Gallipoli 1915 In The Light of The Vatican's Secret Archive Documents: Frank Coffee Case

"I attribute the information I have given about the state ofEnghsh and French graves in Gallipoli Peninsula mostly to the personal observations I made during my last visit to Çanakkale in the second half of the last March. The graves are in their original state as they were when English and the French left here (...) it.is a fact that some of the graves were opened; those obviously belonging to the commissioned ofûcers that one can understand from their rich ornamentation. Hovvever, I have learnt that these dis.respe-ctful behaviors are rare and they were done by the civil during night because the aut-horities always scourged the perpetrator ofsuch behaviors. I have never come across a disrespectful behavior against the crosses erected on the graves. it is true that some of the crosses fell över and some of them were broken but the reason behind these must be something else. Shower rainfalls carried the soiî and led the destruction of the graves; some of the crosses fell by itseli; others were broken because of the mortar shell pieces. My opinion was conûrmed when I was analyzing the graves: I reahzed that the fallen crosses were put in a horizontal way in the middle of the graves vvithout crosses and the broken pieces were collected and pieced together on the mounds which were thought to be their original places. Ali of these must invahdate any idea of disrespect." This is the report sent to Vatican and dated May 19, 1916.