ANZAC Day. ANZAC means Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Australian & New Zealand Imperial Forces became known as ANZAC on the beach at Gallipoli in Turkey, where the disastrous landing took place on April 25, 1915. They fought a British war, and went on to continue in France and the Middle East.
This cluster of streets in Matraville, off Anzac Parade includes many named after villages and towns in the Somme and Flanders : Beauchamp Rd, Fromelles Way, Bapaume Pde, Beaumetz Way, Combles Pde, Peronne Way, Armentieres Way, Somme Way, Bullecourt Way, Messines Place, Flers Place, Hamel Road, Menin Rd, Pozieres Ave, Flanders Ave.
Sydney has 8 Gallipoli Streets, 1 Close and 1 Lane; 9 Anzac Avenues, 1 Lane, 1 Motorway, 4 Roads, 1 Square and 5 Streets and a bridge (featured on several occasions on this blog). Anzac Parade passes through 10 suburbs.
Below, left, a photo of my grandfather, Percy Smith, a soldier in World War 1. You can see his story here: Percy Smith, ANZAC. Below, right, my view of war and a tribute to my grandad (Gargoo), on a card I made.
ANZAC Day seemed to be important straight after WW1 and for as long as the parents, widows and children of the lost Diggers survived. But then it seemed to fade a bit.
ReplyDeleteHave you noticed that people are taking ANZAC Day more seriously now? And not just in Australia and New Zealand. Rather there are dawn gatherings all over France, Greece, Turkey, Israel... wherever Diggers fought and fell.
Great Anzac Day post. I've never seen those signs before.
ReplyDeleteI am English because my Irish grandfather went off to the Great War. Although I too served in the British military I have some idea about the whole Gallipoli thing, it was a bad idea from the start and got worse. I like to feature the headstones of our servicemen and women when I come across them on my Leeds daily photo, recently a Canadian soldier but they are mostly British here in Yorkshire. I have yet to find an ANZAC serviceman locally.
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