41. ANZAC Day

 

One of the most amazing stories is that of the first Christmas of WWI. On the the eve of Christmas 1914. John McCutcheon's ballad, Christmas in the trenches depicts the moods of the soldiers, on both sides of the front lines, during the first Christmas of World War I. It was hailed as the "Amazing Truce" where German and British soldiers took a respite from the War. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in his history of 1914, called the Christmas truce "An amazing spectacle, one human episode amid all the atrocities which have stained the memory of war".

His phrase, indeed, sums up the attraction of the truce; it is the human dimension which means that this relatively obscure event in the fifth month of a fifty two month war is still remembered and will continue to catch the imagination. In a century in which our conception of war has been on the Exocet, the Cruise Missile and the Neutron Bomb, the fact that in 1914 some thousands of the fighting men of the belligerent nations met and shook hands between their trenches strikes a powerful and appealing note. It is perhaps the best and most heartening Christmas story of modern times.

A young German voice was heard singing "Stille Nacht" and it floated over No Man's Land. Then an English voice sent back "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", and soon the night was filled with voices of men, some of them as young as 16 or 17. Over the stretch of land which separated both sides appeared a white flag as a young German soldier held it high and slowly approached. And from the British side came a soldier who walked forward to meet him. Then the others followed.

These men met on a battlefield as friends and equals. They shared cigarettes, some chocolate and a rare camaraderie, they looked at photos of sweethearts, mothers and loved ones. They sang Christmas carols together. They even played a game of football. And for a short time, they were ordinary people meeting in friendship.

But time does not stand still, and as the first rays of morning light came and the sun peeked its faint pale rays, they shook hands for the last time. And went back to the business of war.

 

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years comtemn, At the going down of the sun and in the morning We shall remember them.     "And when he gets to heaven, To St. Peter he will tell, Another soldier reporting, sir - I've served my time in hell."

24. Anzac Day - Lest we forget

 

ANZAC Day, 25th April is the day Australians remember the original landing on Gallipoli in 1915. It is our most important national occasion. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australians and New Zealand forces in the First World War. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers in those forces quickly became known as ANZACs, and the pride they soon took endures to this day.

 

Above: Anzac Cove
Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of the allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallopoli Peninsular to open the way to the Black Sea for the Allied navies. The landed at Gallipoli on April 25 and met fierce resistance form the Turkish defenders. The campaign dragged on for eight months.

 

Above: Anzac soldier carrying a wounded comrade at Gallipoli
At the end of 1915 the Allied forces were evacuated after both sides had suffered heavy casualties and severe hardship. Over 8,000 Australian soldiers were killed. News of the landing at Gallipoli made a profound impact on Australians at home and 25 April quickly became the day on which Australians remembered the the sacrifice of those who had died in war.

 

Above: Anzacs
We honour those Diggers and all Diggers who have made the ultimate sacrifice.


Below is an Anzac tribute I made compiled of original photoshots from World War One, including the Landing at Anzac Cove, Passchendaele, marches and photos taken by soldiers.

 

Above: Looking through a window on to a battlefield cemetery

Lest we forget