BS: ANZAC Day

Subject: ANZAC Day
From: PeteBoom
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 09:52 AM

April 25 dawned a little cool, but sunny today. Can't help but think how different things were at Gallipoli. Music tie-in, "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda."

Regards -

Pete

Subject: RE: BS: ANZAC Day
From: John Gray
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 10:13 AM

For our international friends ANZAC stands for, Australian & New Zealand Army Corps. The 25th April was the day they stormed ashore at Gallipoli and is now a national day of rememberance & public holiday here in Oz and NZ.
I was up at 5.30am to attend the Dawn Service and then marched with my fellow veterans at my local RSL club ( veterans club ) at 10.00am. All very moving and , once again, concentrates the mind on the waste of war.
Us ANZACS certainly got around, there are war cemetaries full of us all over the world.

JG/FME

Subject: RE: BS: ANZAC Day
From: Wincing Devil
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 10:46 AM

I wonder how many GW vets there are left to march, they'd all have to be over 100

Subject: RE: BS: ANZAC Day
From: okthen
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 10:47 AM

Just a small thank-you from someone who appreciates the sacrifices made by many so that I might enjoy the freedom to sit here and write this.

Subject: RE: BS: ANZAC Day
From: Tam the bam fraeSaltcoatsScotland
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 11:15 AM

This is the first time that I haven't been in Australia for ANZAC day, and I'm really missing it.

However I'll be paying my respects to the memories of the these gallant men that fought and died for freedom.

Subject: RE: BS: ANZAC Day
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 01:39 PM

I'd heard somewhere recently that the last one is gone...

anybody know if that's true??

Subject: RE: BS: ANZAC Day
From: allie kiwi
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 05:27 PM

I think I heard that awhile back too. I know you guys had one who lived past our final gallipoli vet, but yeah - it stirs in my memory somewhat that he passed on as well.

Somehow I like that ANZAC Day is often wet and windy - it somehow makes it much more a contemplative day.

Alliewho cries at the sound of the last post

Subject: RE: BS: ANZAC Day
From: The Walrus
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 05:30 PM

As far as I am aware, the last of the Gallipoli ANZAC has indeed "faded away", there are some veterans of the other fronts still with us.

Tom

They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Laurence Binyon - For the Fallen

Subject: RE: BS: ANZAC Day
From: JennieG
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 08:30 PM

According to the news reports here (Sydney Oz) the last Gallipolli vet is still alive in Tasmania aged 103 - the news reports last night showed him being driven in the parade in Hobart. He apparently enlisted aged about 16. There are still a few WWI vets. My father fought in WWII but would never ever speak about it, he never ever marched on Anzac Day. The war affected his life so deeply that I think he pretended it never happened. Anzac Day for him probably dug up memories he would prefer to leave buried.
Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: BS: ANZAC Day
From: Hrothgar
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 09:05 PM

About 18 WW1 men left in Australia - including the one left fron Gallipoli, who is believed to be the last one from either side who fought there.

Subject: RE: BS: ANZAC Day
From:
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 11:44 PM

Yes, one Gallipoli vet left.
Unfortunately I've never had the chance to go to Gallipoli ( Anzac Cove actually )and stand on the cliff tops for the 25 April dawn service. Thousands of Australians make this annual pilgrimage with more than half being young people.
There is a view here now that Anzac Day is gradually replacing Jan 26 as our National Day. Two reasons for this. Jan 26 wasn't a great day for our Aboriginal population - it means invasion and defeat for them and, secondly, Australia wasn't established as a nation on that day. It was established as the penal colony of New South Wales hence why all the early governors and their staff were serving military personnel and not civilian administrators. It was many years later before any free settlers started to arrive and even then they were living under a military gov't with military laws.

Regarding Binyon's Ode in a post above. I'm fairly certain Binyon wrote the line as - nor the years contemn. Later it was changed by others to - condemn. When you look up the meanings of both words, contemn seems to fit the best.

JG/FME

Subject: RE: BS: ANZAC Day
From: Teribus
Date: 26 Apr 02 - 04:50 AM

We don't play tonight but two songs, both by Eric Bogle, that will no doubt get sung tomorrow will be "Gift of Years" and "The Band played Waltzing Matilda".

When I was growing up in Scotland our next-door-neighbour was at Gallipoli with King's Own Scottish Borderers, through that association and from Australians and Kiwi's I served with in the Navy, the day has always been special.

Subject: RE: BS: ANZAC Day
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 26 Apr 02 - 06:14 AM

See Here for the full version of "For The Fallen" the most common misquote of this (as repeated by the Walrus) is "They shall not grow old" which should read "They shall grow not old"
Unfortunately, this misquote is used in several of the websites which quote the poem in full, so perpetuating the difference.
I always notice this, because of its appearance in the responses for the Remembrance Sunday service used by the Anglican Church. Whenever someone re-types the service, or attempts to up-date it, they (almost) invariably 'correct' the quote!

Subject: RE: BS: ANZAC Day
From: Tam the bam fraeSaltcoatsScotland
Date: 26 Apr 02 - 08:48 AM

My Grandfather fought at Gallipoli

Tom

Subject: RE: BS: ANZAC Day
From: The Walrus at work
Date: 26 Apr 02 - 08:50 AM

Mea Culpa, I didn't type the piece, I just "cut and pasted" a chunk from another site without checking properly (I think I automatically read it as "grow not old"). As to Condemn/contemn, I seem to recall reading on another site that the first published appearance had condemn with no comment from Binyon (I'm sure that he'd have had something to say).

