Romano's Well, Gallipoli: A Sacred Spot for the Royal Naval Division

Insignia of the 63rd Royal Naval Division

During the Gallipoli Campaign (1915), Romano's Well was a stagnant, mosquito-infested water source in the "W" Beach and Cape Helles sector. It served as a vital but hazardous landmark and logistics point for British forces, particularly the Royal Naval Division (RND), which spent most of the campaign in the vicinity.  Romano's Well was situated between a shallow ravine  and the road running from Helles to Krithia. It was utilized by medical units (such as the 3rd Lowland Field Ambulance) to treat casualties and by water carts supplying nearby artillery batteries. Members of the Royal Naval Division dubbed the spot after a very famous and popular Edwardian-era Italian eating house and restaurant in London (Romano's in the Strand). 

The Well Head Today

Water was one of the greatest logistical challenges of the Gallipoli campaign. Because groundwater was close to the surface at Romano's Well, it provided abundant, naturally cold water even during the driest summer months. As the campaign deteriorated into grueling trench warfare, the well area became a contested, muddy stretch of land behind the front lines, often subjected to Ottoman shrapnel and artillery fire. 

Trenches of the Royal Naval Division, Cape Helles

Due to the brutal summer conditions on the peninsula, stagnant pools like Romano's Well quickly turned into breeding grounds for disease. Many soldiers in the RND sector fell ill due to the polluted water and the swarms of mosquitoes. As the campaign dragged into late summer, the risk of disease forced the Allies to chemically treat the well, causing it to lose its "charm."

One of the Original Romano's Well Cemeteries,
Well Visible on the Left

Nearby was once located two Romano's Well cemeteries, established for the fallen Allied soldiers of the campaign, including men from the Hood and Howe Battalions. Those graves have since been moved to the nearby Skew Bridge Cemetery, three quarters of mile to the south of the well.

Sources:  The Great War Forum; Thebignote.com; CWGC