A quiet moment in the Australian trenches
(AWM C02727)
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.
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.
What does it mean today?
Australians recognise 25 April as an occasion of national
commemoration. Commemorative services are held at dawn, the time of the original landing,
across the nation. Later in the day ex-servicemen and women meet and join in marches
through the major cities and many smaller centres. Commemorative ceremonies are held at
war memorials around the country. It is a day when Australians reflect on the many
different meanings of war.
Over 2,000 Australian and New Zealand troops stationed in
London marched through the streets of the city on 25 April. A London newspaper headline
dubbed them "The knights of Gallipoli".
The idea that some sort of "blood sacrifice" was a
necessary rite of passage or initiation ceremony in the birth of a nation was common in
the late Victorian and Edwardian period. In attempting the daunting task of storming the
Gallipoli peninsular the Anzacs created an event which, it was felt, would help to shape
the new Australia.
Other Australian troops were training in Egypt. They too
celebrated the anniversary of the landing, in which some had taken part, with a mixture of
solemnity and exuberance.
Marches were held all over Australia in 1916. Wounded
soldiers from Gallipoli attended the Sydney march in convoys of cars, attended by nurses.
Features of an Anzac ceremony
Each year the commemorations follow a pattern that is familiar to
each generation of Australians. For the benefit of young people and those from other
cultures, some aspects warrant a few words of explanation.
Laying of wreaths
Flowers have traditionally been laid on graves and memorials in
memory of the dead. Laurel and rosemary have been associated with Anzac Day. Laurel was
used as a symbol of honour, woven into a wreath by the ancient Romans to crown victors and
the brave. Rosemary is commonly associated with remembrance, but in recent years, the
poppy, formerly associated with Remembrance Day (11 November), has become very popular in
wreaths used on Anzac Day.
Wreaths of poppies
An early use of the poppy on Anzac Day was in 1940 in Palestine,
where it grows in profusion in the spring. At the Dawn Service each solider dropped a
poppy as he filed past the Stone of Remembrance. A senior Australian officer also a laid a
wreath of poppies that had been picked from the hillside of Mt Scopus.
The recitation during the commemorative services
In most ceremonies of remembrance there is a reading of an
appropriate poem.
One traditional recitation on Anzac Day is the first stanza
of the poem "For the fallen" by Laurence Binyon. It was first published in the Times
(London) in 1914 and later in many anthologies of war verse. Its use on Anzac Day may have
originated with the Queensland Anzac Day Commemoration Committee, which placed it on the
cover of a collection of sermons and addresses for Anzac Day published in 1921. It was
also used at the laying of the Inauguration Stone of the Australian War Memorial in 1929.
"In Flanders fields" by the Canadian officer J.M.
McCrae is another popular recitation. McCrae was a professor of medicine at McGill
University before the war. A gunner in the Boer War, he served as medical officer with the
first Canadian contingent in the First World War and wrote this poem at the second battle
of Ypres in 1915. It was published anonymously in Punch. The writer was wounded in
May 1918 and died three days later.
Sounding "The last post"
"The last post" is the trumpet or bugle call
sounded in barracks and other military installations at 10 pm each night to mark the end
of the day's activities. It is also sounded at military funerals and commemorative
services to indicate that the soldier's day has drawn to a final close.
A period of silence
Silence for one or two minutes is included in the Anzac
ceremony as a sign of respect. It offers a time for reflection on the significance of the
whole ceremony.
Observation of the two minutes silence occurred at 9 am in
Adelaide, 1916, on the first anniversary of the landing.
Edward Honey, an Australian journalist living in London
during the First World War, is credited with originating the idea. He published a letter
in the Evening News of 8 May 1919 appealing for five minutes silence among the
celebrations of the first anniversary of the Armistice (11 November).
"The rouse" and "The reveille"
"The rouse"
After the one minute silence, flags are raised from half-mast to the masthead as "The
rouse is sounded.
Traditionally "The rouse" called soldiers' spirits
to arise, ready to fight for another day. Today it is associated with "The last
post" at all military funerals, and at services of dedication and remembrance.
"The reveille"
In major ceremonies "The last post" is normally followed by "The
rouse", except at the Dawn Service, when "The reveille" is played.
Ordinarily, "The reveille" is played only as the first call of the day, while
"The rouse" may be used at any time.
Historically, "The reveille" woke the soldier at
dawn, and the name of the ceremony is mentioned in sixteenth century books on war. Until a
hundred years ago, "The reveille" was performed on drum and fife. Today a solo
bugle or trumpet does the job.
Information resource
& page design by Australian War Memorial web site
(www.awm.gov.au/default.asp)
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