ANZAC Day is upon us again. Every year, on the 25th of April, Australians are given the opportunity to pause, reflect and remember the incredibly brave ANZAC soldiers who lost their lives, or who were wounded, at Gallipoli. Not only do we remember the ANZAC soldiers, today, ANZAC day provides us an opportunity to honour all serving men and women.

So we thought we’d share some interesting and often unknown facts about ANZAC’s and ANZAC Day, so others will understand why we honour this national day.

1. The ANZACs were all volunteers.
2. April 25, Anzac Day, was the day the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula in 1915.
3. Originally, the term ‘ANZAC’ was used to mean any soldier who was a member of the army corps that fought at Gallipoli. While typically thought of as just Australian and New Zealand nationals, the ANZACs included officers from India, Ceylon, the Pacific Islands, England and Ireland. However, the term has subsequently been broadened to mean any Australian or New Zealander who fought or served in the First World War.
4. A soldier named Alec Campbell was the last surviving ANZAC. He died on 16 May, 2002.
5. 25 April, was officially named ANZAC Day in 1916.
6. ANZAC Day was not a public holiday in Australia until 1921. However it was not observed uniformly in all the states.
7. The first dawn service on an ANZAC Day was in 1923.
8. There is no town called “Gallipoli”. It is the name of an area. Visitors to Gallipoli usually stay at nearby towns – like Ecubeat. The Gallipoli Peninsula is very near the famous ancient city of Troy.
9. The Gallipoli battle itself ended in a stalemate, when the ANZACs retreated after eight months of battle.
10. More than 11,000 ANZACs died at Gallipoli and more than 23,500 were wounded.
11. Services are held at dawn because in battle, dawn was the best time to attack the enemy. Soldiers would wake in the dark so at the first signs of light they were alert and awake.
12. The original Anzac biscuit was known as an Anzac wafer or tile and was part of the rations given to the ANZAC soldiers during World War I. They were included instead of bread because they had a much longer shelf life.
13. Anzac biscuits were created by wives of soldier’s who wanted to bake healthy goodies for their men. They lacked egg and milk, so kept for a long time and didn’t spoil during transport.
14. The Poppy as a symbol comes from Canadian John McCrae’s WWI poem. In Flanders Fields. It was used as a symbol by the Canadians for their Rememberance Day, and has been adapted as a reminder of the loss of all veterans in all wars.
15. The ‘Last Post’ is incorporated into funeral and memorial services as a final farewell and symbolizes that the duty of the dead is over and that they can rest in peace.
16. ANZAC Day is commemorated in France in the towns of Le Quesnoy and Longueval.
17. ANZAC Day is commemorated in the village of Harefield in Middlesex just outside of London because of a quirk in history. In 1914, millionaire Sydney expat Charles Billyard-Leake offered his manor home and 250 acres of parkland for injured Australian troops to recoup. It was imagined 50 soldiers in winter, 150 in summer would be catered for. But by the following year and post Gallipoli, it had become a fully-fledged hospital with 1000 beds just for Australian soldiers. More than 50,000 wounded Diggers passed through the home, which became known as Number 1 Australian Auxiliary Hospital.

LEST WE FORGET.