The battle of the Nek was one of Australia’s most devastating losses on the Gallipoli Peninsula – of the 600 Aussie troops involved, 234 were killed and 138 wounded.
One of those brave men was Major Thomas Harold Redford, of the 8th Light Horse Regiment, a relative of Leading Seaman Musician Claire Donoghue, who returned more than 100 years later to honour her ancestor and represent the ADF during Anzac Day commemorations.
“It was an indescribable honour to not only attend, but to be an active participant in the commemorations here at Gallipoli,” Leading Seaman Donoghue said.
Knowing she had been selected to perform at the Anzac Cove and Lone Pine services in Gallipoli, Turkiye, Leading Seaman Donoghue decided to investigate her family history and was stunned to discover the photos and letters of Major Redford and the remarkable courage of his service.
“By chance, when looking through some handwritten notes of family history, I spotted the word Gallipoli. From there I discovered a world of information about a relative who I only knew by name,” she said.
“Anzac stories are such a big part of Australian history and to be standing at Gallipoli, seeing the landscape and near vertical cliffs that the Anzacs were attempting to scale, it’s surreal.”
‘I didn’t anticipate nerves as such because this was not about me … this was about the Anzacs and Turks who fought and died here.’
One piece of information hit home for Leading Seaman Donoghue while reading Major Redford’s diary entries, which brought his service and character to life.
“Major Redford’s diary contains one last entry, written after his death by a colleague. It reads: ‘Our gallant Major whilst lying facing the enemy trench (10 yards away) in the front if his men received a bullet through his brain as he raised his head slightly to observe. He dies with a soft sigh and laid his head on his hands as if tired. A braver and more honourable man never donned uniform. The love not only of his Squadron (I might well say adored) but all of the regiment, he created respect everywhere’.”
Putting herself in his shoes, standing on Walker’s Ridge overlooking the Nek and Anzac Cove, Leading Seaman Donoghue said that while daunting, the responsibility to honour them overrode her nerves as she performed with thousands around the globe watching.
“While I anticipated being emotionally quite overwhelmed with the significance of the occasion, I didn’t anticipate nerves as such because this was not about me … this was about the Anzacs and Turks who fought and died here,” she said.
“It was about every person around the globe who feels a connection to those events and the horrific loss of life that is being remembered.”
Enlisted as a musician in the Royal Australian Navy Band since 2012, playing the French horn, Leading Seaman Donoghue discovered a subtle and uncanny connection to her ancestor Major Redford that rings true.
“My most favourite detail about his service was that he initially enlisted as a bugler at the age of 16,” she said.
As Leading Seaman Donoghue played and the bugle called at sunrise on Anzac Day, the fallen heroes will not be forgotten.
