ANZAC Day: April 25

ANZAC poppy

ANZAC Day commemorates the Australia New Zealand Army Corps that was formed to fight in World War One, in general, and the landing at ANZAC Cove that marked the beginning of the Gallipoli campaign in 1915, in particular — which makes this the 107th anniversary of that event.

New Zealand’s death toll in WW1 was immense: proportionally (i.e. as a percentage of total population) one of the highest of any country involved in the war. Perhaps because of this, it has become one of NZ’s two major nationbuilding commemorations. The other is Waitangi Day, celebrated on February 6.

The red poppy (symbolic of the Flanders campaign that followed, rather than Gallipoli) is the ANZAC emblem. The photo is of an ANZAC memorial in my local area, with a cross and poppy for every soldier from this community (i.e. basically, a single suburb) that died in the war.

“…At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.”