THE descendants of a Bournemouth man shot through the lung at Gallipoli were among those commemorating 100 years since the campaign began.

The Queen was joined by David Cameron and other senior figures in London on Saturday as she led the nation’s tribute to the sacrifice made by British Empire forces during the bloody World War I battle.

The campaign was launched by the Allies on Turkey’s Gallipoli peninsula on April 25, 1915. It was expected to be a short conflict designed to quickly knock Turkey out of the war, but resulted in 145,000 deaths on both side across eight horrific months of fighting.

Among those serving was Charles Fynn, who overstated his age to join the forces and took part in the Gallipoli landings on his 18th birthday.

Charles survived the war and went on to carve out a successful 30-year career with Bournemouth-based Liberty Oil, of which he was a director.

His son, Lionel Fynn, proudly wore his father’s medals at the London ceremony and said it was a suitably poignant tribute to so many brave men.

“In addition to surviving being shot through one lung, albeit with a long convalescence, he also survived being bayoneted by a Turk by physically deflecting the bayonet whilst another soldier shot the assailant,” said Lionel.

“He was lucky to survive the landings where the Royal Lancashire Fusiliers, to which he belonged, sustained very heavy losses.”

Daily Echo photographer Richard Crease also took part in the official parade with his sister Susan Childs as they remembered their grandfather Ernest Tait’s contribution.

Ernest served as a dental officer in the Royal Army Medical Corps during the campaign and in 1969 was a founding member of the Gallipoli Association.

Richard said: “My sister and I felt tremendously proud and honoured to take part in the centenary commemorations. Our grandfather lived until 1977 and we both grew up with him around.”

More than half a million Commonwealth and Irish soldiers fought during the campaign - 400,000 from Britain, 15,000 from Ireland and 140,000 drawn from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Sri Lanka and the Indian sub-continent.

Almost 36,000 Commonwealth servicemen are buried or commemorated on Gallipoli, including nearly 25,000 members of British and Irish forces, over 7,200 of Australians, more than 2,300 of New Zealand forces, and more than 1,500 members of the Indian Army.

The date the campaign began - April 25 - is commemorated every year as Anzac Day which has become a day when they remember all their forces who have served and died.