Allied soldiers had to face an uphill battle, which is hard, especially when there is a man armed with a machine gun on top of the hill.

The Allied soldiers did what they could. Considering the circumstances it must be said that they achieved a lot and kept on going for a long time. It is surprising that they obeyed the impossible orders they received and especially that they continued to obey these orders, even though it was increasingly obvious that the task was hopeless and would have to be abandoned.

Chunuk Bair is the last stop. At this location the tour is over. Some of my fellow passengers on the minibus are going back to Istanbul that same evening, but I am going to stay the night in Canakkale, so I will take the boat across the strait and check into my hotel, which is located next to Anzac House.

Sightseeing in Canakkale
In the morning there is a guided tour of the ancient city Troy, which is interesting, but not relevant for this report. In the afternoon, I have a chance to take a look at the town. I will mention three items here:

(1) The port. When I look across the water, I can see the small town Kilitbahir. On the slope to the right of the town there is a Turkish inscription. The text is written in letters so large that I (almost) can read them here from Canakkale. My guidebook says these are the first lines of a poem by the Turkish poet Necmettic Halil Onan. Here is an English translation:

"Stop, traveller! The ground you tread on, was once witness to a generation that was lost. Listen! In this quiet hill beats the heart of an entire nation.”
 
(2) The so-called cannon monument consisting of two guns, one small and one large. These are two of the guns that were used to stop the Allied attack on 18 marts 1915.

(3) The Naval Museum, located west of the harbour. Guns, mines, and torpedoes from the campaign in 1915 are exhibited here. The old warship the Nusrat has been lifted out of the water and placed on dry land. The night before the Allied attack on 18 March 1915 this ship dropped several mines into the strait: three Allied ships hit three mines and sank, after which the attack was abandoned.

A Classic Example
Gallipoli is a small place. The Allied soldiers who fought here in 1915, had probably never heard of it before they were sent there. But the campaign they fought here had major consequences, both in time and space, and all were unintended.

From a military point of view, almost every part of this operation is a textbook example of what not to do (apart from the evacuation, which was an amazing success).

From a political perspective, this operation is a classic example of the huge gap that may exist between theory and practice, between a plan made in an office in London and the brutal reality of war in the Dardanelles. The common soldiers on both sides paid a high price for the British plan and for the incredible stubbornness of the British government.

The Gallipoli campaign is an interesting but horrible episode. It is hard to say anything good about it. If there is anything good to say about it, it must be that it shows the futility of war.

 

References

** To see my pictures from Gallipoli, go to my blog: A Visit to Gallipoli

** Peter Hart, Gallipoli, hardcover 2011, paperback 2013, 544 pages.

** Edward J. Erickson, Gallipoli: The Ottoman Campaign, 2010, 256 pages.

** Gallipoli is an eight-part Australian television drama series to be telecast on the Nine Network in 2015, the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli Campaign. Adapted from the best-selling book Gallipoli by Les Carlyon (published 2002, 2003), the series is produced by Endemol Australia and is being shot over a three month period beginning on 17 March 2014. For more information about this project, click on the following link: Gallipoli - the television series (2015)

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The Colossus on Rügen (1): Pictures of Prora

 

Prora North.
After the end of World War Two, the Soviet army tried to blow up two of the northern blocks (# 7 and 8). They did not quite succeed, as you can see from this picture. Part of the block is still standing.

 

 

Prora North.
The "finger" sticking out from the main block includes the staircase.

 

Prora North.
This picture shows the western side of the block, which faces inland.

 

 

Prora North.

 

Prora North.
The "finger" with the staircase has collapsed.

 

 

This poster in front of Prora North gives a strong warning in German:

"Lebensgefahr! Betreten strengstens verboten!"

In English: "Mortal danger! No trespassing!"

 

 

Prora North

 

 

Prora North.
The "finger" with the staircase has collapsed.

 

Prora North

  

 

 Prora North.
In this picture you can see the remains of the staircase.
The outer end of the "finger" (the left side of the picture) contains bathrooms and toilets.

 

Prora South.
This picture shows the western side of the complex, which faces inland.

 

 

 Prora South.
The architectural style is quite monotonous, as you can see.

 

 

 Prora South:

This picture shows the entrance to the Prora Museum.

 

 

 Prora seen from the air.
This picture is used on the cover of the book about the complex published by the Prora Museum.

 

Inside Prora South:

The long corridor follows a north-south axis.

 

A room in Prora would have looked something like this:

two beds, a small table with a chair, and a window facing east. 

 

This poster from 1938 promotes Prora as a holiday destination.

The German text says: "Dein Urlaub 1939."

In English: "Your holiday 1939."

 

Robert Ley, 1890-1945.
As head of the German Labour Front (1933-1945) he was the driving force behind the huge holiday project on the island of Rügen. He was imprisoned in 1945 and committed suicide while awaiting trial for war crimes.

