Sergeant Yahya Martyrs Cemetery was built across the Ertuğrul bastion in commemoration of the soldiers we lost at the Ertuğrul Bay landing. It was built by the Ministry of Culture in 1992 in memory of the Turkish soldiers who were in the 9th division, 26th regiment, 3rd battalion who defended Ertuğrul Bay during the landing on 25 April 1915. Our other martyrs are also commemorated with the large monument in the cemetery on which names of our 148 martyrs are inscribed and with 67 symbolic tombstones on a pattern shaped like Turkey in front of the monument. The Turkish troops which were small in number compared to the allied forces defended themselves splendidly against the attacks of the 29th division of UK along the 5 km long shore. They prevented the English from reaching Alçıtepe and changed the course of the battle in their favour.
The resilient defence of the very few Turkish troops in this area has bought time for the Turkish troops for the future and made the progress of the allied soldiers harder. The 29th English division which started to attack at Ertuğrul Bay aimed to surpass the Turkish defence and occupy the highest point of the area, Alçıtepe, with help coming from other directions. Nevertheless, Sergeant Yahya from Ezine who was serving in the 10th division of the battalion has taken the command after company commander Captain Hüseyin Hüsnü has fallen and (Sergeant Yahya) became a symbol of strong defence with his friends. On the northern side of the martyr’s monument following is inscribed:
I remember these heroic soldiers who martyrized for their country and flag with gratitude and appreciation. May God bless your souls…
Mustafa Kemal 1928, on the western side of the monument the following is inscribed: They were a heroic team and Sergeant Yahya / They fought here against three regiments so readily / The enemy division surrounded this great privates/They wished for God, same night they joined Him Vali Nail Memik,
On the eastern side of the monument the following is inscribed: “Who then can dig the grave wide enough to hold you? If we try to consign you to history, you will not fit! Oh martyr, son of the martyr, do not ask me about the grave / The prophet awaits you now, his arms flung wide open, to save
On the southern side of the monument the following is inscribed: Who would not sacrifice their life for this paradise of a country? / Martyrs would burst forth should one simply squeeze the soil! Martyrs! / May God take my life, my loved ones, and all possessions from me if He will,/But let Him not deprive me of my one true homeland in the World, Mehmet Akif.
The Turkish trenches in the front line which are within the borders of the martyrdom and which are preserved until today can be visited.