ANZAC Day 2008
GALLIPOLI
Australian and New Zealand soldiers, all volunteers, landed at ANZAC Cove on the Gallipoli Peninsula on 25 April 1915 . It was part of an Allied campaign to advance on the Turkish capital, Istanbul , both to force Turkey out of the war and to open supply routes to beleaguered ally Russia .
French, British and other troops drawn from the British Empire also took part in the campaign. Their own memorials are in the vicinity of their own landing areas around Cape Helles on the tip of the peninsula.
The allied campaign was hampered by the military genius of Mustafa Kemal, the senior Turkish officer in command of the defenders. He started as a Lieutenant Colonel and finished as a Corp Commander at the end of the campaign. Later known as Kemal Ataturk ("the father Turk"), he became the Turks' first president (1923 to 1938 ) following the establishment of the modern republic of Turkey in 1923
After eight months, the allied forces evacuated their bridgeheads after both sides had suffered great hardships.
Out of respect for the Australians who fought and died there, the ANZAC landing site was officially renamed ANZAC Cove by the Turks. The future Turkish democratic nation, as well as Australia 's own young democracy, both regarded the Gallipoli battles as a having a major place in the forging of their countries' identities. The Turks refer to the period of the Allied offensive as the Battle of Canakkale, which they remember on 18 March each year. This is when the British and French Fleets' were defeated in 1915 in their attempt to force the Straits prior to the land offensive on 25 April 1915 .
On 25 April 1916 , over 2000 ANZAC troops marched through the streets of the City of London on the first anniversary of the landings. Similar marches were held all over Australia to recognise the sacrifices of the ANZACs during the campaign.
Every year since then Australians have recognised the day as an occasion of national commemoration. Services are held at dawn, the time of the first landings, and throughout the day. They give Australians the opportunity to reflect on those who served and even lost their lives for their country.
Laurel and Rosemary
Just as wild poppies came to symbolise those who fell on the Western Front in France , laurel and rosemary have long been associated with ANZAC Day. Both plants grow wild on the Gallipoli Peninsula and also have deeper overtones. Laurel was a symbol of honour and acclaim for both the ancient Greeks and Romans. Fragrant Rosemary has long been associated with honouring the dead.
For The Fallen
The Ode recited at ANZAC Day commemorations is the fourth stanza of Laurence Binyon's "For the Fallen", first published in the London Times in 1914.
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.
"Lest we forget"
Turkish Memorial to the Australian Fallen
In 1934, Kemal Ataturk delivered the following words to the first Australians, New Zealanders and British to visit the Gallipoli battlefields, which was later inscribed on a monolith at Ari Burnu Cemetery ( ANZAC Beach ):
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.
The above monolith was unveiled in 1985 when the Turkish Government officially renamed the area "Anzac Koyu". Mehmetchik is a common term for a Turkish soldier similar to "Johnnies", "Tommy"or "Digger".
The Last Post
Last Post is the trumpet or bugle call sounded at barracks and other military locations at 10.00pm each night to mark the end of today's activities. It is also sounded at military funerals and commemorative services to symbolically indicate that the soldier's service to his country has also been completed.
The Minute's Silence
The observation of two minutes' silence first occurred in Adelaide in 1916 as a mark of respect. Australian journalist Edward Honey is credited with developing the idea in a letter to The Evening News of 8 May 1919 , appealing for five minutes' silence during 11 November 1919 , the anniversary of the Armistice that ended World War One. Across the nation, silence is now observed for a minute.
Rouse
After one minute's silence, flags are usually raised from half-mast to the masthead as Rouse is sounded. The bugle call is lively and uplifting, designed to rouse soldiers' spirits for another day of military activity. Today it is closely associated with the Last Post at all military funerals and service of dedication and remembrance. The Turks have a tradition of lowering their flag fully rather than half-mast and then raising it fully at the end of the silence.
Reveille
In major ceremonies the Last Post is normally followed by Rouse except at the Dawn Service where Reveille is played. Historically it was the call played at dawn to wake soldiers for the day ahead.