Anzac Day: Dawn, Sacrifice, and the Forging of a Spirit

Anzac Day: Dawn, Sacrifice, and the Forging of a Spirit

Each year on April 25th, as the first cold light of dawn breaks over Australia and New Zealand, a profound silence descends upon cities, towns, and war memorials. People gather in the half-light for a solemn service, their breath misting in the autumn air. This is Anzac Day, the nations’ most sacred secular occasion. It is not a day of triumphal military parades, but of collective remembrance, centred on a concept born in the crucible of a devastating military campaign: the “Anzac spirit” of courage, endurance, and mateship. Its origins are inextricably linked to the bloody shores of a distant peninsula—Gallipoli.

The Birth of ANZAC

In 1915, the First World War was locked in a stalemate on the Western Front. The British War Council devised a plan to break the deadlock: force a passage through the Dardanelles Strait, capture Istanbul), and knock the Ottoman Empire out of the war. A crucial part of this plan involved a landing on the Gallipoli peninsula.

The force tasked with this monumental and perilous assault included the newly formed Australian and New Zealand Army Corps—the ANZACs. For these young nations, still forging their identities within the British Empire, Gallipoli was to be their first major test on the world stage.

War in Gallipoli: “A Place of Ruin and Death”

Before dawn on April 25, 1915, the ANZACs approached the coast. A navigational error landed them not on a wide, open beach, but in a narrow, steep-banked cove surrounded by rugged, scrub-covered cliffs. They were met with a hail of machine-gun and rifle fire from well-prepared Ottoman troops, commanded by the determined Mustafa Kemal (later Atatürk, founder of modern Turkey).

What was envisioned as a swift strike became a brutal eight-month stalemate. The Anzacs clung to a tiny perimeter, dug into precarious hillsides and gullies. Life was a relentless cycle of sniping, artillery bombardments, and futile charges against entrenched positions. The fighting was intimate and vicious at places now etched in national memory: Lone Pine, the Nek, Chunuk Bair.

The conditions were as deadly as the enemy. Sweltering summer heat brought plagues of flies and dysentery; the harsh winter brought frostbite and flooding. The men lived in dugouts, plagued by lice and the constant stench of death. Over 8,700 Australian and nearly 2,800 New Zealand soldiers died in the campaign, with tens of thousands more wounded or evacuated sick.

Evacuation and Legacy

By December 1915, the strategic failure was undeniable. In a remarkable feat of stealth and planning, the Allied forces were evacuated from Gallipoli with almost no casualties. The withdrawal was the most successful operation of the entire campaign.

Militarily, Gallipoli was a defeat. But in Australia and New Zealand, something else had taken root. The raw reporting by journalists like Australia’s Charles Bean, who emphasised the soldiers’ resilience, humour, and loyalty to one another, transformed a military disaster into a foundational story of national character. The “Anzac legend” was born—not from victory, but from the manner in which ordinary men faced extraordinary adversity.

From Gallipoli to Today: The Evolution of Anzac Day

The first Anzac Day commemorations were held in 1916, even as the war raged on. It was a day of mourning, patriotism, and fundraising. As the decades passed, it evolved to honour all who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations.

The Dawn Service itself echoes the stillness of that first landing. The “Last Post” rings out, a poignant two-minute silence is observed, and “Reveille” signals the coming day—a metaphor for hope after darkness. Later, marches see veterans and their descendants walking to applause, not cheers, a gesture of public gratitude.

In recent years, the day has become more inclusive and reflective. There is greater acknowledgment of the shared suffering with the Turkish people, often quoting Atatürk’s magnanimous words from 1934: “Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives… You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace.” The stories of Indigenous soldiers who served despite facing discrimination at home are now being told. The focus has broadened to consider the cost of war beyond the battlefield—the psychological wounds, the grief of families, the lasting scars on communities.

Anzac Day is officially commemorated as a national day of remembrance primarily in Australia and New Zealand, where it is a public holiday. However, its observance extends to several other countries, often due to historical connections, diasporas, or the locations of the campaigns themselves.

While Anzac Day is observed in these many locations, it is only a formal public holiday in Australia, New Zealand, the Australian external territory of Norfolk Island, and the French special collectivity of New Caledonia (due to its large Australian expat community).

In essence, while the heart of Anzac Day is in Australia and New Zealand, its reach is global—following the geographic paths of the ANZACs through war and peace, and the subsequent diasporas of both nations.

Significant Overseas Commemorations (Due to Historical Campaigns)

• Türkiye (Turkey): Major ceremonies are held at the Gallipoli Peninsula, specifically at Anzac Cove and the Çanakkale Martyrs’ Memorial. Thousands of Australians, New Zealanders, and Turks attend the iconic dawn service. The Turkish government participates, and the day emphasizes mutual respect and peace.

• France: Commemorations are held at Villers-Bretonneux in the Somme region, where Australian forces played a crucial role in World War I. An Australian national memorial is located there, and a major dawn service is conducted.

• Belgium: Services are held at Ploegsteert (“Plugstreet”) and Ypres (Ieper), where many ANZAC troops fought and died on the Western Front in WWI.

• United Kingdom: As the former imperial heart and a key ally, commemorations are held, most notably at the Australian and New Zealand War Memorials at Hyde Park Corner and at the Gallipoli Memorial at St Paul’s Cathedral in London.

• Papua New Guinea: Particularly on the Kokoda Track, where Australian forces fought a critical campaign against Japan in WWII. Anzac Day trekking commemorations are common.

• Malaysia & Singapore: To remember those who served and died in the region, particularly during the Malayan Campaign and as prisoners of war in WWII (e.g., the Sandakan Death Marches). Services are held at Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore and other sites.

Other Countries with Observances

Observances are also held, often organized by expatriate communities, embassies, or local veterans’ groups, in:

• Canada

• The United States

• Hong Kong (at the Stanley Military Cemetery)

• Thailand (at Hellfire Pass on the Burma-Thai Railway)

• Egypt (at the Cairo War Memorial Cemetery, given Egypt was the ANZACs’ base before Gallipoli)

• Indonesia (in Bali, often for the tourist community)

• Timor-Leste (honouring Australian support during WWII and later peacekeeping)

A Enduring Spirit

Anzac Day is not about glorifying war. The descendants who wear their great-grandfathers’ medals understand this deeply. It is a day of complex emotions: pride in courage, sorrow for profound loss, and gratitude for peace. It connects a sunset ceremony at an isolated country cenotaph with the crowds at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra and the sacred ground of Anzac Cove itself, where thousands of pilgrims now gather each year.

It is a day that asks us to remember that the freedoms and identities of two young nations were, in part, forged in the difficult and costly fields of a faraway land called Gallipoli. As the sun rises on each new April 25th, the enduring message of Anzac Day remains: to remember, with respect and reflection, the price that was paid. Lest We Forget.