Miranda BrumwellEvery year, on April 25, Australia and New Zealand commemorate the ANZAC day. While the day was initially created to remember the fallen during the Gallipoli Battle, over the years it has evolved to honour all of Australia and New Zealand’s fallen.
The day, April 25, marks the day when Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed on the beaches of Gallipoli and fought against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War.
On that fateful day in 1915, British forces and ANZAC banded together to capture the capital of the Ottoman Empire, Constantinople, present-day Turkey, Istanbul.
However, the allied soldiers were met with fierce resistance by the Ottoman Army, leaving the campaign to drag on for months. By the end of September 1915, 1,076 Canadian soldiers from the Newfoundland Regiment arrived.
As the year came to a close, allied troops were pulled out after both, allied and the Ottoman Army had suffered multiple losses.
https://www.facebook.com/RCAF.ARC/videos/10155246529931237/
Video thanks to The RCAF Facebook page.5 Wing Moose Jaw joined their colleagues in arms across the world in commemoration of ANZAC Day. #RCAFmembers of New Zealand and Australian heritage ended the ceremony by leading a traditional “Haka” in honour of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for their countries.
The death count for the allied forces totalled 56,000. Australia had lost 8,709 soldiers and New Zealand had lost 2,721.
Today, ANZAC Day is recognized as a public holiday and commemorated with a dawn service and a moment of silence for those who lost their lives. Parades and exhibits are also hosted to honour the fallen.
ANZAC Day Memorial Services are held: the Australian War Memorial, in Sydney hosts a parade in the morning, Melbourne hosts a dawn service along with a Ray of Light ceremony, Brisbane hosts a silent service at midnight and a dawn service held at The Shrine of Remembrance, and Perth hosts the largest dawn service at the State War Memorial followed by a Gunfire Breakfast and a March, ending with a memorial service.
Events are also held in Canada to mark ANZAC Day.
This year during the week April 21 to April 28 events were held in Comox, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, London, Toronto, Kingston, St. John’s, Newfoundland, and Ottawa. The majority of events were held on April 25.
