“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 explains.
“It was a campaign fought on nothing but courage and determination. It was a battle that made heroes of many but 10 stand out. They are The Power of Ten.
“For me, this is a personal mission to find out where they fought and what led to them being awarded the Victoria Cross.”
Like the carpenter who single-handedly took wounded soldiers out of the firing line; the cricketer who used his skills with the ball to catch live bombs for 48-hours straight; and the lovesick young soldier told the only way to get a mother’s blessing to marry her daughter was to come back with a VC.
“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.”
Ben also tracks down the relatives of each of the Gallipoli VC recipients. He uncovers hidden secrets and reveals how the heroic actions of a century ago still play a powerful part in the lives of children and grandchildren today.
“These are my heroes. They are my inspiration and it’s their stories that I want to share with Australia.”
