ANZAC Day

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They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
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.
Lest we forget.
                                            - Laurence Binyon
Early on the morning of the 25th of April, 1915 Allied forces landed on the Gallipoli peninsula in the Ottoman Empire (modern day Turkey) in a campaign to seize Constantinople (Istanbul) and open a supply route to Russia. The allied forces consisted of British, French, Australian and New Zealand troops. The latter two countries had only recently become self governed nations and it was the first significant combat for the combined Australia and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC).

Cenotaph Memorial at Martin Place
The Allied forces met fierce resistance from the embedded Turkish forces. The bloody Gallipoli Campaign dragged on over eight months amassing some 400,000 casualties (28,150 from Australia, 7473 from New Zealand). On January 9, 1916 the last of the Allied troops evacuated. In that same year the 25 April was officially name ANZAC day and was marked by a variety of services and ceremonies.

Early on the morning of the 25th of April 2012 my watch alarm sounded. Jean and I had missed the ANZAC day dawn service last year and we were determined to make it this time. The first web search for the service start time came back with 4:15 am. I was convinced that couldn't be correct but continued searching confirmed it.

Jean and I dressed and headed out into the cool morning. We walked up the hill through the King's Cross entertainment district which was still hopping or stumbling rather with the clubbers in short evening dresses and open collar shirts mixed with the derelicts in hoodies and stained trousers.

The service was to take place at the Cenotaph in Martin Place in the Central Business District (CBD). It was one train stop away or a twenty minute walk. We opted for the walk. The clubbers dissipated as we descended into the city and crossed into Hyde Park. Soon, we met with other groups converging on the memorial. 

Around this time of morning on the 25th of April 1927, a group of five members of the Australian Legion of Ex-Service Clubs on their way home after an ANZAC eve function came across an elderly woman laying a bouquet of flowers at the recently constructed Cenotaph war memorial. One of them approached the woman and asked if they could join her in tribute. They bowed there heads in silent prayer.

"At a subsequent meeting of the Legion, it was decided that a Wreath Laying Ceremony would take place at the Sydney Cenotaph at 0430 hours every ANZAC Day. This was the time that the first troops landed at Anzac cove in 1915."

The next year, 150 people were present at the service followed by 250 people in 1929. The numbers continued to grow with 10,000 attendees in 1935 and in 1939 with World War II looming on the horizon, 20,000 were assembled for the memorial.

Jean and I joined the the thousands of people already assembled at Martin Place. The Cenotaph was still a block away but fortunately a large screen and speaker system had been set up so we could see and hear what was going on. The ceremony was a solemn and moving experience with prayers, benedictions and the singing of hymns. In the age of camera phones I was really impressed by the restraint of the crowd. After the service concluded we hung around for a while, listened to the bag pipers, and got a closer look at the Cenotaph.

Pipers!
Researching ANZAC day I came across the words Kemal Ataturk, commander of Ottoman forces during the Gallipoli campaign and later president of Turkey, delivered to the first Australians, New Zealanders and British to visit the Gallipoli battleground in 1934.

"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."
Some shots from the parade later in the day







 

Comments

sly said…
Very moving ceremony and the hour it was staged makes it even more meaningful. Glad you were able to attend and share it with us.
28 April 2012 at 08:17
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