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ADDRESS TO LAUNCH ANZAC: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY 1914-1918
by
GENERAL PETER COSGROVE, AC, MC
19 April 2004
Introduction
Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is with great pleasure that I am here today, to launch ANZAC: An Illustrated History 1914- 1918.
Nearly ninety years ago, Australians gathered in their thousands to 'answer the call'. In August 1914, when Great Britain declared war on Germany, men-young men, some no more than boys-rushed to join the long queues at Army barracks around Australia. Some believed they had no choice but to protect England from invasion. Some thought it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to travel, while others just didn't want to miss out on something exciting. 'Don't worry', they told their mothers, wives and girlfriends, 'it will be over by Christmas'.
The following year on the morning of April 25th, these Anzacs prepared to launch themselves against the Turks at Gallipoli. By the end of that first day, two-thousand Anzacs lay dead. A week later, the number of Anzacs had been killed or wounded was six and a half thousand. But their courage, their determination and their mateship kept them together. They had won the first of many battles but at a terrible cost.
From Gallipoli through the Western Front to the Middle East, where the Australian Light Horsemen continued the battle, their Anzac spirit saw them through sometimes horrific conditions.
The wonderful pictorial history of Anzac: An Illustrated History, edited marvellously by Richard Pelvin, gives us a glimpse into the lives of our great grandparents-a time long ago, but not forgotten. This view of 1914 to 1918 is achieved through the use of timelines, newspaper extracts, maps, handwritten notes and personal letters. Through photographs, you get a real sense of the different battlefields and hardships our men and women were dealing with. From the harsh terrain at Gallipoli, to the muddy trenches of the Western Front, to the inhospitable deserts of the Sinai and Palestine.
The book shows the new, groundbreaking technology, armour that today we take for granted: the submarines used in the Dardenelles, tanks rolling through France, and planes flying overhead in the Middle East.
Every aspect of the conflict is covered.
Often it is easy to overlook the men and women who are working behind the front lines, to ensure the troops are kept fed and armed. The photographs show us the kitchens, the ammunition and stores dumps, and the personnel depots of the Australian troops in the First World War. It also shows us the medical facilities of the battlefields and behind the line, a place where Australian women made a great contribution-their selfless and untiring service was of great importance to the recovery and morale of the soldiers.
Importantly, this book also shows us what was happening concurrently on the home front: the divisiveness caused over the proposed conscription; the support to the troops such as kids knitting socks for the men at the front; and the soberness of commemorating the massive loss of life.
Conclusion
On Sunday, we continue to honour and remember the men and women of Australia who sacrificed their lives to make this country what it is today. It is imperative that we leave a proud legacy to our kids. Anzac Day and the Anzac Spirit are part of this legacy.
This book shows the birth of the Anzac spirit, and the adversity from which it was born. It showcases some of the historical treasures of the Australian War Memorial, making it more accessible to the people of Australia, and importantly, to the kids of Australia. And it ensures that we don't forget.
Again, congratulations to Hardy Grant Publishing and to Rick Pelvin.
It is now my great privilege to launch ANZAC: An Illustrated History 1914-1918.
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