The Lone Pine Bear

Corporal David Cohen was specially created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Lone Pine at Gallipoli.

The distinctive white cloth patches on his back and arms were issues hours before the assault to help soldier identify ‘friendlies’ in the trenches during heat of battle.

The battle of Lone Pine is one of the most famous assaults of the Gallipoli campaign.  It was part of the August Offensive which was hoped would allow Allied forces to break the stalemate that had held since the landings on 25 April. 

Lone Pine was intended as a diversionary attack that would occupy Turkish forces while New Zealand and Australian units further up the line stormed high points along the Sari Bair range that dominated the peninsula. 

In the late afternoon of 6 August 1915 men of the 1st Brigade A.I.F. charged the heavily protected trenches of Lone Pine, sections of which were covered over with pine logs.  Despite the defences and formidable Turkish forces awaiting them, the diggers charged into the battle and within 20 minutes took the main Turkish trench.  But the gain had to be defended and further lines taken. For four days Australians were locked in fierce fighting, often with bare fists and bomb throwing to clear darkened trenches. Before the Turks conceded the position Australia suffered more than 2,000 casualties.

Cpl. Cohen’s uniform, carries the standard webbing but has the long heavy trousers cut short for the Gallipoli summer, as many men had done. The colour patch (purple over green) is that of the 2nd Australian Infantry Battalion, 1st Brigade, AI.F.. He wears the white armbands and back patch.