ANZAC Day

April 25th, 1915 was a very important day in Australian history. As a nation, we were born constitutionally on January 1st, 1901. Culturally we were formed as a nation in the 1800s. In World War 1 a call was put out to Australia and New Zealand to fight at the Gallipoli peninsula. The goal was to take the Gallipoli peninsula and then Istanbul so as to take control of the Black Sea.
The battle was a disaster from the very start. The British navy dropped the troops off at Gallipoli. They were supposed to land at Kabatepe beach, which is relatively flat and easier to take ground from. However a mistake was made and they landed at this beach, today known as ANZAC cove.



The first night the ANZACs took two pieces of ground, now known as Johnston's Jolly and Lone Pine Point. The next day Johnston's Jolly was lost and never recaptured for the duration of the battle. Lone Pine Point was held for the eight and half month's duration. This is the point where the main Australian and New Zealand memorial is today. The British and French were involved at a navy level, but it was the ANZACs who fought the battle on land.


There are a couple things that I was ignorant of, before visiting Gallipoli. The terrain is far more mountainous than I could have imagined, and I am sorry that the photos do just not do justice to reality. The trenches between the Turks and ANZACs were very close. Johnston's Jolly to Line Pine Point is only a short distance and that is where the main fighting went on.


The second thing is that I had no idea just how important this battle was to the Turks as well. We were at Gallipoli on April 18th. On the 25th there will be 10 000 Aussies there, but on the 18th I was the only Aussie. There were however, busloads full of Turks. I managed to talk to the hotel keeper that night and find out the importance. Apparently the Turks really respected the ANZACs, as at night they would throw chocolates to the Turks and the Turks would send back water. Turkey was founded as a modern nation in 1923, much of it because of the military successes of Ataturk as an influential leader during the Gallipoli battle.


After the battle these are the words of Ataturk towards Australia: "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. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours... you the mothers who sent their sons from far away countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land, they have become our sons as well."


Visiting Gallipoli was a very moving experience for me. Reading each of the tomb stones (posted on previous days over the last week) served to show me just how much so many young men sacrificed. The battle of Gallipoli is the spiritual birth of the nation of Australia. It should never be forgotten. War is a terrible thing, I am not disputing that. These young men lived in a different age and were acting on their conscience as they accepted the call to war and were prepared to die for their new nation. They died with honour. God was not absent from this terrible tragedy either. The ANZAC troops were well aware of Jesus' own sacrifice, "Greater love has no man, than he lay down his life for his friends." It became their own motto as they left the trenches to face certain death. Australian society today, largely forgets that these words are from Jesus. Today these words become a redemptive story for Australia. I have written a much longer essay on this on my In One Ear blog.

I am still in Istanbul with a group of Australians and Americans. On ANZAC a small group of Australians will commemorate a dawn service on the beach, 300 kms east of Gallipoli.