Sunday, April 26, 2015

Anzac Day in Australia, New Zealand, London and worldwide

Today for Anzac Day the Australian flags and New Zealand flags have been flying all over the English speaking world, certainly in London, England, as well as Canada (whose soldiers were also at Gallipoli), various islands, and of course in Australia and New Zealand.

The short quotation we recall easily is 'for your tomorrow they gave their today'. But even more relevant to Gallipoli is the quotation from the speech given there by the Turkish leader, Kemal Ataturk, a masterpiece of the rhetoric of reconciliation. "Having lost their lives in this land, they have become our sons as well." The words of the founder of the republic of Turkey are on monuments in Turkey and Australia.

Memorials to the Australian and New Zealand forces and Canadian forces include one to Australian forces at Wellington Arch, Hyde Park Corner in London, at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli in Turkey, in northern France, and in Australia and New Zealand including Canberra.

The 2015 ceremonies included a dawn Maori war dance, and H M Queen Elizabeth II laying a wreath at the Cenotaph in London.

Ceremonies start at dawn, which is when the Gallipoli battle started a century ago on April 25 1915. A drink associated with the day is Gunfire tea or coffee, a cup of tea, or coffee, with a shot of rum added, which was served to soldiers before battle for Dutch courage. (See wikipedia for article on Gunfire drink.)

Members of the Royal family wear all black or mostly black. The royal family and military personnel wear their wartime medallions. Members of the public carry flags, or wear garments, shawls or hats displaying flags, or jewellery, or face paints, or tattoos of flags.

ANZAC - Australian and New Zealand Army Corps

See more on
anznacday.org.au
wikipedia/wiki/anzac_day

PS Sorry about the lower case of turkey. I keep changing it to Turkey in the list of labels and the spellchecker doesn't recognise the country name and keeps changing it back to turkey.

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