A Turkish Painter from Gallipoli: Hayri Cizer

Discussions on the final era of the Ottoman Empire, from the Young Turk Revolution of 1908 until the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923.
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Tosun Saral
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A Turkish Painter from Gallipoli: Hayri Cizer

#1

Post by Tosun Saral » 15 Nov 2005, 15:14

Hasan Hayrettin, or shortly Hayri Bey was born in Dimetoka which the Turks lost during the Balkan Wars. After the secondary school, he has studied fine arts in Istanbul and graduated in 1914. During the WW1 fought in Gallipoli Front as a reserve officer.

He took lessons from the ‘masters’ of his time such as Adil Bey, Werniya and famous painter Valery. Because his first place in the school, he has sent to Münich, Germany and he worked there in Hoffman’s atelier. He was one of the senior paint and art teachers of İstanbul High School. After the new Turkish new law reform he got the surname "Çizer" which means painter
He died in 1950, October 13th at the age of 62.

Mr. Çizel has tried to explain the Turkish soldiers in the Balkan, Gallipoli and Turkish Independence War. With his works, he has put a light of the Turkish soldiers’ history painting their gallantry in the front, resignation in the trenches and his normal life in the back…

As a painter, he was an exceptional person who could stay far from cruelity of the war; in his pastel colors, even the war have seen such pretty and sad…
with the courtesy of my friend journalist Mr. Yetkin Iscen
http://www.gallipoli1915.org/hayri.cizel.htm

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Turkey,Gallipoli

#2

Post by [email protected] » 09 Dec 2005, 18:24

Having spent a whole day driving the Gallipoli battle site this last May while visiting Turkey, I can relate to the pictures. Having stood on the ground at the top of the ridge where the opposing trenches were 8 meters apart and the Anzaks lobbing grenades at the Turks and the Turks trying to catch them and throw them back before exploding. The Anzaks fighting for their lives looking back down on the British sector and seeing them, sun bathing or swimming on the beach. The Brits thinking that they could land and just march up the peninsula whiles the navy went up the Dardanelles. Both ideas failed because the Turks fought beyond the call of duty. What I did not know until then was that one more attack would have finished the Turks for they were out of ammo and not all those allied soldiers would died in vain. I have a description and pictures of the site on my website while I visited Greece and Turkey. http://www.lacplesis.com/Greece_turkey.htm


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#3

Post by Tosun Saral » 09 Dec 2005, 20:45

"What I did not know until then was that one more attack would have finished the Turks for they were out of ammo
and not all those allied soldiers would died in vain."

Sir, your above words are wounding. If the allies havent invated Turkish Territory not all the Turkish SUNS (not sons)were killed in vain for the sake of a Crescent. On the other hand I write the answer given by Mustafa Kemal to your quotation "one more attack would have finished the Turks for they were out of ammo"


19th Division and 57th Infantry Regiment
The Battle of the Landing (25 April-3 May)
When the Australians first landed they encountered small bodies of Turks who, after doing what they could, withdrew back over the ridges. The main Turkish forces in the area had been held in reserve to see just where the British Empire troops were going to land on the peninsula. By 6.30 am a report had reached the commander of the Turkish 19th Division, Colonel Mustafa Kemal, that an enemy force had scaled the heights at Ari Burnu. Kemal’s troops were at Bigali, a small village off to the east beyond the main range, and he ordered his whole division to prepare to march to the coast. He himself set off riding at the head of the 57th Regiment. By about 9.30 am Kemal stood at Chunuk Bair with some other officers. He could see the British warships and transports off Anzac Cove and also, coming rapidly up the hill towards him, a group of Turkish soldiers who had been tasked with defending Hill 261 (Battleship Hill). Kemal spoke to them:
"Why are you running away?"
‘Sir, the enemy’, they said.
‘Where?’
‘Over there’, they said, pointing out hill 261.
In fact a line of skirmishers of the enemy approached hill 261 and was advancing completely unopposed. Now just consider the situation. I had left my troops, so as to give them ten minutes’ rest. The enemy had come to this hill. It meant the enemy was nearer to me than my troops were, and if the enemy came to where I was my troops would find themselves in a very difficult position. Then, I still don’t know what it was, whether a logical appreciation or an instinctive action, I do not know. I said to the men who were running away,
‘You cannot run away from the enemy.’
‘We have got no ammunition’, they said.
‘If you haven’t got any ammunition, you have your bayonets’, I said, and shouting to them, I made them fix their bayonets and lie down on the ground. At the same time I sent the orderly officer beside me off to the rear to bring up to where I was at the double those men of the infantry regiment who were advancing on Chunuk Bair who could reach it in time. When the men fixed their bayonets and lay down on the ground the enemy also lay down. The moment of time that we gained was this one ….. It was about 10.00 hours when the 57th Regiment began its attack.
During the Battle of the Landing, Kemal has been credited with one of the most famous orders issued to Turkish troops during the whole campaign –
‘I don’t order you to attack, I order you to die. In the time which passes until we die other troops and commanders can take our place’.

Sir,
If we dont have ammo we have our bayonets. Let me remind you dear Sir those Turkish bayonets, only 5ooo of them, saved entire 6th US Army running back in disorder againts the 100 000 Cheneese during the Korean War. Are those Turks died in vain for nothing?
With my best wishes for Christmass.
Please visit my Gallipoli page:
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/7d696/1c1cb1/

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You are right

#4

Post by [email protected] » 09 Dec 2005, 22:17

I am sorry if I offended you. When I stated that the Turks were out of ammo I was referring to the last battle before they withdrew from the peninsula. It has been a while since I read the book but at the end of the conflict they also were low on artillery shells because they had to be transported by mule from Istanbul.
When I said "died in vain" I meant the allies for they failed in their mission and were withdrawn while the Turks died in glory for they repulsed the invaders with great valor.
If you visit my webpage about my visit to your country and Greece you will find that I loved it and would return if I didn't have such a great list of other places yet to see.

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Mehmet Fatih
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#5

Post by Mehmet Fatih » 10 Dec 2005, 00:06

Nice pics kristaps.That was quite a holiday. I am glad you liked Turkiye.

Regards

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