ANZAC Day

ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Anzac Day is April 25, and it is an observation of the first major military action fought during World War I by Australian and New Zealand forces. The holiday has officially been known as Anzac Day—capital A and lowercase nzac—since 1916.

In the 1910s, Australia and New Zealand, both former British colonies, were still young countries. Australia gained independence as a nation in 1901, and New Zealand was granted independence in 1907. Still, many citizens in both countries had close ties to Great Britain. Therefore, when Britain became involved in World War I in 1914, many Australians and New Zealanders signed up to fight. Additionally, more citizens in these nations joined the war effort not because of a loyalty to Britain but because they wanted to help establish their countries as international players. However, the eight-month offensive the ANZAC was involved in left thousands of Australian and New Zealand soldiers dead. A year after the start of that campaign, people in Australia and New Zealand commemorated the bravery of these soldiers.

In 1916, Anzac Day was observed for the first time in communities across Australia and New Zealand and in Europe and Africa. A parade of cars carrying wounded survivors snaked through Sydney, Australia. More than two thousand Australian and New Zealand troops marched through the streets of London. In Africa, an Australian camp organized a sports day to mark the occasion.

Background

World War I began on July 28, 1914, and ended on November 11, 1918. The conflict started in Europe, but it soon became a global war. Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife were assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia, on June 28, 1914. Their killer, Gavrilo Princip, was a member of a Serbian terrorist group called the Black Hand, which wanted to free the Balkans from Austro-Hungarian control. Serbia pushed back when Austria-Hungary demanded to have a representative at Princip's trial. Germany supported Austria-Hungary in declaring war on Serbia on July 28. Germany then declared war on Russia when the much-larger country allied itself with Serbia. France, a Russian ally, prepared to step into the conflict, but Germany attacked France through Belgium on August 4. Great Britain and other nations agreed to protect Belgium, and the British Empire joined the war.

Fighting began in Africa on August 7, when British and French forces invaded Togoland, one of the colonies of the German Empire. The Germans destroyed an important wireless station in Togoland to keep it out of enemy hands and surrendered the colony. Soon after, 160,000 German troops attacked 70,000 British troops in Belgium. Outgunned, the British forces retreated, and Britain set about increasing the size of its army. In response, Australians, Canadians, Indians, New Zealanders, and South Africans joined the war. One-fifth of the Australians and New Zealanders who enlisted had been born in Britain. Fighting through late 1914 and into early 1915 mostly took place in Europe.

The Ottoman Turks in the Middle East were allies of Germany. The Allied forces—including Great Britain and its partners—launched an assault to take the peninsula of Gallipoli (modern Turkey), which was part of the Ottoman Empire. The first ANZACs—alongside troops from Britain, France, and India—landed on the peninsula on April 25, 1915. The forces were stopped on the beach, where they were pinned down in bunkers for about eight months. Many soldiers suffered from dysentery, and opposition snipers killed many Allied troops. By the time the Allied forces were finally evacuated in January of 1916, more than ten thousand Australian and New Zealand troops had died.

Overview

The people of Australia and New Zealand enthusiastically supported the troops who went off to war. As the Gallipoli campaign dragged on, the reality of the situation sank in. Newspapers printed weekly lists of casualties. Of the approximately seventeen thousand New Zealand troops, nearly three thousand died and almost five thousand were wounded. The Australians lost more than eight thousand soldiers on the peninsula.

Despite the loss, Australians and New Zealanders supported their soldiers and celebrated their bravery. New Zealand, which was still finding its identity as a nation, took pride in the strength and loyalty shown by the troops at Gallipoli. As troops met and worked with men and women from other countries, the New Zealanders recognized their own uniqueness and proudly adopted the nickname "Kiwis," given to them by fellow soldiers. Both countries gained confidence in their identities and in their ability to take their places on the world stage.

After the first Anzac Day in 1916, the observance of the holiday for the remaining years of World War I was largely patriotic. Events recognized the survivors and included recruiting campaigns. After the war's end on November 11, 1918, Anzac Day became a day to memorialize all of the sixty thousand Australians and eighteen thousand New Zealanders who died during the war.

Poppy flowers have been associated with Anzac Day since the 1920s. It is a sign of remembrance of those who died in service of their country. Rosemary, a fragrant herb that also signifies remembrance, grows wild on the Gallipoli peninsula, and many Australians wear a sprig on Anzac Day. Sturdy oat cookies are associated with the day because families sent the durable treats to soldiers fighting overseas during the war. They were originally known as soldiers' biscuits, but they have been called Anzac biscuits since the Gallipoli landing.

In Australia, Anzac Day became a public holiday in all states in 1927. About five hundred war memorials were erected beginning in the 1920s in New Zealand, and services to remember the war dead were held at these monuments. Many rituals—including dawn vigils, marches, memorial services, and reunions—were established traditions by the mid-1930s.

The dawn memorials are particularly cherished by returned soldiers, who value the opportunity of sharing the quiet, predawn moments with comrades in arms. Such services are solemn, focusing on two minutes of silent remembrance, followed by a bugler playing Last Post followed by Reveille. When ANZAC forces fought during World War II, Anzac Day took on greater significance. Going forward, the holiday memorialized the casualties and veterans of both wars.

Bibliography

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"Traditions & Rituals." New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage, www.anzac.govt.nz/significance/traditions.html. Accessed 6 Oct. 2016.

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Zorthian, Julia. "The 100-Year History behind Anzac Day." Time, 25 Apr. 2016, time.com/4304032/anzac-day-history/. Accessed 6 Oct. 2016.