B2B with a Twist Publication - Work • Stay • Play October Edition Work • Stay • Play April-May 2017 Edition | Page 4

B2B - Keeping you in the know
What is
Anzac Day?
Anzac Day, 25 April, is one of Australia’s most important national
occasions. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action
fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War.
What does ANZAC stand for? Early commemorations
ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The
soldiers in those forces quickly became known as Anzacs, and the
pride they took in that name endures to this day. In 1916 the first Anzac Day commemorations were held on
25 April. The day was marked by a wide variety of ceremonies
and services across Australia, a march through London, and a
sports day in the Australian camp in Egypt. In London more than
2,000 Australian and New Zealand troops marched through the
streets; a London newspaper headline dubbed them “the knights
of Gallipoli”. Marches were held all over Australia; in the Sydney
march convoys of cars carried soldiers wounded on Gallipoli and
their nurses. For the remaining years of the war Anzac Day was
used as an occasion for patriotic rallies and recruiting campaigns,
and parades of serving members of the AIF were held in most
cities.
Why is this day special to Australians?
When war broke out in 1914 Australia had been a federated nation
for only 13 years, and its government was eager to establish a
reputation among the nations of the world. When Britain declared
war in August 1914 Australia was automatically placed on the
side of the Commonwealth. In 1915 Australian and New Zealand
soldiers formed part of the expedition 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 (now
Istanbul), the capital of the Ottoman Empire, an ally of Germany.
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The Australian and New Zealand forces landed on Gallipoli on
25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Ottoman 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 from the peninsula, with both sides
having suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships.
More than 8,000 Australian soldiers had died in the campaign.
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 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, shaping
the ways in which they viewed both their past and their future