’The ANZAC tradition - the ideals of courage, endurance and mateship that are still relevant today - was established on 25 April, 1915 when the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula.

It was the start of a campaign that lasted eight months and resulted in some 25 000 Australian casualties, including 8 700 who were killed or died of wounds or disease.

The men who served on the Gallipoli Peninsula created a legend, adding the word ‘ANZAC’ to our vocabulary and creating the notion of the ANZAC spirit.

In 1916, the first anniversary of the landing was observed in Australia, New Zealand and England and by troops in Egypt. That year, 25 April was officially named ‘ANZAC Day’ by the Acting Prime Minister, George Pearce.

By the 1920s, ANZAC Day ceremonies were held throughout Australia. All States had designated ANZAC Day as a public holiday. In the 1940s, Second World War veterans joined parades around the country. In the ensuing decades, returned servicemen and women from the conflicts in Korea, Malaya, Indonesia, Vietnam and Iraq, veterans from allied countries and peacekeepers joined the parades.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the number of people attending the ceremonies fell as Australians questioned the relevance of ANZAC Day. However, in the 1990s there was a resurgence of interest in ANZAC Day, with attendances, particularly by young people, increasing across Australia and with many making the pilgrimage to the Gallipoli Peninsula to attend the Dawn Service’. ^[1].

ANZAC Day information below includes historical information, Order of Service information, services, traditions, information from the New Zealand and Turkish viewpoints, images, music downloads and more.

We continually add to information available and are willing to consider suggested areas and sources as time permits.

ANZAC Day Service and Speeches

• ANZAC Day Speeches
  Speeches for Dawn Service, school levels and community presentations. Both text and PDF versions. From the Australian Army.
• Bugle Calls
  Download both the Last Post and Reveille. They are in .wav format, but can be easily converted with any number of Free music converters.
• Military Bugle Calls
  Download both the Last Post and Reveille. They are in .MP3 format. Scroll to the bottom of the page for the listing.
• Order of Service
  ‘A simple Order of Service for a commemorative ceremony to be held on ANZAC Day’. From the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

State Information

• ANZAC Day [ACT]
  Details about, and organisation of, the ANZAC Day commemorations in the ACT. From RSL ACT.
• THE ANZAC Day March [Sydney]
  Start times, guidelines, map. Links to services being held by other RSL branches around NSW. Information about the History of ANZAC Day, The ANZAC March, even the ANZAC Day Appeal that is run by them. Other military information as well.
• ANZAC Day [Qld]
  Find information about services across Queensland via this site at RSL Queensland.
• ANZAC Day [SA]
  ANZAC Day Services in Adelaide and other centres, Youth Vigils, Unit Reunions, organisational details. RSL South Australia.
• ANZAC Day Commemorations [Tas]
  Find information about the commemorations to be held in Hobart as well as links to commemorations in other parts of Tasmania. RSL Tasmania.
• ANZAC Day [Vic.]
  History, The Dawn Service, Order of March, March Protocol, ANZAC Day Activities. From RSL Victoria.
• ANZAC Day [WA]
  Four major sections of information from RSL Western Australia : ANZAC Requiem, ANZAC Spirit, ANZAC History and ANZAC Education.

