ANZAC Day

[ChrisSue]

All the best to our Antipodean cousins today. But please remember that Gallipoli was not solely an ANZAC landing, we forget the Indian regiments, (3 Gurkha regiments), the Hampshire Regiment, the Royal Munster Fusiliers (both killed in their droves coming off the steamer River Clyde), the Royal Dublin Fusiliers and the Lancashire Fusiliers whose members won "six VC's before breakfast"
These were all soldiers before conscription so, truly the Golden Generation "

 

[Gellyneck]

and the French Oriental Expeditionary Corps.

 

[ChrisSue]

Indeed. There were others too obviously but it's the Lancashire boys I remember most today

 

[Glandwr]

A game of 2 anyone? For long time a game on ANZAC day was the only legal gamble you could make in Oz outside a TAB office.

You could see it going on in the streets of Kings Cross Sydney right up to the 70s. A VERY special day it used to be there.

 

[Gellyneck]

and hats off to Jim for the banner.

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[EX51SSS]

I posted this on Hollyberry's quiz page. My brother in Oz celebrating ANZAC Day with neighbours and obviously observing social distancing

 

[Sapper520]

Royal Engineers.

 

[Hettie's Crew]

 

[Robert Clark]

Mrs C made Anzac biscuits

 

[westhamman]

Our Commonwealth cousins, were written out of the history books. Thousands fought and died for the so called motherland.

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[Brains]

A Full list of all the regiments is here
Not just the British, Indians, Sikhs, Nepalese, French and of course the Ozzies and Kiwis, but also the Russians

 

[rangi]

Not many are left, and not many are sound,
and thousands lie buried on Turkish ground,
These are the Anzacs, the others may claim,
Their zeal and their spirit, but never their name.




" You, the mothers who sent your sons from faraway Countries,

Wipe away your tears, your sons are lying in our bosom and are at peace,

After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.

Part of Ataturks words on the GallipoliMemorial

 

[davidbaldam]

My New Zealand Grandson finger painting his paper Poppies, he might have eaten one or two.

 

[tacr2man]

It was a big hit for a small population , when you see the memorials Down Under , the numbers lost in wars
in small communities is very thought provoking .

 

[PhilMary]

Our Commonwealth cousins, were written out of the history books. Thousands fought and died for the so called motherland.

Not quite written out. They are still remembered and valued to this day.
Phil

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[rangi]

Battle of Lone Pine was a particularly bloody battle just about half the Aussies that took part were killed.

After the War the Aussie's gathered Pine Cones from that tree.

Anzac Avenue which stretches from Sydney to Canberra has one tree planted, developed from the seeds in the Pine Cones gathered from that one tree in Gallipoli, for every Aussie squaddie that died during that battle.

 

[Decaf]

My wife and I visited the Gallipoli Peninsula a few years ago whilst touring Turkey by car. We hadn't realised until we arrived in Gelibolu and tried to find a hotel room, that our visit coincided with the Turkish 'Celebration' day,
(18th March.) This is the day that Turks celebrate repelling the Allies naval attack in the Dardanelles.

Gelibolu, which is a typical small town and not at all touristy, was rammed with Turkish families visiting from all over Turkey for the Celebrations. Which meant of course, lots of boisterous patriotic parades, and thousands of people of all ages, drinking gallons of chai in overflowing street cafes and seated under huge temporary canopies. It was very much a carnival atmosphere, and not at all sombre which contrasted immensely with what we would know and revere as a commemorative event, such as ANZAC's day for example. We appeared to be the only non Turkish couple in the whole town, but as is the norm in Turkey, we were made very welcome, we shared a busy restaurant table, and they found us a hotel room.

It's worth remembering that the 'celebration' aspect, so much enjoyed by the Turks, is also the recognition of the part played by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, then a Turkish Army officer, who went on to lead the modern secular Turkish Republic. It's only a shame that he's not Turkey's leader today.

We visited all the sites on the peninsula and whilst, with all due respect, they didn't appear to us to be as 'sanitised' as perhaps the memorial sites are in Europe, it was still an extremely humbling, chokingly sad realisation of the atrocious loss of life under heartbreaking circumstances. Perhaps it was the sight of the actual trenches, or the mass of headstones, some right on the beach.

ANZAC Koyu is a 600 yard cove overlooked by a very nicely done memorial where its possible to sit and dwell on the awful loss of life. (You do of course need a car to get around all the sites)

Anyway, what I want to conclude with is......that if you do find yourself in that part of the world we unreservedly recommend that you spend some time at Canakkale / Gallipoli, (but probably not on 18th March if you need a hotel room.)

And finally, below is a picture of a verse on a stone memorial at Gallipoli which is attributed to Ataturk, and if the words don't move you...........I don't know what would.

 

[2657]

Mustafa Kemal was indeed a great soldier, unfortunately for the allies, and later a great leader of his country.

 

[rangi]

Mustafa Kemal was indeed a great soldier, unfortunately for the allies, and later a great leader of his country.

It was his actions that stopped the Allies basically on the "beaches"

He drafted in Raw recruits, a lot without full uniforms, or boots even. Gave them a Rifle and Bayonet, and sent them over the top. Survivors were given ammunition.

Funnily enough the Brit in command of the Anzacs , General Sir Ian Hamilton, actually thought of the same idea. He saw the Anzacs as "irregulars, almost as good as a regular"
It was Major General Sir Alexander Godley that put a stop to it.

 

[orridge]

I was lucky enough to get ballots tickets to the New Zealand commemorations of the 100th Anniversary back in 2015 and took a friend of mine whose Great Uncle had been at Gallipoli. A very moving few days and a very interesting part of the world to visit.

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