48km
1h 20min
Moderate
Road
Linear
A strategically significant location during the First World War, the island of Limnos served as the rear base for the deadly Battle of Gallipoli, hosting camps, hospitals, and auxiliary units of the ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps).
From the capital of Myrina.
Head towards the village of Portianou, where Winston Churchill – the mastermind of the campaign – had set up his headquarters, and seek out the Portianos Allied Military Cemetery, next to the Church of the Presentation of the Theotokos. Three hundred and fifty-two graves of British, French, Canadian, Australian, New Zealander, Egyptian, and Indian soldiers are located here, serving as a lasting reminder of the price humanity had to pay in blood at the dawn of the 20th century.
The West Mudros Muslim Cemetery, which honours the memory of 176 Egyptian labourers who joined the Egyptian Labour Corps of the British Army, and 56 Turkish prisoners, is located 3km from the village. Functioning more as a monument and less as a cemetery, as the original burials took place in the surrounding area and not within the cemetery grounds, it symbolically links Limnos with global military history.
A little further away, the Old Russian Cemetery, houses the graves of refugees from Russia, mainly Cossacks, who fled to the island after the Bolsheviks prevailed.
It facilitated the rapid disembarkation and transport of troops, materials, and food from the ships to the Allied camps. On the opposite side of the bay, the Cenotaph or Pyramid served as a naval lookout that helped signalmen safely guide ships entering and leaving the bay.
The centre of military developments in the region during the First World War was the natural, sheltered harbour of Moudros. Allied troops departed from here in April 1915 with the aim of taking control of the Dardanelles Straits as part of the famous Gallipoli Campaign. The operation failed and thousands of soldiers lost their lives. Closely linked to the events of the period, the area concentrates a multitude of points of historical interest. The Australian Pier stands out among these.
To gain a complete picture of the importance of Limnos for the ANZAC expeditionary force and to delve into the historical events of the period, visit the Information Centre for the History and Maritime Tradition of Moudros, located in the old school building. The museum narrative is framed by a wealth of illustrative material, precious documents, audiovisual projections, and multimedia applications, in an unforgettable interactive learning experience.
East Mudros Military Cemetery, the main military cemetery of the British Commonwealth and the Entente on Limnos, is a place of historical memory of international scope. It is also connected to the Battle of Gallipoli and, besides graves of ANZAC soldiers, it also has separate sections for Muslims and Hindus of the Indian Army and the Egyptian Labour Corps.
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