Anzac Day

What is ANZAC Day?

ANZAC Day – 25 April – is probably Australia's most important national occasion. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War.
What does ANZAC stand for?

ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers in those forces quickly became known as ANZACs, and the pride they took in that name endures to this day.
Why is this day special to Australians?

When war broke out in 1914, Australia had been a federal commonwealth for only 13 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 in order to open the Dardanelles to the allied navies. The ultimate objective was to capture Constantinople (now Istanbul in Turkey), the capital of the Ottoman Empire, an ally of Germany.

The Australian and New Zealand forces landed on Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Ottoman 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 had been killed. News of the landing on Gallipoli had made a profound impact on Australians at home, and 25 April soon became the day on which Australians remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in the war.

Although the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives, the Australian and New Zealand actions during the campaign left us all a powerful legacy. The creation of what became known as the “ANZAC legend” became an important part of the identity of both nations, shaping the ways they viewed both their past and their future.
Early commemorations

The 25th of April was officially named ANZAC Day in 1916. It was marked by a wide variety of ceremonies and services in Australia, a march through London, and a sports day in the Australian camp in Egypt. In London over 2,000 Australian and New Zealand troops marched through the streets. A London newspaper headline dubbed them “the knights of Gallipoli”. Marches were held all over Australia; in the Sydney march, convoys of cars carried wounded soldiers from Gallipoli attended by nurses. For the remaining years of the war, ANZAC Day was used as an occasion for patriotic rallies and recruiting campaigns, and parades of serving members of the AIF were held in most cities.

During the 1920s ANZAC Day became established as a national day of commemoration for the 60,000 Australians who had died during the war. In 1927, for the first time every state observed some form of public holiday on ANZAC Day. By the mid-1930s, all the rituals we now associate with the day – dawn vigils, marches, memorial services, reunions, two-up games – were firmly established as part of ANZAC Day culture.

With the coming of the Second World War, ANZAC Day also served to commemorate the lives of Australians who died in that war. In subsequent years the meaning of the day has been further broadened to include Australians killed in all the military operations in which Australia has been involved.

ANZAC Day was first commemorated at the Memorial in 1942. There were government orders prohibiting large public gatherings in case of a Japanese air attack, so it was a small occasion, with neither a march nor a memorial service. Since then, ANZAC Day has been commemorated at the Memorial every year.
What does it mean today?

Australians recognise 25 April as an occasion of national remembrance, which takes two forms. Commemorative services are held at dawn – the time of the original landing – across the nation. Later in the day, ex-servicemen and women meet to take part in marches through the major cities and in many smaller centres. Commemorative ceremonies are more formal and are held at war memorials around the country. In these ways, ANZAC Day is a time when Australians reflect on the many different meanings of war.
The Dawn Service

The Dawn Service observed on ANZAC Day has its origins in a military routine which is still followed by the Australian Army today. During battle, the half-light of dawn was one of the most favoured times for an attack. Soldiers in defensive positions were woken in the dark before dawn, so by the time first light crept across the battlefield they were awake, alert, and manning their weapons; this is still known as the “stand-to”. As dusk is equally favourable for attacks, the stand-to was repeated at sunset.

After the First World War, returned soldiers sought the comradeship they had felt in those quiet, peaceful moments before dawn. A dawn stand-to, with its symbolic links to the dawn landing at Gallipoli, became a common form of ANZAC Day remembrance during the 1920s. The first official dawn service was held at the Sydney Cenotaph in 1927.

Today dawn services include the presence of a chaplain, but not the presence of dignitaries such as the governor general. They were originally very simple and followed the military routine. In many cases, attendance at the dawn service was restricted to veterans, while the daytime ceremony was for families and other well-wishers. Before dawn, the gathered veterans would be ordered to “stand to” and two minutes’ silence would follow. At the end of this time a lone bugler would play the Last Post and then conclude the service with Reveille, the bugler’s call to wake up.

In more recent times families and young people have been encouraged to take part in dawn services, and services in Australian capital cities have seen some of the largest turnouts ever. Reflecting this change, those services have become more elaborate, incorporating hymns, readings, pipers, and rifle volleys. Other services, though, have retained the simple format of the dawn stand-to, familiar to so many soldiers.

            FROM A VETERAN TO A VETERAN                                                                                           
                                                                                                                            
     When a Veteran leaves the 'job' and retires to a better life, many are jealous, some are pleased, and others, who may have already retired, wonder if he knows what he is leaving behind, because we already know.                          
                                                                                                                            
      1. We know, for example, that after a lifetime of camaraderie that few experience, it will remain as a longing for    
     those past times.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                            
      2. We know in the Military life there is a fellowship which lasts long after the uniforms are hung up in the back of the closet.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                            
      3. We know even if he throws them away, they will be on him with every step and breath that remains in his life. We also know how the very bearing of the man speaks of what he was and in his heart still is.                            
                                                                                                                            
      These are the burdens of the job. You will still look at people suspiciously, still see what others do not see or    
     choose to ignore and always will look at the rest of the Military world with a respect for what they do; only grown in a lifetime of knowing.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                            
      Never think for one moment you are escaping from that life. You are only escaping the 'job' and merely being allowed to leave 'active' duty.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                            
      So what I wish for you is that whenever you ease into retirement, in your heart you never forget for one moment that you are still a member of the greatest fraternity the world has ever known.                                          
                                                                                                                            
      NOW! Civilian Friends vs. Veteran Friends Comparisons                                                               
                                                                                                                            
      CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Get upset if you're too busy to talk to them for a week.                                          
      VETERAN FRIENDS: Are glad to see you after years, and will happily carry on the same conversation you we re having    
     the last time you met.                                                                                                
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      CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Have never seen you cry.                                                                            
      VETERAN FRIENDS: Have cried with you.                                                                                
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      CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Keep your stuff so long they forget it's yours.                                                    
      VETERAN FRIENDS: Borrow your stuff for a few days then give it back.                                                 
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      CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Know a few things about you.                                                                      
      VETERAN FRIENDS: Could write a book with direct quotes from you.                                                      
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      CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will leave you behind if that's what the crowd is doing.                                          
      VETERAN FRIENDS: Will kick the crowd's ass that left you behind.                                                      
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      CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Are for a while.                                                                                    
      VETERAN FRIENDS: Are for life.                                                                                        
      ----------------------------------------------------------                                                            
      CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Have shared a few experiences...                                                                    
      VETERAN FRIENDS: Have shared a lifetime of experiences no citizen could ever dream of...                            
      ---------------------------------------------------                                                                  
      CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will take your drink away when they think you've had enough.                                        
      VETERAN FRIENDS: Will look at you stumbling all over the place and say, 'You better drink the rest of that before     you spill it!' Then carry you home safely and put you to bed...                                                            
      -------------------------------- --------------------                                                               
      CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will talk crap to the person who talks crap about you.                                              
      VETERAN FRIENDS: Will knock the hell out OF THEM for using your name in vain.                                        
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      CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will ignore this.                                                                                  
      VETERAN FRIENDS: Will forward this.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                            
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      A veteran - whether active duty, retired, or reserve- is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank      
     check made payable to 'The Government of the United States of America ' for an amount of 'up to and including my    
     life'. . . and military wives are as much veterans as their spouses.                                                 
                                                                                                                            
      From one Veteran to another, it's an honor to be in your company.                                                    
                                                                                                                            
     Thank you.