 

 

This poster from the cold war gives a strong warning in German.
In English: "Border area. This zone is off limits! No trespassing!"

 

Prora South:

This picture shows eastern side of the blocks, which faces the beach.

 

Prora South:

The eastern side of the blocks facing the beach.

 

Prora South:

The eastern side of the blocks facing the beach.

 

Today the beach is covered with tall trees.

 

The beach in front of Prora.
The short pier marks the spot where the German authorities
planned to build a pier long enough to accommodate cruise ships.

The work was interrupted by the outbreak of war and never completed.

 

 

Prora South

 

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Go to the next installment:

 

The Colossus on Rügen (2): A book about Prora

 

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The Colossus on Rügen (2): A book about Prora

Two German authors, Joachim Wernicke and Uwe Schwartz, have written a book about a place in Germany which is very interesting but not so well-known. The German title means The Colossus of Prora on Rügen – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. If you have a chance to visit this place, this book will be an excellent guide for you. If you are not able to go there, you can still enjoy the book as an armchair traveller.

 

This map of Rügen shows the location of Prora on the eastern coast of the island.

 

Prora is a giant complex located on the eastern coast of Rügen, in the middle of the ten kilometre long bay between Binz in the south and Sassnitz in the north. It is named after a hill on Rügen, and it was planned as a holiday home for 20,000 visitors. Work on the project began in 1936, but because of World War Two it was never completed. Today it stands as a historical monument of the Nazi period (1933-1945).

It is not beautiful, but interesting, because it tells us about an important aspect of Nazi ideology. Nazism was totalitarian. Hitler wanted to control the life of the German people, not only during work, but also during the free time.

The plan called for eight six-floor blocks built in a curve along the beach; each block 500 meters long; four in the northern section and four in the southern section; in the centre, a house of culture, big enough to accommodate all 20,000 visitors at the same time, and a reception area; the whole complex 4.5 kilometres long. On the coast, next to the house of culture, there would be a pier long enough to accommodate a cruise ship.

 

 

This map of Prora South shows the location of the Prora Museum.

If all 20,000 visitors went to the beach at the same, there would still be plenty of space for them, namely 4.8 square meters per person. Each visitor would have a two-week holiday. During two summer months 80,000 Germans could visit the place.

The daily price was set at two German Marks per person, including three daily meals and access to some events in the house of culture. This was cheap by the standards of the day.

The plan called for 10,000 double rooms. All rooms rather small, only 2.5 x 5 meters, but all with a sea view (facing east). In addition, the plan called for central heating, so that the complex could be used all year. Kitchen and bathroom facilities were located in the staircase houses, which were built like small “fingers” on the back side of the blocks. Each block had ten “fingers.”

Work on the project began in May 1936. More than 3,000 workers and 300 foremen were hired. Eight companies began work on eight blocks at the same time, but when World War Two broke out in 1939, the work was stopped. As long as the war went on, there were no resources to build holiday homes.

The eight blocks were almost completed, and work on the pier had begun, but the central house of culture was never built. The workers were transferred to Peenemünde on the nearby island of Usedom where the Nazis developed the V-1 and V-2 missiles which were later sent to attack the United Kingdom.

In 1940 the Germans used a group of Polish prisoners of war to complete the roofs on the eight blocks, so they would not be damaged by bad weather, but that was all. During the war, the allied forces tried to bomb the complex several times, but they never managed to hit it.

In 1945 eastern Germany was occupied by the USSR which took over Prora until 1950. For a while the complex was used to house refugees from the war. All small and removable objects were transported to the USSR. Soviet authorities considered this as compensation for war damages.

The southern block was dismantled and the parts were transported to the USSR. Soviet military also began to blow up the two northern blocks, but the job was never completed. Today the ruins still stand as they were left around 1950.

In 1951 Prora was taken over by the new East German state (DDR). At first it was used by the police, later by the people’s army. From around 1960 a part of the complex was used as a holiday home for soldiers.

During the cold war Prora was a secret area which was closed to the public. On civilian maps Prora was not marked. It was a so-called “Sperrgebiet,” and officially it did not exist (but western intelligence agencies knew about it anyway).

After the cold war there were many dramatic changes in Germany. The Berlin wall came down in 1989, and in the following year West Germany and East Germany were united. For a few years Prora was still sealed off, but since 1993 the public has been allowed to enter the area.

Of the original eight blocks only five are useable today, three in the southern section and two in the northern section. Of the original 10,000 rooms almost 6,500 are useable today.

“Prora South” consisted of four blocks. One is gone, but three are still standing. Block # 4 houses several museums, including a very interesting museum established in 1995, which presents the history of the complex.

“Prora North” also consisted of four blocks. Blocks # 7 and # 8 are in ruins. The area around them is closed because it is dangerous to enter. Next to blocks # 5 and # 6 there is a railway and technology museum established in 1994.