Top of Page

Gallipoli

• ANZAC Troops at Gallipoli
  ‘The Australian War memorial has released rarely seen film taken at ANZAC Cove and Suvla Bay in 1915. Get the Flash Player to see this video player’.
• Battle for Gallipoli : February 1915 - January 1916
  A section of the BBC’s information on World War 1.
• Despatches From Gallipoli
  ‘Charles Bean, Keith Murdoch, Phillip Schuler and Charles Smith were four Australians who went to Gallipoli as journalists during World War 1. This website aims to introduce these men and their writing, as well as to highlight their role in the development of an Australian identity’.
• Gallipoli
  A huge collection of information done by a Belgian. Grouped under a range of headings from travelling there to positions held and further links.
• Gallipoli 1915 : The Drama of The Dardanelles
  ‘Gallipoli 1915 : The Drama of the Dardanelles uses material prepared for the Gallipoli 2000 Battlefield Study Tour by staff of the Imperial War Museum and the Australian War Memorial. The video, sound and photographs this site contains complement the illustrated documents on key aspects of the campaign’.
• Gallipoli and the Anzacs
  News, timelines, bravery , nurses at Gallipoli, art, images, designs, interactive plans, war graves, Anzac Day at Gallipoli, more.
• Gallipoli and the Anzacs [DVA]
  ‘This education resource provides teachers and students with learning activities and information on the experiences of the Anzacs at Gallipoli in 1915, contextualising the involvement of the Turkish, British, French and other Allied forces in the campaign’.
• Gallipoli Landings
  Text based information from the development of the campaign on.
• Gallipoli Slang
  ‘Anzac troops quickly adopted a number of new words and expressions. Many of them reflect their daily lives in the Gallipoli trenches in such a characteristic way. What follows is just a small - and very incomplete - list of the more common ones. All of them can be found in diaries and interviews’.
• Gallipoli : The First Day
  ‘An ABC 3D documentary site about the WW1 ANZAC landing at Gallipoli, on 25 April 1915. Winner of the inaugural AFI Award for Innovation in Screen Content 2009’. See the requirements for the 3D version.
  Brilliant !
• Investigating Gallipoli
  ‘This education resource is designed for primary students in years 4-6, and focuses on the campaign and the experiences of the Anzacs at Gallipoli in 1915. Students use collected evidence to create their own storybook. The published resource includes a copy of the ABC website Gallipoli, The First Day and a DVD Video containing a documentary on Gallipoli: Australians at War Episode Two’.
• Jack Hazlitt - World War 1 Digger
  A video clip in which a ‘World War 1 digger reflects on his work as a runner in the trenches at Gallipoli. Hopping across the trenches in full view of the Turkish snipers, the average life of a runner was 24 hours’.
• Revealing Gallipoli
  ‘Five broadcasters from across the globe are uniting to tell the tragic story of Gallipoli - from all sides. First-hand accounts tell viewers what Gallipoli looked, felt and smelled like, and remarkable 3D archival images bring these scenes to life. Animated maps illustrate the forbidding terrain the soldiers faced, and illuminate the strategies behind the conflict’. From Enhance [Free]. You can also purchase the DVD from December Films.
• The ANZAC Landing at Gallipoli
  [Reports by War Correspondents]
  Reports, especially by Charles Bean, which told the truth about the conditions.
• The Gallipoli Campaign
  Covers the strategy, the whole campaign, various offensives, casualties, the dead and where the troops came from.
• The Great War - Gallipoli
  Part of The Great War presentation from PBS in America. It has an overview, then links to further information including both Gallipoli - An Australian Perspective and Gallipoli - A Turkish Perspective.
• With the Camera at ANZAC
  ‘This album contains 41 views of ANZAC Beach and the surrounding hills and gullies. Taken in 1915, the photographs it contains capture Gallipoli through the eyes of the digger’.

Top of Page

General Sites & Portals

• 1 000 Poppies
  ‘1000poppies.org is an educational network. It draws on Web 2.0 tools to help people learn about commemoration and remembrance in the 21st century’.
• ANZAC
  Of particular interest would be the section on The ANZAC Story.
• ANZAC Biscuits
  Yes, you can buy them, but this site will give you the information to make them yourself. This Australian War Memorial page gives you general information, plus links to other resources about these.
• ANZAC Day 25 April
  While there is a commercial component to the site, there are also extensive resources on all aspects of ANZAC.
• ANZAC Day [Australia.gov.au]
  In addition to the supplied information, there are embedded links to further information and sources and with additional links provided at the bottom.
• ANZAC Day [DVA]
  Department of Veterans’ Affairs. A wealth of information including education resources.
• ANZACday.gov.au
  Information and annotated links covering all aspects of ANZAC Day. Board of Studies, New South Wales.
• ANZAC Day [Qld.]
  Also check their Education page for a range of resources and their Early Learning page for younger children.
• ANZAC Day [Wikipedia]
  Extensive information and a range of external links.
• ANZAC Day - Traditions, Facts and Folklore
  ‘ANZAC Day - Traditions, Facts and Folklore provide[s] information for all who wish to understand more fully the history and origins of these ANZAC traditions’. Both online and available in print.
• Commemorative Activities & Resources
  ‘The Department of Veterans’ Affairs produces a range of resource material for schools and has established links with national and state curriculum authorities and teacher associations to ensure that the material meets required standards. Most of the education resources listed below were distributed to Australian schools Free of Charge between 2001 and 2006’.
• Dawn of the Legend
  ‘This exhibition tells the story of the Australians who landed at Gallipoli, and of the creation of the ANZAC legend’.
• Digger Smith
  A story [in verse] by CJ Dennis who wrote The Sentimental Bloke. ‘Digger Smith studies its [World War 1] effects upon the men who fought it - the men with “ANZAC eyes”’. Written in 1918.
• Education Resources [DVA]
  A range of Free resources covering wars, conflicts and peace operations. Most are provided in PDF format. They cover histories, social reactions, feelings and more. Several are particularly relevant to ANZAC.
  Highly Recommended !
• Kids HQ
  Developed by the Australian War Memorial. Access ‘Great Stories’, ‘Animals in War’, ‘Technology’, ‘Home Front’ and more. You need to register [as do teachers].
• Last Post, The
  Information on the Last Post, a recording, links to related sites and access to a search engine for ANZAC Day.
• Mapping our ANZACs
  ‘Mapping our ANZACs gives you three ways to commemorate the original ANZACs : locate a service person, add to the scrapbook and build a tribute. The heart of Mapping our ANZACs is a tool to browse 375 971 records of service in the Australian Army during World War I according to the person’s place of birth or enlistment’.
• The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps
  [Officers]
  ‘Recorded in these pages are the names of 492 officers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps [ANZAC] known or believed to have died as the result of their service on the Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey, in 1915’.
• The Frank MacDonald Memorial Prize
  ‘The Frank MacDonald Memorial Prize is open to all students currently in year 9 in government and non-government schools in Tasmania, as well as home-schooled students at the same year levels. The winners will travel to Turkey, Belgium and France for approximately 12 nights [incorporating Anzac Day], pending appropriate travel warning clearances, to visit landmarks of war time through structured tours’.
• Their Spirit, Our History
  ‘Discover and imagine, through letters, journals, newspaper clippings and telegrams, what life was like for Australians during WorldWarI. Learn about the origin and historical significance of Anzac Day through research-based activities’.
• Two Up
  A guide to the game played legally on ANZAC Day. More information can be found at the Two Up [Digger History] page.
• Websites for Further Research
  Lists a range of both DVA and other websites. Scroll down to see clear annotations about each.

