ANZAC DAY - APRIL 25

chewie_nz

Banned
anzacheadrep.jpg


ANZAC DAY - APRIL 25
ANZAC continues to denote a distinctive nationalistic spirit of sacrifice and courage. In New Zealand the word retains its connotation of Australian-New Zealand kinship and in both Australia and New Zealand Anzac Day, on 25 April, is the main day of remembrance for the fallen in all wars.
It is the anniversary of the landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps at Gallipoli in 1915, where many were to perish. Annual services in remembrance of the loss of life of that Campaign began as early as 1916 and have evolved over time to the observance we know today.

The observance of ANZAC Day as a national day of remembrance began with the first anniversary of the Landing in 1916. Since that time the form of ANZAC Day commemorations have evolved, with subsequent wars and new understandings of the full impact of armed conflict on those who have served their country.

Commemorative services begin before dawn with a march by returned and service personnel to local war memorials where they are joined by other members of the community for a wreath-laying service.

The assault on the Gallipoli Peninsula began on 25 April 1915 in an attempt by Allied Command to weaken the strategic position of Germany, Austro-Hungary and Turkey was the first major involvement by the New Zealand Expeditionary Force.

The ANZAC Acronym;

ANZAC is the acronym for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, the formation created in December 1914 by grouping the Australian Imperial Force and New Zealand Expeditionary Force stationed in Egypt under the command of Lieutenant-General William Birdwood.

It was originally proposed the division be called the 'Australasian Corps'. However, both, Australians and New Zealanders felt it would lose their separate identities and this title was not chosen.

The acronym itself is said to have been devised at Birdwood's headquarters by a New Zealand clerk, Sergeant K.M. Little, for use on a rubber stamp and later was taken on as the telegraph code word for the corps.

The ANZAC division made its operational debut at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915 and the small cove where Australian and New Zealand troops landed, was designated 'ANZAC'. Before long, the word was used to describe all Australian and New Zealand soliders who fought on the peninsula, and eventually any Australian or New Zealand soldier.

As an adjective the word was soon being used to describe items ranging from biscuits to buttons. Shrewd entrepreneurs saw the commercial advantages of the term, but there was strong popular opposition to such exploitation. On 31 August 1916 the word ANZAC was protected by law and prevented from exploitation for business or trade purposes.
http://www.army.mil.nz/default.asp?CHANNEL=ABOUT+NZ+ARMY&PAGE=ANZAC+Day+-+Acronym

The story of how the Poppy became an international symbol of remembrance is a remarkable one. To learn more about it, and its significance to New Zealand Armed Forces, visit the Returned Services Association website. http://www.rsa.org.nz/



Other links

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/Gallery/Anzac/Anzac.htm

http://www.anzacday.org.au/[/b]
 
the_13th_redneck said:
Wanna know something funny? April 25th is also Kim Il-sung's birthday.

*sigh* really? that sucks. oh well, i'm sure my mind won't wander that far at 05:30 april 25th!
 
Look at the brightside ANZAC day usually carries a lot more respect than Waitangi day.
 
ANZAC day will be a big day this year. Glad that you posted up a bit of information about it for everyone to read.
 
hopefully i will be at the shrine for the morning service. that what is planned anyway
 
i've never missed a dawn service since i started going at age twelve...for five years i was part of the cenotaph honour guard while with the Air Traing Corp.

and hey monty....good to see another kiwi here!
 
The most moving dawn service I've been too was at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra a few years ago. I want to go the service at ANZAC Cove 1 year, but that won't be for a while though.
 
Assemble at 0400, start dawn service at 0500, 0830 ANZAC day march, 1200 Laying of the wreaths, 1330 Head to the Union Hotel for drinks..... till late :D Thats my day in a nutshell.
 
sounds very similar to my ANZAC days nick.

the dawn service here in dunedin are very interesting.

a/ it's a student town, so you kinda wouldn't expect too many of the students to be up that early....wrong. every year we get more and more people turning up at 0400.

B/ Dunedin is of scottish decent....so we have a REALLY good piper. and robbie burns cannon. it's about the size of a TV but makes the biggest bang i have ever heard.

C/ the Cenotaph Guard. one member of each branch (AF, Army, NAVY) and a Maori warrior in Traditional costume (poor bugger must be SO cold!) i'll try and get a photo to post here.

p.s here is dunedins monument....an italian marble spire
AnzacDunedinCenotaph.jpg

NZ6-4.jpg



the National monument here is NZ is something else though, it a special bell tower played by a keyboard. here's a pic from when it was opened;
mem-deda.jpg
memorial3.JPG

The dedication of the National War Memorial on Anzac Day, 1932

Just over 50 metres tall, New Zealand's only carillon is one of the largest in the world. Its art deco qualities have been recognised by a Category I Historic Places Trust registration. The Carillon's weekly recitals, often commemorating important battles, added a new feature to Wellington life.

(A carillon (pronounced "ká-ri-lon") is a huge musical instrument consisting of at least 23 cast bronze bells, tuned chromatically so that when rung together they produce a wide range of concordant harmonic effects. The bells are hung stationary in a massive steel framework and are struck by cast iron clappers, which are operated by wires attached to a manually played clavier (keyboard).

The carillonist plays by striking the wooden keys of the clavier with loosely clenched fists and by depressing the foot pedals. The sound is controlled entirely by the amount of energy used to strike each bell.

