Today, 25 April is ANZAC day. Originally a day set aside to honor the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps of the Gallipoli campaign during World War One, ANZAC day has morphed into a commemoration all Australians and New Zealanders “who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations” and “the contribution and suffering of all those who have served”.
In 1915, Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of an Allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula to open the way to the Black Sea for the Allied navies. The objective was to capture Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, which was an ally of Germany during the war. The ANZAC force landed at Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Ottoman Army commanded by Mustafa Kemal (later known as Atatürk). What had been planned as a bold strike to knock the Ottomans 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. The Allied losses totalled over 56,000, including 8,709 from Australia and 2,721 from New Zealand. News of the landing at Gallipoli made a profound impact on Australians and New Zealanders at home and 25 April quickly became the day on which they remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in the war.
In both Australia and New Zealand, the day starts off with a Dawn Service that hearks back to a service held by an Australian unit fighting on the Western Front a year after the landings at Gallipoli. Following the Dawn Service, there are parades of Veterans and current service members. Then, in true Digger style, the rest of the day is spent drinking and gambling.
