The inspiring ANZAC Day address
1 Jun 11
Editor’s note.
This is the complete text of Liz Aitken’s Commemorative address on ANZAC Day in the Valley 2011.
The speech has been commented on favourably by many as it was well researched and presented in such an accomplished manner, Remarkable in itself given the emotion that Liz must have felt when referring to her father.
What is Anzac Day?
It is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, 25 April every year to honour members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I.
It now more broadly commemorates all those who died and served in military operations for their countries.
For many people, this day serves as a reminder of the ugliness of war and is an occasion on which to formally pay tribute and to remember.
The truth of this day and the consequences of the failed Gallipoli campaign are much more complex and far reaching than can be expressed in the short time in which I have to speak.
On a personal level I feel a certain awkwardness standing here today as my father, a Kiwi served with distinction in the second world war and Berlin Airlift.
He had no wish to participate in Anzac Day marches or belong to an RSL. He would rarely talk about his experiences not even to my mother. I asked her two weeks ago before she left for England and I had asked him many times previously prior to his death about his experiences.
Once when I was about 8, just after hearing that my father had fought in the war I asked him whether he had killed anyone. I thought war was just like in the Biggles books. I can recall the look of dismay on his face and I didn’t ask him that particular question again. It wasn’t whether he had or hadn’t I believe it was the inappropriateness of the question that caused the look.
My father didn’t believe in what he called “the mythology of war” and felt that there was a danger that these occasions could be used to glorify war and to justify the sacrifice of young men. He, like many others who served, felt that one went and did what was needed but you didn’t need to talk about it, much less march.
I am also aware that there are just as many returned serviceman and women who wouldn’t agree with him and believe in the importance of these occasions to remember, honour, respect and commemorate those who died and have served.
On this day I believe it is important to consider and honour both positions. These are the opinions and beliefs of those who have served.
I have not. We are fortunate enough to stand here far from the conflict and misery that is occurring in many places around the world where Australian and New Zealand soldiers are currently serving.
So what happened at Gallipoli and why were our soldiers there?
In 1914 Australia and New Zealand were part of the British Empire. When Britain went to war so did we without question. While Britain expected soldiers to enlist from the colonies, they were shocked and surprised by how many men enlisted from Australia and New Zealand.
Out of a population of approximately 500,000 New Zealand men 105,000 enlisted and served overseas
Similar rates of enlistment occurred in Australia.
It must have been an extraordinary event in the lives of Australians and New Zealanders as family and community members left our shores, for most, the first time overseas and away from home.
What was the Gallipoli campaign and what did it hope to achieve?
It consisted of two parts; similar flawed thinking underpinned both and led to their ultimate failure. One of the assumptions by those in high command was that the Turkish army was weak, badly equipped and would be easy to defeat. They also under estimated how strongly an army will fight to defend its homeland. The Ottoman Empire, “the sick man of Europe” was badly underestimated.
At the time Churchill conceived of the Gallipoli campaign, World War I was being fought on two fronts and had already become bogged down in trench warfare in France and Belgium where many Australians and New Zealanders would subsequently lose their lives after the Gallipoli campaign.
Churchill’s idea was to open another front 2000km away in the Dardanelles Churchill considered the Turkish army to be weak and the German army would be weakened.
Its troops would need to be withdrawn from the eastern and western front to aid the Turks.
Taking control of the Dardanelles - the narrow sea passage from the Mediterranean leading towards the Ottoman capital, Constantinople and the Black Sea was paramount.
Its’ capture would mean securing supply lines for Russia, a crucial ally.
The first part of the campaign was to attack the Turkish forts in the Dardanelles and who better than the Royal Navy at that time the world’s premier fighting force. The British, aided by the French, felt confident of their naval superiority, and sent a force of eighteen battleships plus assorted cruisers and destroyers to force their way through to Istanbul. The British lost three battleships and three were crippled. The allies withdrew and plan B was put into action.
This was a land invasion of the Gallipoli Peninsula aimed at neutralising the Ottoman shore defences so that the battleships could sail through with less discomfort. The earlier failure of the battleships should have been a sign but it wasn’t noticed.
