IN the pre-dawn darkness of April 25, 100 years ago, battleships and destroyers approached the Turkish coast ahead of a planned landing of Australian and New Zealand troops at what would become known as Anzac Cove.
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The 3rd Australian Brigade of 4000 men was to be the covering force, with other brigades to come ashore throughout that day and the next.
In the words of General Sir Ian Hamilton, the location was chosen in a bid to surprise the enemy.
“A rugged and difficult part of the coast had been selected for the landing, so difficult and rugged that I considered the Turks were not at all likely to anticipate such a descent,” he said.
“The actual point of disembarkation was rather more than a mile north of that I had selected.”
Anzacs were peppered with bullets as they tried to scale to higher territory. They bravely fought back, capturing ridges. No one knows for sure how many Australians died that day, perhaps 650, according to the Australian War Memorial. Total casualties, including wounded, were about 2000.
Australia’s involvement that day was said to be our baptism by fire, the nation’s coming of age, with the heroic and often fatal acts on the battlefield defining our spirit.
Today, a century later, thousands across the south-west will gather to remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. Images will fill our thoughts of brave, positive young men, rushing into battle determined to do their nation proud and selflessly preserve our freedoms and rights.
Attending today’s dawn or mid-morning services is the least we can do to repay those who sacrificed everything and those who are presently in combat fighting forces infringing on our way of life. We may take many aspects of life today for granted but the education and acknowledgement of our past at Anzac Cove and on other battlefields around the world is not underappreciated.
The growth in understanding and commemorating today builds each year. It is important to remember we are not glorifying war, we are honouring the fallen and building a resolve to avoid such bloody conflict in future generations.
Lest we forget.