The blocks are about 100 meters from the water. The bay has a sandy beach, one of the best beaches in northern Europe. A belt of high trees has grown up between the blocks and the water. Not every room has a sea view today.

This book by Joachim Wernicke and Uwe Schwartz gives a detailed and reliable account of the history of this extraordinary place. The German text is illustrated with useful maps and fascinating photos. It is highly recommended.

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Joachim Wernicke & Uwe Schwartz,

Der Koloss von Prora auf Rügen,

Verlag Museum Prora & Verlag Langewiesche Königstein,
2006, 156 pages

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The Young Victoria

This historical drama about the young Victoria is available on a DVD. It is divided into three parts. In the first part Victoria is not yet queen. In the second part she is queen, but not yet married. In the last part she is queen and married.

Victoria was born in May 1819, and was proclaimed queen in July 1837. Her coronation took place in June of the following year. In February 1840 she married Prince Albert. They had nine children. Albert died in December 1861, only 42 years old. Victoria never remarried. She remained a widow for the rest of her life. She died in January 1901, 81 years old. She was a queen for 63 years and seven months.

I like to watch historical dramas. Often the past comes alive in fascinating ways. This movie is no exception. It is, in many ways, a good drama. Several important points are presented in a very convincing way:

(a) The conflict between the young Victoria on one side and her mother, the Duchess of Kent, and her “friend” John Conroy on the other side.

(b) The conflict between King William IV and the Duchess of Kent.

(c) The conflict between two prominent politicians of the day, the Whig Lord Melbourne and the Tory Sir Robert Peel.

(d) The alliance between Victoria and Lord Melbourne.

When I watch this movie, I enjoy it. But it is not a good movie in every way. There are several historical inaccuracies. Some of them are minor flaws (# 1-3 below), while others are major flaws (# 4-6 below).

The actors cannot be blamed for this. They have to follow the script and do what they are told. The responsibility lies with the writer and with the producers who allowed the historical inaccuracies to remain in there. Here are the six cases:

(1) In the movie we hear (and see) several references to “Germany.” When Victoria was young, there were several German states, but there was no country with the name Germany. This country was not proclaimed until 1871.

(2) In the movie Lord Melbourne and Victoria meet at Windsor Castle on the occasion of King William IV’s birthday. Victoria is not yet queen, and not yet 20 years old. The actor who plays Lord Melbourne appears to be slightly older than her, around 30 years old. In the real world Lord Melbourne was forty years older than Victoria, because he was born in 1779.

(3) In the movie the name of this politician is constantly mispronounced. He is called MELBURN, which is wrong. It should be MELBORN. Why did nobody check the pronunciation of his name? Why did nobody tell the producers or the actors to get it right?

(4) During the birthday celebration at Windsor Castle King William IV made a speech during which he accused the Duchess of Kent of trying to keep her daughter away from him. In the film the Duchess is seated away from him, she gets up and leaves the room in protest over this insult. But the other guests do not really react to this. In the real world the Duchess was seated next to the king, and she did not leave the room. But Victoria cried, and the other guests were shocked by the incident.

(5) John Conroy was a bully who tried to control Victoria, hoping to use her position for his own benefit. She hated him for doing this, and she hated her mother for letting him do this without protesting. As soon as she was proclaimed queen, she banished him from the court. But in the film it does not happen like this. Victoria wants to dismiss Conroy, but she allows him to stay out of respect for her mother. So Conroy pops up from time to time. In the film he is not dismissed until after Victoria’s marriage to Albert, and Albert is the one who finally kicks him out.

I do not understand this change from fact to fiction. I think the producers want to present Victoria as an independent person (which she was in many ways). But here they seem to say that she was unable to get rid of Conroy - her husband had to do it for her.

(6) In June 1840, while Victoria and Albert were driving through London in an open carriage, there was an assassination attempt on them. A man called Edward Oxford tried to shoot them. In the film Albert is hit, while protecting his wife. He takes a bullet for her. He is rushed back to the palace, bleeding. Fortunately, he recovers. Later we see him walking around with one arm in a sling.

This is not true at all. The would-be assassin missed. Neither Victoria nor Albert was hit. Of all the alterations presented here, this is the worst, because it is a deliberate falsification of history. I am sure Albert was ready to take a bullet for his wife, but he never did, so why pretend that he did?

Some people may ask me:

 

“Why do you have to complain about these historical details? Why can’t you just enjoy the movie?”

Here is my response:

I understand that there may be a situation where the producers have to use some kind of fiction, but the alterations presented here do not fall into this category. The alterations presented here are not necessary, they are not justified. Why do the producers try to rewrite and “improve” history, when the true story would be just fine, perhaps even better, and it has the advantage of being true?

I want to recommend this movie, but as you can see, I have some reservations, and therefore I can only give it four out of five stars.

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The Young Victoria,

Released on a DVD in 2009,

Total running time: 105 minutes

 

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