April 25 is the most important day in the Australian calendar to me personally and so many Australians and Kiwis all over the world. ANZAC Day....OUR National Day. Our Kiwi friends across the Tasman know what this day means all too well. It is a day of reflection - to remember the courage, sacrifice and loss of our service men and women over past conflicts, and the people they left behind. Loyalty, mateship, resourcefulness,endurance and sacrifice - these are the qualities for which the ANZACS became known for. But they were ordinary guys who did extraordinary things, farmers, teachers, plumbers, bakers, sportsmen and so on. On a cold, still, very early morning at the Shrine of Remembrance, I felt proud to see over 40,000 Australians of all ages slowly file in to pay their respects to the fallen. Every year the numbers are increasing, as if some invisible force compells them to do so. Later on today over 90,000 fans will attend the football match that has become an ins***ution in Melbourne - Collingwood Magpies v Essendon Bombers. I can tell you that when the Last Post sounds and there is a minute silence, you will be able to hear a pin drop, such is the emotion of the moment and the respect Australians have for our fallen servicemen and women. At dawn today all over Australia and in the killing fields at Pozieres and other locations in France, in Belgium, all over Greece, at Chania in Crete, at Kokoda in New Guinea, Libya, Tobruk, in Vietnam, Korea and Malaysia and Singapore, at Gallipoli in Turkey and in Iraq and Afghanistan they will be repeating the same verse.... They marched with songs into battle, They wereyoung - straight of limb and true of eye. They fell with their faces to the foe. They shall not grow old as we who are left grow old, Age shall not weary nor the years condemn. At the going down of the Sun.... and in the morning, We will remember them. We will remember them...... Let us honour their sacrifice in our daily lives, never forgetting their sacrifice for the country we now live in and the life we now know and sometimes take for granted. LEST WE FORGET. Rat
Thank you Rat. That was well put. The most poignant fact is that most of the tens of thousands of gravestones are for kids of 16 to 19 years old. The generals have a lot to answer for.
Yes they did, but it also was an expectation of the time. Young blokes lied about their ages to go off on the ultimate adventure. The world was a huge place in 1914 - the adventure prospect was irresistable to a young man of the time. What did they know of the brutality of War, esp the Great War ? Rat
Yeah my dad's Dad fought in Egypt in WW2. My 4 yr old girl has been walking around today asking if we are going to 'dead today' (her words) because of the war. Innocence is a wonderful thing huh?. Hope all the guys and girls away from home fighting ****heads around the world get home to their families soon.
Yes it was, thank you for another great ANZAC post Rat. Indeed, they paid the ultimate sacrifice & we should be eternally grateful to them. Many of those under age kids went to another town where no one would know them & enlist. Sadly very few were found out until after they were K.I.A. My Great Grandfather served in WW1 he was 21yrs 11mths when he enlisted on 7th of July 1915 he was discharged 1st July 1919 as a Lieutenant in the machine gun core. I have included some of his photos. I have my Great Grandfather's dog tag & treasure it greatly. Also..
recently my father told me about my grandfathers brother.his name was john.he died in france in 1916 in the battle of thiepval woods age 21. i have no photos of him .thanks for posting youre personal pics jimmy it has helped me understand where he was and what real mates are all about lest we forget
Having visited Gallipoli when I was in turkey and doing the tour of ANZAC cove I would have to say it was one of the most moving and spiritual things I have ever done. I'm not a religous person, but Gallipoli is one of the few places on earth that I have felt deeply moved. Thanks Frank, and I know how deeply you feel about this too. given the state of the world today, I think this is nearly more important now. Lest we forget...
Listening to the radio on the way home from work today the figures of those killed in that campaign were given. Forgive my approximations but something like 80,000 Turks died, somewhere in the vicinity of 40,000 allied soldiers of which about 8,000 were Anzacs. You Turks certainly know the pain. My family doesn't have a distinguished military history but today I was very proud. Today my oldest boy (8) marched with his great, great uncle who served in the Royal Navy in WWII. He proudly wore the medals of his great, great grandfather from WWI and also those of his other great, great uncle who was captured and executed by the Germans after parachuting into Norway in the first wave of allied paratroopers behind enemy lines. He told me he could not find words to speak at the end of the parade and it was the most serious thing he had ever done. That made me proud. We will continue to remember them Pete
Lest We Forget "Those that forget history are doomed to repeat it" Very important in a country where almost each year the CURRENT Japanese GOVERNMENT writes out another piece of history from the official school history text books.
Great mementos Jimmy thanx for sharing them !! Mark, I have been told that that is exactly what is happening in Japan. The youth of Japan apparently have very little knowledge of WWII and of the atrocities committed during that time. A tragedy indeed.... Rat
WW1.....my great grandpa went with three brothers and all of his mates....only he came back. My Grandfather went to Borneo......I found a samurai sword wrapped in oily 1946 newspaper on top of the cupboards when I renovated the kitchen for them about 5 years ago..........and the average Japanese teen today doesnt even KNOW THEY WERE THERE. Even 'educated' 40 year-olds here HONESTLY BELIEVE that we nuked them TWICE just because we wanted to TEST both kinds of bomb......and have NO IDEA why we would have done this to them! My Grandpa didnt talk to my parents for THREE YEARS after they bought a Mazda in the late 70s......seemed like a major over-reaction at the time........but look where we all are now. Lest WE ALL Forget.
"Even 'educated' 40 year-olds here HONESTLY BELIEVE that we nuked them TWICE just because we wanted to TEST both kinds of bomb......and have NO IDEA why we would have done this to them!" Hey Mark, tell me you're joking man....????? WTF ?? Rat
Yes, the Ministry of Truth is a strange thing in Japan. Back in my ad days, a (Japanese) resort owner thought it would be a good idea to promote a golf tournement on his property on "this long weekend." We had to explain ANZAC Day and all its significance, ie. bad idea. He had that dumb cow look people have when they have no idea what you're talking about.
The internet is also filtered so the Japanese people can't research things like Pearl Harbour. I was going through a CD of family photos that my Aunty put together and found that my Great Great Uncle Will also served during WW1 I believe he also returned. If you are unsure if family served you can look on the war memorial site and do a person search. A few more pics
Amen Rat. As a side note, we are progressing well on the WWI aircraft restoration for our new exhibition openong in November. Some good stuff on our blog...... http://blog.awm.gov.au/awm/category/aircraft-1914-1918/
Lest we forget indeed Frank... considering all the things going on in the world today this should also be a grim reminder no one really wins a war. The losses are great on both sides and for what. Maybe one day we will learn from history.
I work with people of many nationalities on a global initiatve for my company. This exposes me to people that have never lived in the US and might be outside their own home for the first time. Ordinary people, like me. To some, our patriotic tendencies seem arrogant and self serving. I found myself explaining my own national sentiments recently. I don't mind, but something tells me I won't ever need to explain such things to my Aussie coworkers. We share a few things in common. Thanks for sharing these things. It makes me proud.
The Jalopy Journal
