Inverell R.S.M. Club Lone Pine Story Board

[Australian Commonwealth Military Forces]

Story of the Inverell Lone Pine

Seven Victoria Crosses were won at Lone Pine. In semi-darkness, under pine logs, there was little space to shoot. Both sides fought with bayonet; sometimes with no weapon - clawing, kicking and struggling - throttling one another with bare hands. It was some of the most vicious fighting of the whole war. Over three days Australian casualties were 2,277 and Turkish losses a staggering 6,930.

Two brothers, Benjamin and Mark Smith from Inverell, NSW were involved in the capture of the Lone Pine positions. Mark was killed in the action. Benjamin, a Lance Corporal, noticed that the Turks had been using branches of a Lone Pine tree to cover their trenches. He saw that the trees had been destroyed in the battle and it is probable that his thoughts went home to his mother who was well known for her 'green thumbs'. He plucked one of the cones from the destroyed tree and sent it to her. Benjamin's twin brother, Bert also enlisted in the A.I.F. The mother planted three seeds shed by the cone and like the story of the three boys, two trees lived and one died. In 1930 Mrs McMullen, the boy's mother sent one of the trees to Inverell where the boys had lived, the second tree was sent to Canberra for the opening of the War Memorial. The Duke of Gloucester planted the tree on 24th October, 1934 dedicated to the memory of Mrs McMullen's son, Mark and other sons who fell at Lone Pine.

The timber used in this plaque is from the original Lone Pine seedling.

The tree was felled in 2007 due to safety concerns.