Exhibition captures daily during Gallipoli campaign

The reality of life in Gallipoli in 1915 has been captured in candid and previously unseen photographs, now on display at the Princess Royal Fortress.

The exhibition, Capturing Gallipoli, tells the story of what life was like during the Gallipoli campaign, captured through the lens.

The photographs, taken by Staff Sergeant Alexander Dollman Hood M.M, a member of the 4th Australian Field Ambulance C Section, will be on display until September.

The exhibition will also feature the Australian War Memorial’s A Camera on Gallipoli, showing World War I photographs taken by Sir Charles Ryan, a leading surgeon in the Australian Imperial Forces.

A Camera on Gallipoli is a series of 39 photographs capturing soldiers’ experiences of the 1915 Gallipoli campaign.

Princess Royal Fortress Military Museum curator David Theodore said the exhibition offered a new perspective on daily life in Gallipoli for Australian troops.

"Princess Royal Fortress has some important and previously unseen photographs which we are fortunate enough to be able to bring out for public viewing in this exhibition," he said.

"Combining Staff Sergeant Hood’s images with the AWM’s A Camera on Gallipoli travelling exhibition is the perfect match and showcases the true experience of war.

“This is a great insight into what life was like in Gallipoli.

“There are amazing photographs that work on the basis that you see candid shots of troops getting a haircut, field dentistry and their living conditions, all captured on camera.”

Gallipoli Captured will be on display at the Princess Royal Fortress Military Museum main barracks building until September 8.

‘Complete refresh’ on the cards for Anzac centre

At dawn in calm waters on November 1, 1915, Captain Arthur Gordon Smith and 40 ships under his command set sail from King George Sound on course for war.

Heading to Europe across a known hunting ground for German raiders, Smith and the 28,000 Anzacs in his convoy prepared to brave more than one month and 8000km of Indian Ocean to Africa.

Within a week of leaving Albany, the convoy came under threat from the German cruiser Emden, which was destroyed by HMAS Sydney.

Later, the convoy had to navigate the heavily mined Red Sea — a narrow route which nearly resulted in disaster for the Anzacs.

The retelling of Smith’s voyage is part of a proposed $1.4 million “complete refresh” of the National Anzac Centre, which could also see the installation of a miniature theatre and new displays for students, as well as upgrades for disability access.

It comes five years after the museum opened, during which visitor and revenue figures have smashed expectations, with 308,000 fee-paying visitors and $6.45 million in sales.

City of Albany councillors will vote on the proposal on June 25.

In May, the City’s facilities manager Letitia Stone said the focus going forward was for the NAC to become a “significant cultural asset”.

“The intrinsic link to the Anzac story has established Albany as a must-visit ... destination on home shores and the (NAC) is a major part of that, offering a rich and moving cultural experience into a time in history that helped shape our identity as a nation,” she said.