ANZAC Day

Last 25 April 2009, I attended the ANZAC Dawn Service with my sister-in-law, her two daughters and several hundred other people.

ANZAC was the name given to the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps soldiers who landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey early on the morning of 25 April 1915 during the First World War (1914-1918).

The ceremonies started before 6.  A typical ANZAC Day service would have the introduction, hymn, prayer, an address, laying of wreaths, recitation, Last Post, a period of silence, Rouse or Reveille, then finally the national anthem. 

We were standing right in front of the lone bagpiper.

Many people attended the service.

It was a clear day. According to my sister-in-law, it was usually cloudy or rainy during the previous dawn services she attended.

People listened intently.

The flag was lowered to half mast in honor of the soldiers who had offered their lives.

Representative from the schools, clubs and organizations laid wreaths around the rock.  (Am not quite sure what the rock was supposed to represent.)

After the ceremonies, the war veterans and some other people marched out as part of the parade.  There would be breakfast served at the local club or RSL (Returned and Services League of Australia). 

From the Australian War Memorial website:

Why is this day special to Australians?

When war broke out in 1914 Australia had been a federal commonwealth for only 14 years. The new national government was eager to establish its reputation among the nations of the world. In 1915 Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of the allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula to open the way to the Black Sea for the allied navies. The plan was to capture Constantinople (now Istanbul), the capital of the Ottoman Empire and an ally of Germany. They landed at Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Turkish defenders. What had been planned as a bold stroke to knock Turkey out of the war quickly became a stalemate, and the campaign dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915 the allied forces were evacuated after both sides had suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. Over 8,000 Australian soldiers were killed. News of the landing at Gallipoli made a profound impact on Australians at home and 25 April quickly became the day on which Australians remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in war.

Although the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives of capturing Constantinople and knocking Turkey out of the war, the Australian and New Zealand actions during the campaign bequeathed an intangible but powerful legacy. The creation of what became known as the "ANZAC legend" became an important part of the national identity of both nations. This shaped the ways they viewed both their past and future.