From “The Centenary of the Last Ordinary 25 April” by Virginia Gow (Web Adviser in the WW100 Programme Office):
Anzac Day this year is the centenary of the last time that 25 April was just a day like any other day – before it became a signature date in New Zealand history.
Here in the WW100 Programme Office we are acutely aware of the meaning of Anzac Day as a day of remembrance, not just for those who served and fell at Gallipoli, but for those who have served in all conflicts to defend our country. This day next year will be one of the early milestones for the four-year First World War centenary programme.
Next year, on 25 April, it will be 100 years since New Zealand and Australian soldiers – the ANZACs – landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula, in present-day Turkey, during the First World War. The aim was to capture the Dardanelles strait, which would make it possible to attack Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire. But at the end of the campaign Gallipoli was still held by the enemy and thousands of soldiers from both sides had lost their lives – more than 100 New Zealanders died on 25 April 1915 alone.
In May 1915, as the official news of the casualties from the Gallipoli campaign reached the New Zealand public via newspapers, the Christchurch Press published an article titled ‘New Zealand’s Noble Dead’. It made note of the significance of the Gallipoli campaign as a turning point – from a time of peace to a sobering awareness of the impact of war.
(Above): embossed into the centre “RSA Welfare” with the accompanying white paper tag reading “NZ Returned and Services Association” and on the reverse, simply “Thank you”
ANZAC is an acronym for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Anzac Day occurs on 25 April. It commemorates all New Zealanders killed in war and also honours returned servicemen and women.The date itself marks the anniversary of the landing of New Zealand and Australian soldiers – the Anzacs – on the Gallipoli Peninsula in 1915
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