ANZAC Day: The Ultimate Sacrifice

First and foremost, the Anzac Spirit is about the remembrance of the sacrifices made by men and women who have and are still serving in the military.

Not many people would withstand having to go off to war knowing their life was on the line. There is much respect and gratitude inclined towards those who did and sacrificed everything they had. Our cordially veterans - the ones who fought and endured the bestial wars, the ones who knew they could fall at any moment, the ones who, despite the horror and fear

Significantly, the ANZAC legend is the result of a devastating loss, rather than a great victory. The soldiers are remembered for maintaining courage and determination under hopeless conditions. The ANZAC legend owes much to wartime correspondents who used the

World War 1 (1914-1918) was the first official war that Australians took part in, only thirteen years after federating as a country in 1901. During this time, thousands of lives were lost, families were torn apart, and friends were never seen again. April 25th became the national day to commemorate the ANZAC soldiers who had served overseas. Even now, 100 years later, people still remember those who sacrificed themselves for Australia, those who fought and fell in many battles to protect the country they lived in. The Gallipoli Campaign is the most famous battle of World War 1, the battle that every Australian household knows about. However, other battles such as the ones on the

World War One is regarded as a major turning point in history and modern warfare which has impacted Australia monumentally, scarring the nation’s history. Australia played a significant role in World War One and the Gallipoli campaign, which is considered the birthplace of the ANZAC legend. These events have immensely shaped Australia as the nation we know of today. World War One began in 1914 from the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and ended in 1918 on November the 11th which is now recognised as a day of mourning and a time given recognition to the lives taken on the battlefield. To a prominent extent, the ANZAC legend is significant to the concept of Australian identity and nationalism through the origins of the ANZAC legend, the key events that have helped form Australia as an independent nation, and in addition to how ANZAC day is commemorated today.

“No, Dad. You started it… when you dragged me by the hand through mobs of them like this – just exactly like this. That’s all I ever saw on Anzac Day, every year, year after year, a screaming tribe of great, stupid, drunken no-hopers.” (page 95)

‘A massive increase in the popularity and national significance of ANZAC Day’ (Source 1), grew throughout the twenty-first century. Since the landing of Gallipoli, it has been celebrated and as it continued, it quickly adapted to the cultural change of the media and technology which further improved the growth of its popularity. This day joins all Australians as one, in celebration to show their respect, compassion and pride for those people who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. Damian Morgan conveyed the change in society, but also the well-kept, treasured ANZAC Spirit.

Last year, on the 25th of April was the centenary of the Gallipoli landing. Which, according to the Australian Defence force website, was to be for Australians, “one of the most significant commemorations to take place during their lifetime.” With the centenary looming in the backs of the minds of the Australian people, it is unsurprising that great pains have been taken to construct a three year long celebration that would “encompass a number of historical milestones on Australia 's involvement in conflicts”, such as both World Wars, Korea and Vietnam.

The Anzac legend is still relevant in today’s society as it reminds Australians and New Zealands of the sacrifice they made to protect our country and let us live in freedom. The legend defines our national identity and helps shape our national reputation so that other countries can look at us as and think of us as a country who are determined, brave, resilient and helps our mates when they are in trouble. Almost a whole generation of young men was lost and they deserved to be remembered. The soldiers continued to fight during challenging times and when they felt as though it was too hard and should give up. They slept in wet and dirty clothes and barely had enough food to survive. Australia wouldn’t be Australia without the legend of the soldiers who sacrificed themselves for us.

The ANZACS displayed admirable feats of bravery during WW1 before, during and after their charge on Gallipoli. ANZACs stood tall and unwavering in the face of adversity, facing gun fire, shelling and hunger in a land far from home with nothing but a sardonic smile and a pack of supplies on their backs. The fact that their struggles amounted to no military victory shows that even though they couldn’t see any progress during their struggles, they were motivated and brave enough to keep fighting for what they believed was right. Couple this with the words from The Australian War Memorial stating “The ANZAC’s rejected any unnecessary restrictions, possessed a sardonic sense of humour…contentious of danger and proved himself equal to anyone on the battlefield” (2017) and it is obvious how truly courageous the ANZAC soldiers were. Many soldiers

The ANZAC spirit was born on the twenty-fifth of April 1915, on this day Australian soldiers landed upon the shores of Gallipoli to serve their country for the first time in war. Each year Australians celebrate the mateship, courage and heroism the ANZAC soldiers showed on that day. Although, people tend to depict these soldiers as victims of a catastrophic trauma, yet this passionate sacrifice is what gave Australia its name. Furthermore, there is word of discussion about the truth behind the accuracy of the ANZAC legend. Evidence demonstrates that the ANZAC legend is an accurate portrayal of what occurred the day the ANZAC’S landed in Gallipoli. The legend of mateship, heroism, courage and bravery is an accurate representation of the fighting Australian and New Zealand soldiers in world war one.

Almost a century has passed but Australia still identifies strongly with the Anzac ‘legend' that emerged during the First World War. Entering the war as a small outpost of the British Empire, no one would have anticipated the courage and tenacity displayed by the Australian troops or the extent to which their war efforts would become the foundation of our national identity.

Remembrance Day. A time of reflection on those who sacrificed themselves for our country, Australia. In considering the value of Remembrance Day, we need also to consider the value of one of the most prominent Remembrance Day speeches, Paul Keating’s `Funeral Service of the Unknown Soldier' in 1993, at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

World War I (1914-1918) was considered the 'Great War' and Australia’s Gallipoli campaign has always been considered as the pinnacle of the Australian military feats. This is due to the constant glorification of the event despite the fact it was an unmitigated failure. However, the work of the Australian army force in the most important battleground of WW1 the 'Western Front' is often cast under the shadow of Gallipoli. The battles on the Western Front took place in France, Belgium and parts of Germany and this is where some of the most pivotal battles were fought. The contribution and success of the Australians will be assessed through the analysis of several sources related to four major contributions related to the Western Front. These include the amount of Australians involved, the external opinions of Australia in the Western front, The Battle of

The Anzacs, Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, forged Australia’s national identity when on 25 April 1915, they sacrificed their lives gallantly in Gallipoli (Black 1990:33). Many of the values and virtues characteristic of this troop, are embodied in the sacredness of Australia’s civil religion (eds. Robbins & Robertson 1987:244). Mateship, egalitarian individualism, and hostility to formal bureaucracy and hierarchy are hallmark of the beliefs the nation holds sacred, in conjunction with elaborate war memorials that serve as architectural reminders, totems, of comradeship, ruggedness and sacrifice (eds. Robbins & Robertson 1987:244). RSL, Returned Servicemen’s League, clubs established throughout the nation are temples where fellowship and communion are enjoyed and tradition is perpetuated through the transmission of legend and folklore (Alpert 1993:200-1; eds. Robbins & Robertson 1987:244). The establishment of Australia’s civil religion was solidified when on 20 October 1916, the War Precautions Act was proclaimed, forbidding the use of the word Anzac in the profane and penalising any person who did so with a fine of one hundred pounds or six months imprisonment (Seal 2007:136-7). Enshrining the term ‘Anzac’ in law and imbuing it with a special status, further established it as sacred, resulting in Anzac Day being accepted in 1930 as a