Mike Steele Posted 12 June , 2003 Share Posted 12 June , 2003 I have read in several books now that the only allied female to set foot on Gallipoli was a mystery woman who stepped off a boat and vistited the grave of Doughty-Wylie VC. She left flowers, stayed a while and then left. At no time was her identity revealed. In the VC's of the Great War Gallipoli it states clearly that this was his wife Lillian. Whereas in Carlyons book it speculates that it may have been his mistress Gertrude Bell. Has this mystery ever been solved ?? I always thought his life story, death and subsequent mystery would make a cracking good film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 12 June , 2003 Share Posted 12 June , 2003 (edited) [Chris, we have covered this before but I am unable to turn it up via the 'search.' Have we lost some of the earlier stuff or is it my computer illiteracy again?? I suspect the latter...when you do a search, watch out for the date cut-off, which defaults to the last 30 days. Anything older does not show. You can, however, set this cut-off to whatever you choose. Many thanks Chris, that was almost certainly the problem. It doesn't look like I will be loosing these 'L' plates any time soon does it!] Mike, The short answer to your question is that the mystery remains Most writers seem to go along with the Gertrude Bell story, however Gavin Kirkpatrick writing in 'The Gallipolian' No.95 Spring 2001 suggests it was his god-mother, Mrs Lily Doughty-Wylie Doughty-Wylie had been the Director of Red Cross units in the Balkan war and based in Constantinople with his wife as the Superintendent of Nursing Staff. Early in WWI Lily Doughty-Wylie was in charge of a hospital at St. Valery-sur-Somme and it was there that she received the news of her husband's death. Kirkpatrick believes that she then left St. Valery and set up a hospital to care for the wounded from Gallipoli and was thus in a position to visit the peninsula and her husband's lone grave above V Beach. Regards Michael D.R. Edited 14 June , 2003 by michaeldr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shinglma Posted 12 June , 2003 Share Posted 12 June , 2003 I think the previous thread references are here thread 1 and here thread 2 this is my first attempt to link to a webpage so I expect it will all go horribly wrong... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shinglma Posted 12 June , 2003 Share Posted 12 June , 2003 blimey it seems to have worked - first thread is the more relevant but subject also mentioned in second. regards Mike S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinWills Posted 12 June , 2003 Share Posted 12 June , 2003 Both Lily Doughty-Wylie and Gertrude Bell were in that part of the world at that time and both worked with the military and had contacts which could have made this possible. I suspect that we shall never know definitively who it was. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul guthrie Posted 12 June , 2003 Share Posted 12 June , 2003 I have been there but cannot remember why he is still in the single grave. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinWills Posted 12 June , 2003 Share Posted 12 June , 2003 I believe that the Turks themselves had a hand in pressing for him remaining in a single grave. This was on account of his previous diplomatic career in Constantinople where he was much admired and well regarded by the Turks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenwoodman Posted 12 June , 2003 Share Posted 12 June , 2003 Carlyon seems to have used the L O Doughty Wylie papers at the IWM - their description can be seen at Collectons on Line. Regrettably the diairies end in September 1915, and restart in April 1916. According to Carlyon the visit took place on 17 November 1915. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myrtle Posted 13 June , 2003 Share Posted 13 June , 2003 Newcastle University are in the process of putting Gertrude Bell's diaries on line. It is possible to search the diary entries for mention of Doughty - Wylie who was often referred to by his initials. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinWills Posted 14 June , 2003 Share Posted 14 June , 2003 Getrude Bell's Diaries were published by Penguin many years ago - copies do turn up. I did browse through them but did not find any telling revelations about the visit - though I may have missed something. It may also be that any comments were "omitted from the published version". Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 14 June , 2003 Share Posted 14 June , 2003 I believe that the Turks themselves had a hand in pressing for him remaining in a single grave. This was on account of his previous diplomatic career in Constantinople where he was much admired and well regarded by the Turks. Martin is probably right here; Turkey awarded Doughty-Wylie the Imperial Ottoman Order of Medjidieh (2nd Class) for his Red Cross work during the Balkan war. The Holts suggest that this feeling of respect was mutual and may even account for Doughty-Wylie leading his last charge armed only with his walking stick! Regards Michael D.R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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