Saturday (25th April) was Anzac day, the main remembrance day for Australia and New Zealand. Whilst they still remember the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians on the 11th November in common with the UK, Anzac day has a special meaning. On that day in 1915 Australian and New Zealand troops formed the majority of the Allied offensive to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula in modern day Turkey. The operation, planed by one Winston Churchill resulted in an 8 month stale mate with appalling losses. Over 8,000 Australian and 2,700 New Zealand soldiers died. News of the landing at Gallipoli made a profound impact on Australians and New Zealanders at home and 25 April quickly became the day on which they remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in war.
Bhav and I joined the remembrance event in Dunedin. After a parade (which we missed) an estimated 9000 people gathered at the memorial in Queens Gardens at 6:30 am for a dawn service.
War memorial in Queens Gardens, Dunedin
0 Response to “Anzac Day”