On the 25th April 1915 regiments of young men from all parts of the British Empire and France were landed on Gallipoli beaches to face the machine-guns, artillery and bayonets of entrenched and determined troops fighting for the defence of their homeland. They also faced the immediate and terrible consequences of landing at Anzac Cove. Historians now debate whether the landing went off course and instead of the gently sloping beach they landed at small cove bounded by steep cliffs.
Consider this diary entry
There was some difficulty in getting the second tow ready but eventually when a naval cutter came alongside we got in and started for the beach; three men were hit before the boat struck the shore. When she hit the beach, I gave the word to get out and out the men got at once, in water up to their necks in some cases, men actually had to swim several strokes before they got their footing. It was almost impossible to walk with full marching order, absolutely drenched to the skin and I fell twice before I got to the dry beach where I scrambled up under cover of a sand ridge. I ordered the men to dump their packs off, load their rifles, and waited a few seconds for the men to get their breath.
It was just breaking dawn and, as we looked towards the sound of the firing, we were faced by almost perpendicular cliffs about 200 feet [60 metres]above sea level, and as we were of [the]opinion that most of the fire was coming from this quarter, it was evident that this was the direction of our attack. Therefore, after a minute or two, having regained our breath, we started to climb.
[Captain I S Margetts, Diary, 25 April 1915, AWM 1 DRL/0478]
After landing at Anzac Cove the campaign dragged on for another eight months.
Chunuk Bair, Hill 60, The battle of Lone Pine, Suvla Bay. Reading through the campaigns and descriptions of fierce fighting the reality was that little progress was made except the loss of many soldiers on both sides.
By late October 1915 evacuation of Gallipoli was being discussed at high levels though the prevailing feeling was that evacuation would involve further significant losses.
By the 19th December 1915 the last Anzac & British troops were evacuated from Suvla Bay & Anzac Cove. In spite of gloomy predictions there were no casualties during the evacuation
Tim Swift said 1985 “No assessment could ever be made of the cost of the Dardanelles campaign in lives, suffering, loss of ships and expenditure on equipment and munitions. Even an exact figure for casualties does not exist because of the conditions under which the campaign was fought”.
The Australian War Memorial gives Australian casualties as 8709 killed and 19,000 wounded.
The New Zealand official figures gives 2721 killed , and 4526 wounded.
With hindsight the Gallipoli campaign is considered to be an allied disaster of World War I but it is also considered to be a significant part of the birth of two nations Australia and New Zealand, whose untried and untested troops took their place on the world stage for the first time as part of the British Empire in shocking conditions who held their own.
This is also the birthplace of the Anzac legend and the legend feels a little different between our countries. While at Gallipoli the Australians were greatly praised and rewarded for their actions at Lone Pine and other places. These brave deeds have been celebrated and well documented and rightly so. Anzac Day is often when these brave deeds are discussed and honoured.
But the other part of Anzac legend, the New Zealanders, felt unnoticed. There was a real feeling of isolation and lonliness for the New Zealanders at Gallipoli and I quote “many of their gallant deeds went unrecorded or were attributed to their greater neighbours” Captain Aubrey Herbert.
The only VC awarded to a New Zealander during the Gallipoli campaign was to Corporal Cyril Basset. Sadly some New Zealanders later felt bitter about this lack of appreciation of many similar acts of bravery shown by the New Zealanders. Bassett, was surprised by his award and said later in life:
When I got the medal I was disappointed to find I was the only New Zealander to get one at Gallipoli, because hundreds of Victoria Crosses should have been awarded there.
So today while we remember and honour all those who died at Gallipoli and in other places I ask that we also consider the families and communities, whose sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, fathers and mothers do not return home from war. There are gaps in these families and communities that are present every day not just on Anzac Day.
We should also consider that while many soldiers returned home safely from Gallipoli and other places there were many who returned particularly from the First World War chronically injured physically & mentally.
The casualty estimates official or otherwise never consider the damage from battle trauma that resounds through generations of some families.
We remember them all