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Gallipoli and the Anzacs

Gallipoli and the Anzacs
Related:  World War I key links

Australians on the Western Front 1914-1918 Australian War Heroes - Australian War Heroes Song Anzac Story Canada offered 30,000 men, Australia pledged 20,000 and New Zealand already had compulsory military training. For the war In Europe, Australia raised a new army of volunteers - the Australian Imperial Force (the AIF). Recruiting began within days of the declaration of war. Those who were too young raised their ages - and most were accepted. The convoy with the Australian Division assembled in late October, and they were then joined by the New Zealanders. The Russians who were fighting on Germany's eastern front, wanted the British and French to tackle the Turks to reduce pressure on Russia. Anzac Cove April 1915 (Click to enlarge) On 25 April 1915, the Anzacs landed at a difficult and desolate spot on the Gallipoli peninsula and the Turks appeared to be ready for them. The British Government ordered an evacuation. A British Royal Commission into Gallipoli concluded that from the outset the risk of failure outweighed Its chances of success. Top

Essendon Historical Society Anzac Connections Bringing historic documents from the Australian War Memorial’s archive to all Australians Anzac Connections is a major web development project that not only progressively delivers new digitised collections to the website but also aims to improve search and discovery on the site, providing new ways for people to interact with our collections. The project was originally established to mark the 2015 centenary of the Gallipoli campaign but has since expanded to include collections relating to the Western Front and Sinai/Palestine. The private record collections of hundreds of individuals who served in the First World War are now online and hold a wealth of stories: a young soldier on the Somme, freezing and up to his knees in mud, using a brief lull in the fighting to pen a letter to his parents at home; a nurse in one of the many field hospitals, exhausted and desperately trying to treat the mass of incoming wounded. One hundred years on, their stories are now ours. Daily Digger Feedback

Remembering fallen war heroes is insincere if it excludes those suffering today | Mariam Tokhi | Opinion As a first-generation Muslim Australian, I’ve often wondered what Anzac Day should mean to me. The furore (and social media savagery) over Yasmin Abdel-Magied’s seven words have reignited that uncertainty. And now I’m despairing about the vitriol being thrown at Muslims and immigrants. Since primary school, I have commemorated and reflected on the meaning of war and Australia’s sacrifices. In year eight, we dissected the Anzac story: poring over the letters and diaries of Australian teenagers published in our history textbooks. “That’s not how it’s meant to end,” someone said. Years later, I was working as a junior doctor in a country Victorian hospital, admitting yet another elderly gentleman to our overflowing general medical ward. “I grew up in Melbourne,” I answered. He pressed me further, extracting my multicultural heritage story. “I’m so glad you’re safe,” he said. My patient got sicker and sicker. “I’m so glad you’re safe,” he cried. My patient died before finishing his memoirs.

BBC Three - Our World War - Our World War: Interactive Episode Aboriginal service during the First World War When it was colonised by Europeans, Australia was declared terra nullius; there were no formally binding treaties made with Indigenous Australians, so there was no recognition of the rights of the Indigenous inhabitants. The Defence Act of 1903 stated that all males aged from 12 to 25 would receive military training; as Aboriginal Australians were not of European descent, they were exempt from military service. (It was not until 1949 that all restrictions were lifted, enabling Indigenous Australians to join the Australian military forces.) At the outbreak of the war large numbers of Australians came forward to enlist, and Aboriginal Australians also answered the call. Best current estimates are that about 1,000 Indigenous Australians – out of an estimated population of 93,000 in 1901 – fought in the First World War (though the real number is probably higher). By the end of 1915 it became harder for Aboriginal Australians to enlist, and some were rejected because of their race.

Trove - Pictures, photos, objects Search photographs, negatives, artworks, drawings, posters, postcards and other pictures, as well as physical objects such as puzzles, instruments and clothing. Contribute your photos to Trove! Find out how to do it. 1,256 photos have been contributed to Trove via Flickr this month. Trove's Pictures, photos, objects zone owes much of its existence to one of the National Library's first discovery services, Picture Australia. Picture Australia was originally launched in September 2000 and, at that time, was a unique and ground breaking service, bringing together digitised images from cultural heritage collections around Australia for not only all Australians to see but also the world. It began with less than half a million images from seven institutions and, over the years, grew to two million images and more than 70 contributors. Picture Australia has been absorbed into Trove.

Before the Anzac biscuit, soldiers ate a tile so hard you could write on it Before Anzac biscuits found the sticky sweet form we bake and eat today, Anzac soldiers ate durable but bland “Anzac tiles”, a new name for an ancient ration. Anzac tiles are also known as army biscuits, ship’s biscuits, or hard tack. A variety of homemade sweet biscuits sent to soldiers during the first world war may have been referred to as “Anzac biscuits” to distinguish them from “Anzac tiles” on the battlefield. Read more: Feeding the troops: the emotional meaning of food in wartime Rations and care package treats alike can be found in museum collections, often classified as “heraldry” alongside medals and uniforms. The back of the biscuit reads “M[erry] Christ[mas] [Illegible] / Prosperous New Y[ear] / from Old friends / Anzac / Gallipoli 1915 / [P]te C.R. Biscuit as stationery This Anzac tile was made in Melbourne. Hardtack art Army biscuits also became art materials on the battlefield. A tin sealed with sadness She is recruiting participants for upcoming biscuit tasting workshops.

Australian War Memorial - homepage Telling the forgotten stories of Indigenous servicemen in the first world war Warning: This story contains images of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander people who are deceased. The number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who served with Australian forces in the first world war is estimated to be in the range of 1,000-1,200. But the precise figure will never be known, because a number of those who served changed their names and birthplaces when they enrolled to get around racist enlistment practices. Despite fighting and dying for Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders still weren’t considered citizens upon their return from the war. Many of these veterans were also denied repatriation benefits, and excluded from returned services clubs. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have long sought to gain recognition for the service and sacrifices of their men and women. These stories often take the form of oral histories. Read more: On Anzac Day, we remember the Great War but forget our first war Commemorating the Battle of Beersheba Ricky Morris

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