Nearly one hundred years ago, about 400 soldiers from the Subcontinent fought alongside Australian and New Zealand soldiers at the Battle of Gallipoli in Turkey, one of the deadliest phases of World War I for control of the waterway that formed a boundary between Asia and Europe. The sacrifices of these soldiers will now be commemorated with a monument in Brisbane, Australia.

On Friday, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Pakistan Army monument was held at Roma Park after a long struggle and years of paperwork. The monument commemorates the martyrs of the servicemen of the 7th Mountain Artillery Brigade which was attached to the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps in the 1915 Gallipoli campaign.

The brigade comprised the 26th Jacob’s Battery Artillery, the 21st Kohat Mountain Battery Artillery (part of today’s Frontier force) and the 89th Punjab Regiment (today’s Baloch Regiment).

The Brigade sustained more than 400 casualties in the first 10 days of fighting alongside the ANZACs.

According to Brigadier Muhammad Asghar writing in ArtilleryHistory.org, they were the only artillery representation of British India under command ANZAC at Gallipoli in 1915. “Both batteries together with 23rd Peshawar Mountain Battery (Frontier Force) were combined and designated as the 21st Mountain Regiment after WWI,” he writes. “Today, this Regiment is part of the Pakistan Artillery and honoured as Pakistan’s most senior artillery unit and proudly known as ’The First Self Propelled Regiment (Frontier Force)” and the First Baloch Regiment.

Brigadier Shoaib Bin Akram laid the foundation stone. Pakistan Australia Heritage Association President Dr. Ishtiaq Rashid and Dr. Shabbir were present with community members.