ANZAC Day - 25th April

[Smithy]

Today is a solemn day for all New Zealanders and Australians, it is the anniversary of the Gallipoli landings and is the day we remember all of our war dead.

“They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.”

 

[CharlesB]

RIP the glorious dead

 

[zaika]

my aussie friend was just telling me about this today at work.

it's sad that we (read: i) don't hear more about the sacrifices the ANZAC made during those global wars...

 

[Dr Doran]

Whilst in Turkey I visited the Gallipoli museum. Wonderful. On the walls were photographs of a reunion of Turkish and Australian soldiers which occurred at some point in the last 20 years. They were very old men, shaking hands and smiling. The tour guide, one Nursel Demirdelen, sang Waltzing Matilda. It was quite moving and emotional even for a bunch of Americans!

 

[Mojito]

The ANZACs made a contribution to WWI far out of proportion to their actual numbers - I was running through the stats on them the other day, and the portion of the line they held and the territory they captured is very significant. Both my paternal grandfather and maternal great grandfather fought in the war - the former enlisted early and fought from Gallipolli through to the Western Front. I suspect one reason he survived is he was wounded quite a few times (a slightly reckless Irishman with a good dose of Australian larrikinism) - first time was at Gallipolli.

He was actually in London recovering yet again when the Armistace was signed - his last memory for several days was the bells ringing. Then he went on a massive bender, and the next thing he fully remembered was waking on the couch in the front room of a house belonging to a kindly constable who had taken him in (he retained a great affection for the British ever afterwards).

Doran, the Americans were sent in with the ANZACs when they first entered WWI...my grandfather had affectionate memories of the Americans he fought with.

It was once thought that the tradition of ANZAC services and marches would pass away with the last of the diggers - but it is stronger than ever here and in NZ.

There was an additional service yesterday at St Andrew's Cathedral in Sydney that was of great significance - a memorial for HMAS Sydney, now that it has finally been found. My boss was one of those invited to attend, and she said it was very moving - there were a great, great many people there who had waited sixty years for her to be found.

 

[BellyTank]

Whilst in Turkey I visited the Gallipoli museum.

I was there in '94.
Such a beautiful spot and such a fascinating visit, especially for us New Zealanders and Australians. It was definitely a moving experience, one that I would like to re-visit, sometime soon.

Simpson and his Donkey-
http://www.anzacs.net/Simpson.htm


B
T

 

[dr greg]

A date to remember

It's also worth noting that the 25th April was the morning the Anzacs retook the village of Villers-Bretonneux and blunted a major German offensive in 1918, we should celebrate that victory a bit more I think, especially since it's 90 years ago today. I made it to the local parade and service today ( not the dawn one though) as I usually do, but passed on the booze-up and two-up.
I think that should really be left to the men who actually did the fighting.
http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-memorials/vill-bret-memorial.htm

 

[Windsock]

Anzac Day- 93 years

To all other Aussies and Kiwis I hope it was a good one....

The WWII Vets were fewer but still there.....

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23597836-22242,00.html

 

[RIOT]

2008 marks the first year ANZAC day is celebrated without any World War I diggers as they have all passed away.

En Memorum! Glad to have you fighting beside us! ~ Lest we forget

 

[Smithy]

Hi Andrew. I have my NZ flag flying right now but I really missed not being able to attend a dawn parade here.

 

[rumblefish]

Good thread Tim.
It would be nice to have a calendar here to remind us of days like ANZAC day.
Just as relevant here, today...

 

[Josephine]

My first exposure to ANZAC Day was through ANZAC cookies. Good stuff...

 

[Valhson]

ANZAC Day

Just reading on the history after seeing part of the parade on the television.

Amazing! That men not once nor twice. Charged forward the way they did with the loses.

There was a story of a young girl being fond that she found her great-great- uncle's name. His story? he was buryed alive when a 42 mortar went off near him. It rained earth.

 

[scotrace]

Moving this to join the other two already created threads now housed in the WWII section....

 

[Valhson]

Moving this to join the other two already created threads now housed in the WWII section....

no worries, just didn't know if it should have been here or not.

 

[Mojito]

Smithy, you've probably caught the stories about the unveiling of the statue of the New Zealand soldier at the ANZAC bridge in Sydney?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/27/2228339.htm?section=australia

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=359&objectid=10504525

The facing statue of the Australian soldier was put up in 2000, and there's a feeling that the addition of his New Zealand counterpart is a bit overdue.

 

[Diamondback]

I know it's a little late, but I hope my hoisting a cold one in honor of our antipodal allies is accepted.

 

[Smithy]

Thanks DB, it's never too late to raise a glass.

And Mojito, thanks for the links, it's great to hear that a Kiwi digger now stands with an Aussie one. We might give each other a bit of ribbing sometimes but I can't think of another two nations more closely linked or which underneath it all share such "mateship"

 

[Edward]

I must dig out my Pogues albums tonight - if I can find the right one, I'll put on "And the band played Waltzing Matilda."

 

[Windsock]

I must dig out my Pogues albums tonight - if I can find the right one, I'll put on "And the band played Waltzing Matilda."

That's a great song, never fails to give me chills.

It's also good that the original Waltzing Matilda has gradually become our proxy National Anthem at major events, despite the lyrics not having any specific national reference. It's so much more evocative than that stupid official one no-one over 6yrs old knows the words to.