The Power of Ten: Watch Part One
How a VC was earned at Gallipoli
Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith has helped make an unprecedented recreation of the unbelievable actions that earned 10 men the Victoria Cross Medal for bravery at Gallipoli.
Just 100 men have been awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery, including Roberts-Smith and the 10 men featured.
To recreate these gripping stories an exact replica of the Lone Pine trenches, where seven of the acts of valour occurred, were mapped and dug out with the help of historian Dr Peter Pederson.
Actors were cast to portray the acts of valour that have been pieced together as accurately as possible from letters and history books.
The Sunday Night production, The Power of Ten, celebrates the centenary of Gallipoli by showing how these 10 men changed the face of the campaign.
"For our nation this is Sacred Ground. The site of the first battle ever to involve our ANZAC soldiers. I wanted to understand what it was really like," Roberts-Smith said.
He has worked with experts including author Anthony Staunton, Ashley Ekins from the Australian War memorial, Dr Tamson Pietsch from the University of Sydney, curator at the Anzac Memorial - Brad Manera and Military Assistant to the Chief of Army, Chris Smith.
"It was a campaign fought on nothing but courage and determination. It was a battle that made heroes of many but 10 stand out.
"For me, this is a personal mission to find out where they fought and what led to them being awarded the Victoria Cross."
The stories focus on men who used his skills and instincts to win battles and save their mates, like Leonard Keysor, a cricketer who used his skill with the ball to catch live bombs for 48-hours straight.
Leonard Keysor's act of valour was one of skill and endurance, saving lives by catching Turkish grenades and throwing them back at their attackers.
The youngest of the VC medal recipients, John Hamilton, was just 19 when he saved the ANZAC position by crawling alone into no-man's land and keeping the Turkish at bay for hours while under heavy fire.
"We've recreated their world in precise detail so we can fully understand their stories," says Roberts-Smith.
"It's one of the ways we've been able to get a real understanding of what they experienced in the heat of battle and what drove them to carry out acts of incredible bravery."
Roberts-Smith also tracks down the relatives of each of the Gallipoli VC recipients to show how these stories have stood the test of time.
"These are my heroes. They are my inspiration and it's their stories that I want to share with Australia."
Also featured in Part one of the special is Alfred Shout – a captain known for his jovial nature on the battlefield, Shout was the larrikin who led at the front line and becoming gravely injured in the process.