Top of Page

New Zealand Sites

• Anne’s Guiding Pages - ANZAC Day
  Background, quotes, recipe, more.
• ANZAC Day [Govt.]
  The New Zealand government site covering significance, Gallipoli Guide, resources, ANZAC Day Today.
• ANZAC Commemorative Site, Gallipoli
  From the New Zealand Ministry for Culture & Heritage.
• ANZAC Day [NZ History]
  ANZACs, the campaign, first day fatalities, biographies and diaries, photographs, paintings, sounds and maps. Related links.
• Gallipoli Campaign
  ‘Adapted from an essay by Ian McGibbon from the Oxford Companion to New Zealand Military History’.
• Revealing Gallipoli : a Studyguide
  Downloadable document developed by the ABC in conjunction with Australian and New Zealand authorities.

Other Historical Information

• A Nation Transformed
  [The Impact of War on The Home Front]
  Information including Discussion Topics, textual information, things to watch and more. Secondary.
• Anzac Centenary
  ‘Between 2014 and 2018 Australia will commemorate the Anzac Centenary, marking 100 years since our involvement in the First World War. The Anzac Centenary will be one the most significant commemorations in our nation’s history. It will be a time to remember and honour the service and sacrifice of our past and current soldiers, sailors and airmen’.
• ANZAC Memories
  Historical notes, articles, letters and images.
• Background Of The Word ‘ANZAC’
  Short article tracing the background, from the Department of Veteran Affairs.
• Diary of an ANZAC
  Blog recording what happened to one specific Anzac at Gallipoli.
• Veterans OnLine
  A co-operative effort between the Department of Education [Victoria] and the RSL.
• War & Identity : Education
  ‘A wealth of resources about Australia’s military history and heritage for teachers and students. These are at Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary levels. You can find what you are looking for by Themes, or Individual Wars. The list of relevant resources under the theme or war you select is colour-coded’.

The ANZAC Tradition

• ANZAC Day Tradition
  Provides links to sites covering this and other ANZAC topics. Some are already listed here.
• Not Only A Hero
  ‘An Illustrated Life of Simpson, the Man with the Donkey’.
• The ANZAC Day Tradition
  From the Australian War Memorial.
• The Simpson Prize
  ‘The History Teachers’ Association of Australia [HTAA], together with HTAA State affiliates, conduct this competition for year 9 and 10 students on behalf of the Australian Government. The focus of the competition is the Australian ANZAC tradition and students are asked to write an essay of 900 to 1 200 words, or prepare an audio-visual presentation of not more than 15 minutes, on a given statement every year’. All details can be found here. Note that entries are usually submitted in December of the preceding year.

Turkish Viewpoint

• Gallipoli - The Frontline Experience
  A Turkish film by Tolga Örnek [Roadshow DVD] using still photography, re-enactments and writings from people on both sides of the conflict. Done in English. The Book Tie-in is available from the ABC.
  Brilliantly, factually presented !
• Gallipoli : The Turkish Story
  Details of a book looking from the Turkish point of view. ‘For anyone interested in Australian history and/or of the battle from the Turkish point of the book is a goldmine of information’. Check the Publisher’s Site for other information including teacher comments, or on Google Books.

References

• 1. ANZAC Day - History. Department of Veterans' Affairs, Australia, 24 Mar. 2009. Web. 20 Jan. 2010. DVA, Commemorative Events.

Top of Page

© D & B Mann Webmasters. All rights reserved. Last updated - 3 January 2012.
Best viewed at a resolution of 1280 x 800 or greater. We use and recommend Mozilla Firefox as the preferred browser.