'Diggers' remember Gallipoli war dead

Published on Saturday 25 April 2009 20:00

THOUSANDS gathered on former battlefields in Turkey yesterday to honour soldiers killed in the devastating First World War Battle of Gallipoli 94 years ago.

New Zealand's Governor General Anand Satyanand and Australia's Foreign Minister Stephen Smith joined Turkish officials for a solemn dawn service remembering soldiers from Australia, New Zealand and other allied nations who died in the campaign.

On April 25, 1915, troops from Australia and New Zealand, under British command, first landed on the Gallipoli peninsula to wage an ill-fated campaign against the Ottoman Turks. The Allies recorded 55,000 dead. Turkish casualties were estimated at 250,000. Visiting the battlefields in north-west Turkey has become a pilgrimage for many Australians and New Zealanders.

In those countries, millions turned out for Anzac Day, named after the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.

The day honours all past and present military personnel – particularly troops who fought in the First and Second World Wars who Australians call "Diggers" – with ticker-tape parades and services.

In Sydney, people stood shoulder-to-shoulder in darkness with heads bowed to observe a minute of silence at the Cenotaph war memorial. Many laid wreaths on the memorial after a lone bugler played 'The Last Post'.

"As the dawn is even now about to pierce the night, so let their memory inspire us to work for the coming new light into the dark places of the world," New South Wales state Governor Marie Bashir said at the Sydney service. In the Australian capital of Canberra, about 20,000 people including Prime Minister Kevin Rudd attended a pre-dawn service at the Australian War Memorial, where navy chaplain Collin Acton recalled the sacrifices at Gallipoli and the thousands killed in subsequent conflicts.

Australians and New Zealanders lined the streets of major cities in both countries for parades following the early services.

The thumping of drums and the skirl of bagpipes echoed throughout downtown Sydney as veterans and their descendants marched alongside active military personnel before thousands of cheering, flag-waving spectators.

Veteran Pat Lee, who served with the Royal Australian Air Force from 1939 to 1946, leaned on his cane and swept his eyes over the veterans waiting to march alongside him. He has attended nearly every Anzac celebration since 1946, always donning the tin helmet he wore in the war.

"It's getting a bit heavy," the 87-year-old said with a rueful smile, gently touching his helmet, which is adorned with the words "Lest we forget".

"In a couple of years I'll be 90, and a lot of the mates I served with have either died or can't do it anymore. I'm representing those that can no longer be in the Anzac march."

As is tradition, servicemen and veterans flooded pubs following the parades to drink a few beers and play games of "two-up" – a two-coin heads versus tails competition that was popular among Diggers.

Restrictions on gambling are loosened on Anzac Day to allow the game to be played.