Regards

W

Subject: RE: BS: ANZAC Day
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 26 Apr 02 - 09:49 AM

G'day Wincing Devil - and others that have answered this point already:

I saw a newspaper article on Alec Campbell, the last Gallipoli ANZAC ... and probably the last survivor from that campaign. He is old, partly blind and feeble ... pretty bloody good for 103!

What intrigued me was the photograph of him, before embarkation ... he looked so bloody small and young! He was only 16 ... but he was also only about 155 cm - 5 foot, one inch, to judge by the relative height of his Lee Enfield Rifle no. 1 Mk III ... 5' ¾" with the old, long sword bayonet fixed.

We hear a lot about the tall, 'bronzed' ANZACs ... but it's the tough little bugger from chilly Hobart that proves the toughest ... in the end!

JennieG's story of her father's reaction is very much what I saw in my family ... particularly GrandDad who was in both World Wars.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: BS: ANZAC Day
From: Tiger
Date: 28 Apr 02 - 07:15 AM

"Someday, no one will march there at all."........Eric Bogle.

A sad, but proud day. Such a powerful song.

Saw Eric a few years ago and he remarked that on his most recent ANZAC day visit none of the Gallipoli veterans were able to march. The song will become a notch sadder when the last of them passes.

But we must never forget.

Subject: RE: BS: ANZAC Day
From: bflat
Date: 29 Apr 02 - 11:17 PM

I've just returned from my song circle this Monday night. We sang many songs about Australia that are in our collection. We recently added Eric Bogel's "And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda." Actually my first ever singing and playing guitar accompaniment. It was always a powerful piece but tonight it was more so. We talked about the possibility of living survivors. Most thought there weren't any left. Jennie, I related your posting so thank you for that. Tonight, we belatedly commemorated ANZAC Day.

Ellen

Subject: RE: BS: ANZAC Day
From: allie kiwi
Date: 16 May 02 - 06:08 AM

As a follow up - I just saw this at the ABC news site...Thu, May 16 2002 7:56 PM AEST Final Gallipoli veteran passes last post

Australia's last surviving Gallipoli veteran, Alec Campbell, has died, aged 103.

After a short illness Mr Campbell died this evening with his wife by his side.

Mr Campbell enlisted with the army as a 16-year-old.

He served with the 15th Battalion for six months before the evacuation of Gallipoli in December 1915.

He then returned to Egypt where he was discharged as medically unfit.

After being discharged at the age of 18, he worked as a jackaroo, carpenter, carriage builder and economist.

Mr Campbell attended Hobart's Anzac Day parade almost every year, proudly wearing the medals he earned for his war efforts.

He was awarded the 1914-15 star, the British War Medal, the Victory Medal, and in later years, the 80th Anniversary Armistice Remembrance Medal.

This year, accompanied by his 11-year-old great grandson, Mr Campbell led the Anzac Day parade in front of 5,000 people.

He also sailed in six Sydney to Hobart yacht races.

The state secretary of the Tasmanian RSL, Tony Scott, says it is important Mr Campbell's service to Australia is not forgotten.

"I'd like to remember Alec Campbell the same way as we should remember all our first World War I veterans - they were the ones that put this country on the map and made it what it is today," Mr Scott said.

He is survived by his wife Kathleen.

May he and all of the fallen, rest in peace.

Subject: RE: BS: ANZAC Day
From: Tiger
Date: 16 May 02 - 03:21 PM

Rest in peace, Alec Campbell, with your gallant comrades.

Words fail. We will always remember.

Subject: RE: BS: ANZAC Day
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 17 May 02 - 02:46 AM

Funny, I sent a whole heap of WWI stuff to an Aussie relative (distant in more ways than one) concerning 2 brothers, their cousin, and their cousin's father in law, all of whom died on 4 different ships within hours of each other at the naval battle of Jutland, 1916. This is her reply:

"Dear Liz, It is only the second time I have heard an English person speak of people lost in the war. I have had lots of Australian cousins who were killed in France, and (another relation)had a family killed by a bomb, but I wondered if there were so many English deaths that people still find it too painful to mention. Of the 30 people who went over to England with my brother in WWII, only 2 came home, so I would have expected a lot of casualties in England."

I can't be the only one who openly admits the debt we owe these people can I? I was instrumental in our church not dropping the Act of Remembrance, and have held it myself, and the 2 minutes silence on Armistice Day, regardless of where I was or who I was with - even to the extent of telling an interviewer I would be 5 minutes late and giving the reason!

Possibly it's because I used to work in a military museum and have read the war diaries still stained with the mud and blood of Ypres, Mons, Popperinge, Mesopotamia, Gallipoli and Kut el Amara.

Possibly it's because a close family death affected me at an early age, my brother went out one morning and never came back.

Possibly it's because my father and grandfather never let me forget the parts they had to play in the next war.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: ANZAC Day
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 17 May 02 - 02:52 AM

I forgot to mention. Three of those men, Fred & John Dunford and George Corbon lived in one village, Abbotsbury and make up a third of the total of names on the war memorial. The fourth, Henry Dunford was only a mile down the road in the next village.

Abbotsbury is one of the 'Grateful Villages', it has a plaque in the church giving heartfelt thanks that no-one from there died as a result of WWII despite there being several who served in various capacities, farmers by day, watchers of the seas and skies by night.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: ANZAC Day
From: Paul from Hull
Date: 17 May 02 - 12:33 PM

No Liz, youre not the only one who openly admits the debt, as you so well put it.

I've been reading this thread right from the start....but never knew quite what to say.....