Please join me this Sunday from 2:00 - 4:00 pm at the Bay & Bloor Indigo store in Toronto for my second book signing.
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Ask any Australian to explain why April 25th
is so important to them and you'll get a peek at what lies deep within the Australian
psyche. The response will be honest, heartfelt
and rather somber which comes as a bit of a contrast to the usual jovial and
happy-go-lucky demeanor of most Australians you meet in your day-to-day life. Yes, me included! J
This date is permanently etched into the
hearts and minds of every Australian and signifies the unofficial birth of our
nation.
Although Australia officially became a
nation on January 26th, 1901 it continued to have its identity inextricably
linked to the British Empire. This was
particularly evident with the onset of World War I on August 4th, 1914,
when Britain declared war on Germany. In those days when the mother country declared war, then subsequently so did each of the Dominions within the Empire. Almost immediately Australia
was asked to raise an expeditionary force to support her Majesty’s government
in the prosecution of the war in Europe, to which it answered the call dutifully.
Prior to the WWI, Australia had a population
of less than five million people, of which more than 416,000 men joined up to
serve in the armed forces, which is almost 10% of the entire nations population...staggering numbers! In those days, the ratio of Australians born within the United Kingdom or were from first generation parents was almost 90% so not really a surprising number - in fact many Australians in those days considered themselves English first, then Australian.
This expeditionary
force was to become known as the First AIF (Australian Imperial Force) in which
the First Australian division and the 1st Australian Light Horse
Brigade were initially formed and dispatched as quickly as possible to the conflict in far off Europe. However, as their troops
ships steamed across the Indian Ocean toward Suez the Ottoman Empire came into the war on the side of
Germany and so the Australian forces were disembarked in Egypt to block any move
by the Ottomans in the Middle East.
Okay, great history lesson but why is April 25th so
important?
In those days, Winston Churchill was First
Lord of the Admiralty and concocted a plan to aid Russia and take the Ottoman
Empire out of the war by taking Constantinople (modern day Istanbul). Easier said than done Winnie!
To get to the Sea of Marmara from the Mediterranean
you must approach it via the Dardanelles.
This narrow waterway was both well mined and had large forts
guarding the approaches on either side and so a plan was devised to land an amphibious force then attack overland and effectively roll up the right flank which would allow the British, Commonwealth
and French forces to open up the sea-lane and then lay siege to Constantinople.
So just before dawn on April 25th, 1915 a
division of Australian and New Zealand forces made the amphibious landing at a
place called Gaba Tepe on the Gallipoli peninsula in southwest Turkey. In the pre-dawn darkness the forces were
landed about 1.6 km north of the intended beach and immediately came under
heavy fire from the cliffs above - not that there should have been cliffs if they had landed in the correct location.
The
carnage that followed the was horrific, with over 2,000 casualties in the
first day alone yet the tenacious Australian & New Zealand Army Corp (later
referred to in communiqués as the ANZAC forces) doggedly held onto, and secured
by nightfall a rather precarious beachhead which ran along a couple of miles of beachfront to a depth of about 800 meters inland
from the landing site.
The ANZAC forces
persevered at Gallipoli, although in a state of stalemate until December of 1915 when the
forces were eventually evacuated. The
cost of the campaign for Australia alone was over 8700 dead and a further 15,000 wounded from a force of 30,000.
Today April 25th marks a day of remembrance for all those that served and died in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations, and for the sacrifice of all those that have served. The first ANZAC day service was held in 1916 and over the years the importance and significance of the day has ebbed and flowed with the sentiment of the nation and world events.
Today's emphasis on ANZAC day is a far cry from that of my childhood, when the Vietnam war was at its peak and with the anti-war movement in full cry. In those days ANZAC day was just another day with very limited focus or attention paid, if anything a day not wanting to be remembered... However, over the past 25 years there has been a significant shift and resurgence in the importance of ANZAC day and its impact on Australian history, culture and self identity.
As many of you know I have a direct connection to
the First AIF with Grandfather Conolly, who enlisted on November 11, 1916
and spent the next two years fighting on the Western front in France with the 49th Battalion, Australian 4th Division. Even after being wounded and gassed during the first war he again enlisted in early 1940 for the Second World War and this time served in the
Coastal Defense forces guarding installations, ports and docks in Northern
Australia – although much to his chagrin as he wanted overseas service at the
ripe old age of 58. In addition uncle
Graeme (Grandfathers son) fought in Papua New Guinea with the 49th
Battalion, most notably in the bloody northern beaches campaign at Buna and
Gona against the Japanese forces.
My other connection with the ANZAC tradition inevitably takes me back to Papua New Guinea when I hiked the Kokoda track. Feelings of deep
sadness washed over me during two equally poignant occasions during
my time in Papua. The first was when we
held a short service at Isurava, situated deep in the mountains and set amongst
one of the most beautiful natural jungle backdrops - peaceful, serene but with a bloody and violent past where the Australian and Japanese forces clashed heavily in 1942. The second was when I walked slowly
amongst the hundreds of rows of white crosses at the Bomana War Cemetery just
outside Port Moresby, and noticed two brothers who were buried next to one another and who had been killed within a day of each other during the battle for Gona.
I can't even imagine receiving a telegram (yes, now I'm dating myself!) to say that your son has been killed in action, but to have two telegrams arrive within hours or days would be incomprehensible...
So this Saturday morning when you're all tucked up in bed I'll be heading out to attend the ANZAC day dawn service to remember all those who sacrificed so much on my behalf.
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