ANZAC Day
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.
95 years ago Australian and New Zealand troops, along with other allied forces, landed on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey. It was the beginning of a bloody campaign, with millions of casualties. It may not have been the most bitterly fought campaign in War history, but it had other significance to Australia and New Zealand.
This was the first battle endured by our young country, and is seen as the end of our nations innocence. Legends were made by the ANZAC's, stories of bravery and compassion and also great mateship. Stories even told of comraderie between the ANZAC's and the Turkish. Alan Moorehead records that one old Turkish batman was regularly permitted to hang his platoon's washing on the barbed wire without attracting fire, and that there was a "constant traffic" of gifts being thrown across no-man's land: dates and sweets from the Turkish side, and cans of beef and cigarettes from the ANZAC side.
Gallipoli was the beginning of the Australian identity, and has influenced evey generation of this country ever since.
Today is ANZAC day.
Lest we forget...