Carillons originated in the Low Countries (now Belgium, The Netherlands and northern France) during the late 1500s. They were used to play a wide variety of music, ranging from simple folk tunes to classical arrangements, popular songs and original carillon compositions. )
 
Anzac Day

Hello fellow marchers.
All going well I will be marching in Sydney this year.
If not I will be celebrating O'seas somewhere.
Most moving Anzac day was one I attended many years ago at the Kranji war cemetary in Singapore.
This cemetary is where the majority of Australian POWs from Changi were buried.
Its a sereis of tiered hills with the graves on them. A memorial is on the top.
There was a mixed bunch of Aussie defence force units and kiwis there, various embassy officials from other countries plus aussie school kids from the expats school choir.They sung a very haunting version of I still call Australia home, I don't think there was a dry eye there after that.
End of the service when to the yank naval base to the Terra club and proceeded to run amok.
Had a great time with the Kiwis, our pussers got in the shit and the Army beat each other up! So ended another Anzac day !!!!!
 
chch.jpg

Four figures on the Christchurch war memorial; From left to right: youth, justice, peace and valour.


The 2 unseen in the above photo are, with arms outstretched, the maternal figure of sacrifice and above them all is the superb figure of an angel, nude to the waist, who is about to break the sword of war.
 
I don't quite get the Australian/New zealand obsession with Gallipoli.Firstly, it was a military defeat,and secondly, most of the fighting and dying was done by British and French troops.

The British had contributed 468,000 in the battle for Gallipoli with 33.512 killed. 7,636 missing and 78,000 wounded. The French were next most numerous in total numbers and in casualties. The Anzacs lost 8,000 men(inc New Zealanders) at Gallipoli and a further 18,000 were wounded.

Why don't the French and British feel the same way as Australia and New zealand?
 
Bellerophon said:
I don't quite get the Australian/New zealand obsession with Gallipoli.Firstly, it was a military defeat,and secondly, most of the fighting and dying was done by British and French troops.

The British had contributed 468,000 in the battle for Gallipoli with 33.512 killed. 7,636 missing and 78,000 wounded. The French were next most numerous in total numbers and in casualties. The Anzacs lost 8,000 men(inc New Zealanders) at Gallipoli and a further 18,000 were wounded.

Why don't the French and British feel the same way as Australia and New zealand?

up to the time of gallipoli australia and NZ considered themselves a colony...with strong ties to "mother england". gallipoli was the start of our own individual national identity. the fact that the british bungled the entire operation, yet the ANZAC's accomplished (and exceeded) all objectives, including the taking of lone pine & Chunuk Bair only to be shelled off the hill top by british warships!
although some volunteers went to the boer war, gallipoli was the first major military action where colonial troops formed there own identity...this was transfered onto the "folks back home"


*****external site*****
In the South Pacific the campaign helped bolster a sense of national identity, albeit within a British framework, in both countries. At the time of the landing, New Zealanders at home had thrilled to learn that their men were taking part in the top league-a sense of exhilaration that was soon tempered by the arrival of long casualty lists. There was pride that 1NZEF had performed well in difficult conditions. The institution of Anzac Day, the day of the landing, ensured that the campaign would retain a special significance in both antipodean societies.

The joint defence of the Anzac perimeter provided a strong sentimental underpinning to the relationship between Australia and New Zealand in the remainder of the century. 'Anzac' became the lasting label for trans-Tasman cooperation.
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/Gallery/Anzac/galli-poli/last-months.htm#legacy

The Gallipoli operation cost Australia 26,111 casualties, 8,141 dead,
New Zealand 7,571 casualties, 2,431 dead,
Britain 120,000 casualties, 21,255 dead,
France 27,000 casualties, 10,000 dead,
India 1,350 dead,
Newfoundland (now part of Canada) 49 dead.
http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-battles/ww1/anzac/gallipoli.htm

but by far the most important point i would like to make is this:

"australians and New Zealanders, can take pride in heroic deeds at Gallipoli, as indeed can French, Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi people. We should not allow latter-day propagandists to sow seeds of unwarranted resentment between peoples whose ancestors fought with great courage in a common cause."

thinking on your question though...the british and french have much bigger battles they can remember...but for Australia & NZ, Gallipoli has a special significance that can never really be explained....i know that i would do anything to visit ANZAC cove and walk the gully's and trenches. the aim is for me to go for the 100 years anniversary.
 
Bellerophon said:
Thanks for that,Chewie.I hope you make the 100th anniversary.

cheers....i do hope that info was useful! i just got home from a gig where i was celebrating my first day at a new job...so ummmm yes. drunken typing is fun!


ANZAC day is probably the most personally important days for me...my family has a long history of war....two of my relatives died in the gallipoli campign alone.

one captured in crete during wwII. one other was a wellington bomber pilot. and my dad went to vietnam.
 
ANZAC

i think one reason gallipoli is so important to aussies and kiwis is becuase of some of the qualites that were shown by the soldiers there. especially the NZ's at chunuk bair or the aussies at lone pine for example.
they did an amazing job cosidering how :cen: up the planning of the campaighn was.

one of the best rembered english battles was the somme and it wasnt what you could call a great success considering how meny blokes died for the amount of land captured.
 
Yeah it was a significant battle, but a waste of good soldiers. Fighting an uphill battle was a turkeyshoot for turks. It showed that the brits did not care about dead colonials at all.
 
Back
Top