3. ANZAC Day

ANZAC Day Origins

Saluting their Service - Grahame Old

‍

The following is a quote from the noted Australian WW1 historian, Charles Bean; In the dark hours immediately preceding the landing at Gallipoli, Bean wrote;

“It’s a great gamble, the whole thing really and a lot of Australians - boys who began their life on the Murray or in a backyard in Wagga or Bourke or Collie, will be left lying in Turkey.”

You can hear Bean draw breath as he goes on to say:

“Some of the positions tomorrow I believe have to be taken, and “taken at all costs.” And it cost - nearly 2000 men in the first twenty-four hours.

You can hear the horror of this in the words of a 3rd Brigade soldier who wrote to describe the scene that confronted him at the landing beach; “Oh God, the sight of the dead and wounded absolutely covering the little sandy beach, there is an enormous staff of medical men there but it is absolutely impossible for them to attend to all so that many a life expires on the beach for want of looking after.” And what became known as the ‘ANZAC legend’ was born.

‍

World War 1

WW1 was a defining event in world history. In August 1914 the nations of Europe tumbled into a war that would ravage their continent. Mankind had known wars of destruction before – but none approached the scale and barbarity of World War I. For four years Europe was ravaged by the horrors of war. Millions of fit, healthy men were marched into the killing fields of France, Belgium and the Eastern Front. Fighting also spread beyond Europe, breaking out in the Dardanelles and the Middle East.

The human cost of World War I was staggering. It is estimated that at least 12 million soldiers were killed on the battlefield, and a further 13 million civilians lost their lives. Up to 20 million soldiers were wounded - disfigured, limbless, crippled or seriously injured. Many more bore the psychological scars of war for the remainder of their life. These figures do not include deaths after the war, there is no definitive figure on how many military personnel died as a result of war wounds, or how many ended their misery by suicide during the post war years. The weapons of industrial warfare, particularly artillery and machine gun fire, tore through whole battalions of young men.

We should also be mindful that for every one of these young men who struggled, suffered and died, there was waiting at home, a weeping mother, father, perhaps a wife and children, a sweetheart or brother or sister-this is often the forgotten face of war. The Chaplain of WA’s own 11th Battalion, Father John FAHEY, acknowledged the huge contribution made by heroic nurses and women at home during the war years with the followings words; “They bear the great anguish of the war. Their sons, their husbands, and their sweethearts have left them to go to the field of battle-perhaps forever. It is the women who bear the great burden of sorrow. They have shown wonderful heroism. The women’s anguish is a mental suffering and knows no relaxation. Go among the sorrow-stricken women folk and you can see the sadness in their glances-sometimes it is impossible to bear “.

At the outbreak of WW1, the population of Australia was around 5 million. 400,000 men and women volunteered for service, almost one tenth of Australia’s entire population. Of this number, around one Australian serviceman in every seven would die. Almost every Australian family was connected with casualties of war. The population of Collie was around 3300. Of this number 559 ‘Collie Boys’ embarked for overseas service, and 132, around one in five, were killed in action or died of wounds.

‍

The Anzac Tradition

When Britain declared war on Germany in August 1914, Australia and New Zealand automatically followed the home country. In 1915 Australian and New Zealand forces formed part of the expeditionary force that set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula in order to open the Dardanelles to the allied navies. The ultimate objective was to capture Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire.

Known as the ANZAC’s, the pride they took in that name endures to this day. The Australian and New Zealand forces landed on Gallipoli on 25 April 1915, meeting fierce resistance from the Turkish defenders. What was 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 withdrew from the Peninsula. Both sides had suffered heavy casualties. More than 8,000 Australian soldiers were killed in the campaign, (including 21 ‘Collie Boys’). Gallipoli had a profound impact on Australians at home, and 25 April soon became the day on which Australians remembered the sacrifice of those who died in the war.

Although the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives, the actions of the Australian and New Zealand forces during the campaign left a powerful legacy. What became known as the ‘ANZAC Legend’ became an important part of the identity of both nations.

‍

Early ANZAC Day Commemorations

ANZAC Day, 25 April, is one of Australia’s most important occasions. In 1916 the first Anzac Day commemorations were held. The day was marked by services and ceremonies across Australia, a march through London, and a sports day in the Australian military camp in Egypt. In London more than 2,000 Australian and New Zealand troops marched through the streets; a newspaper headline dubbed them the ‘’the knights of Gallipoli”.

During the 1920s Anzac Day became established as a National Day of Commemoration for the Australians who had died during the war. In Collie Soldiers Park became the focus of Anzac Day services from 1921 to the present day. The picturesque park and formal war monument became the spiritual home of ‘Collie Boys’ who gave their lives for this country. Later, Anzac Day also served to commemorate the lives of Australians who died in the Second World War, Korea and Vietnam. In later years the meaning of the day was further broadened to include those who lost their lives in all military and peacekeeping operations that Australia has been involved. Australians recognise 25 April, ANZAC Day, as a day of national remembrance, the day to reflect on the many different meanings of war.

On this ANZAC Day in Soldiers Park Collie, whisper a little prayer for those Collie Boys whose names appear on our monument for they have given their lives for us and now lay in distant graves all over the world.

A prayer for the lads whom i know,

Who came from afar,

From the land where soft breezes blow,

And wattle trees are.

May Collie forever and aye,

Thy memory enshrine,

And remember the graves far away,

Old comrades o’ mine.

‍

For 130 years, Australians have served in conflict and in peace around the world, protecting values of freedom and democracy. We must always remember it is the soldier who has given us our freedom. Each year on ANZAC Day, we commemorate this service and the great debt we owe the men and women of our Australian Defence Force for their courage and sacrifice.

Remembered forever at the Collie Cardiff RSL Sub Branch