Post by OZ on Apr 26, 2008 12:20:23 GMT
ANZAC Day
Wreaths of red Flanders poppies are traditionally placed at memorials on ANZAC Day.
On 25 April every year, Australians commemorate ANZAC Day. It commemorates the landing of Australian and New Zealand troops at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. The date, 25 April, was officially named ANZAC Day in 1916.
ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. In 1917, the word ANZAC meant someone who fought at Gallipoli and later it came to mean any Australian or New Zealander who fought or served in the First World War. During the Second World War, ANZAC Day became a day on which the lives of all Australians lost in war time were remembered. The spirit of ANZAC recognises the qualities of courage, mateship and sacrifice which were demonstrated at the Gallipoli landing.
Commemorative services are held at dawn on 25 April, the time of the original landing, across the nation, usually at war memorials. This was initiated by returned soldiers after the First World War in the 1920s as a common form of remembrance. The first official dawn service was held at the Sydney Cenotaph in 1927, which was also the first year that all states recognised a public holiday on the day. Initially dawn services were only attended by veterans who followed the ritual of 'standing to' before two minutes of silence was observed, broken by the sound of a lone piper playing the 'Last Post'. Later in the day, there were marches in all the major cities and many smaller towns for families and other well wishers.
Today it is a day when Australians reflect on the many different meanings of war. Gatherings are held at war memorials across the country.
Australia and New Zealand at war
Australia and New Zealand were at war from 4 August 1914 when Britain declared war on Germany. Both Australia and New Zealand enthusiastically supported Britain and the other allies - France and the Russian Empire against the Central Powers (Germany, the Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary) when the Ottoman Empire entered the war on 29 October 1914.
A tribute to the memory of the ANZACs
by M. Kemal Atatürk, 1934
(Founder of the Turkish Republic in 1923)
THE ANZAC MEMORIAL
Those heroes that shed their blood And lost their lives...
You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country.
Therefore, rest in peace.
There is no difference between the Johnnies
And the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side,
Here in this country of ours.
You, the mothers, who sent their sons from far away countries...
Wipe away your tears.
Your sons are now lying in our bosom And are in peace.
After having lost their lives on this land, they have
Become our sons as well.
Anzac day in Australia has been reported again this year of being well supported and remembered, the marching and parades took place all over the nation. This year the MERCHANT NAVY contingent was bigger than in previous years and the comments from the comentator on the television coverage included a report on Australian Merchant Seamen. He spoke of the numbers of Australian Merchant seamen lost during the wars, 1 in 8 of all Australian combatants, and though it is well below that of the U.K. it waS still significant.
The Minister for Veterans Affairs has apparently reported that the bill to declare September 3rd as Merchant Navy DAY in Australia is in its first draught.
We in Australia and New Zealand commemorate a day that is called ANZAC Day, a day that is set aside to remember and to pay homage to our fallen comrades.
This day was born out of the Gallipoli campaign, but I wonder how many people are aware of the involvement of the Merchant Navy in that campaign.
The merchant ships took all of our troops to Gallipoli and in many cases landed our troops on the beach at ANZAC Cove in the ships’ lifeboats manned by merchant seamen, who also came under the deadly fire from the Turkish guns.
It is also interesting to note that the great majority of wounded in that campaign were taken off in the ships’ lifeboats, with merchant seamen manning the oars, to the hospital ships which were waiting offshore.
The merchant ships evacuated most of our troops from Gallipoli to Alexandria, Lemnos and Cyprus and then transported the wounded home to Australia.
LEST WE FORGET
This account of their sacrifice is from the Australian War Memorial website:
Wreaths of red Flanders poppies are traditionally placed at memorials on ANZAC Day.
On 25 April every year, Australians commemorate ANZAC Day. It commemorates the landing of Australian and New Zealand troops at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. The date, 25 April, was officially named ANZAC Day in 1916.
ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. In 1917, the word ANZAC meant someone who fought at Gallipoli and later it came to mean any Australian or New Zealander who fought or served in the First World War. During the Second World War, ANZAC Day became a day on which the lives of all Australians lost in war time were remembered. The spirit of ANZAC recognises the qualities of courage, mateship and sacrifice which were demonstrated at the Gallipoli landing.
Commemorative services are held at dawn on 25 April, the time of the original landing, across the nation, usually at war memorials. This was initiated by returned soldiers after the First World War in the 1920s as a common form of remembrance. The first official dawn service was held at the Sydney Cenotaph in 1927, which was also the first year that all states recognised a public holiday on the day. Initially dawn services were only attended by veterans who followed the ritual of 'standing to' before two minutes of silence was observed, broken by the sound of a lone piper playing the 'Last Post'. Later in the day, there were marches in all the major cities and many smaller towns for families and other well wishers.
Today it is a day when Australians reflect on the many different meanings of war. Gatherings are held at war memorials across the country.
Australia and New Zealand at war
Australia and New Zealand were at war from 4 August 1914 when Britain declared war on Germany. Both Australia and New Zealand enthusiastically supported Britain and the other allies - France and the Russian Empire against the Central Powers (Germany, the Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary) when the Ottoman Empire entered the war on 29 October 1914.
A tribute to the memory of the ANZACs
by M. Kemal Atatürk, 1934
(Founder of the Turkish Republic in 1923)
THE ANZAC MEMORIAL
Those heroes that shed their blood And lost their lives...
You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country.
Therefore, rest in peace.
There is no difference between the Johnnies
And the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side,
Here in this country of ours.
You, the mothers, who sent their sons from far away countries...
Wipe away your tears.
Your sons are now lying in our bosom And are in peace.
After having lost their lives on this land, they have
Become our sons as well.
Anzac day in Australia has been reported again this year of being well supported and remembered, the marching and parades took place all over the nation. This year the MERCHANT NAVY contingent was bigger than in previous years and the comments from the comentator on the television coverage included a report on Australian Merchant Seamen. He spoke of the numbers of Australian Merchant seamen lost during the wars, 1 in 8 of all Australian combatants, and though it is well below that of the U.K. it waS still significant.
The Minister for Veterans Affairs has apparently reported that the bill to declare September 3rd as Merchant Navy DAY in Australia is in its first draught.
We in Australia and New Zealand commemorate a day that is called ANZAC Day, a day that is set aside to remember and to pay homage to our fallen comrades.
This day was born out of the Gallipoli campaign, but I wonder how many people are aware of the involvement of the Merchant Navy in that campaign.
The merchant ships took all of our troops to Gallipoli and in many cases landed our troops on the beach at ANZAC Cove in the ships’ lifeboats manned by merchant seamen, who also came under the deadly fire from the Turkish guns.
It is also interesting to note that the great majority of wounded in that campaign were taken off in the ships’ lifeboats, with merchant seamen manning the oars, to the hospital ships which were waiting offshore.
The merchant ships evacuated most of our troops from Gallipoli to Alexandria, Lemnos and Cyprus and then transported the wounded home to Australia.
LEST WE FORGET
This account of their sacrifice is from the Australian War Memorial website: