Trenches provided little protection from heavy gunfire

For many years, Australians have regarded their veterans of Gallipoli and the Dardanells as national treasures, and the streets of Melbourne were closed and silent for the state funeral.

Roy Longmore seldom talked about his war. His first task at Gallipoli was to tunnel through the hills, putting mines under enemy trenches, and because of this, he used to say, he did not see much of the fighting - so there was no point in asking him about it.

Honoured

But Mr Longmore went on to serve in the trenches of the Western Front in France and was badly wounded by machine gun fire just one month before the war ended.

Gallipoli

One million men involved 55,000 Allied casualties 10,000 missing 21,000 killed by disease 250,000 Turkish casualties

Three years ago, France awarded him the Legion of Honour and last year, Mr Longmore was featured in a series of Australian postage stamps called 'The Last Anzacs'.

The last Anzac now is Mr Alec Campbell, who lives in Hobart on the island of Tasmania. He is 102-years old.

An estimated 10,000 people, mostly Australians and New Zealanders, have gathered at Gallipoli in Turkey to remember the fierce battles that cost hundreds of thousands of lives there during World War I.