"They shall grow not 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."
As an Australian I often get asked "What is ANZAC DAY?" This from The Australian War Memorial offers a nice summary:
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.
ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers in
those forces quickly became known as ANZACs, and the pride they soon
took in that name endures to this day.
Why is this day so special to Australians?
When war broke out in 1914 Australia had been a federal commonwealth
for only fourteen 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), 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.
Though the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives of
capturing Constantinople and knocking Turkey out of the war, the
Australian and New Zealand troops' actions during the campaign
bequeathed an intangible but powerful legacy. The creation of what
became known as an "Anzac legend" became an important part of the
national identity of both nations. This shaped the ways they viewed
both their past and their future.
(UPDATE: Andrew Leight has published an article on why young Australians have helped to spark renewed enthusiasm for Anzac Day, check it out here)
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