Anzac Day

TKI Hot Topic for March 2005

On April 25, thousands of New Zealanders will brave the 6am cold to attend dawn services around the country. This is the first of many ceremonies on Anzac Day to remember the Kiwis who have served and died in war.

Commemorations this year mark the 90th anniversary of Anzac soldiers landing at Gallipoli.

Read on to find out more about the history and traditions of Anzac Day.

History of Anzac Day

April 25th is the anniversary of the landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZACs) at Gallipoli in 1915. Over 7000 New Zealand soldiers were wounded at Gallipoli and 2721 were killed. The Australian army also suffered heavy casualties: 26,111 were injured and 8,141 were killed.

The first Anzac Day took place on 25 April 1916. As time went on, the ceremony of remembrance was extended to the soldiers of the Second World War. It now honours all New Zealanders and Australians who have served in a military campaign.

Poppies

Poppy Day is held on the Friday before Anzac Day. The proceeds from the poppies go to the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services’ Association (RSA) to support returned servicemen and women and their dependents.

The red poppy – or Flanders poppy – is an international symbol of remembrance for those killed on the battlefield. Its symbolism dates back to Napoleonic times, but its association with WWI and WWII is mainly due to the poem “In Flanders Fields”, written by Canadian medical officer Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae during WWI:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

The first New Zealand Poppy Day was held in 1922. The ship carrying the poppies from France arrived in New Zealand too late for Armistice Day in November, when Poppy Day is celebrated by the rest of the world. So, New Zealand held Poppy Day prior to Anzac Day instead. It has been celebrated on that day ever since.

The dawn service

The dawn service is timed to coincide with the initial landings at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. It is also significant for veterans, echoing the routine dawn "stand-to" of their war service.

The service begins with a pre-dawn procession of returned servicemen and women to the local war memorial.

The service is moving and powerful. One of the most well-known aspects of the service is the reading of the last verse of Laurence Binyon's "For the Fallen":

They shall grow not 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.

The Last Post is then played, followed by a minute's silence and reveille. Listen to "The Last Post".

The Anzac parade

The dawn service is followed by another ceremony later that morning. This also begins with a march. Returned service personnel march to the local war memorial for the laying of wreaths, and formal speeches. At the end of the day, the Ceremony of the Retreat is performed in Wellington.

For information on Anzac Day commemorations in your area, contact your local council.

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Resources on TKI

Anzac Day: A Guide for New Zealanders
Launched on 18 April 2005 to mark the 90th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings, this website includes information on the significance of Anzac Day, how it is commemorated today and a virtual guide of the Gallipoli peninsula featuring stunning interactive panoramas. It also includes searchable records of all New Zealanders who died at Gallipoli. http://www.anzac.govt.nz

New Zealand's Army: Ngati Tumatauenga
Find out about New Zealand's army – past, present and future. You can also send emails supporting soldiers overseas.
http://www.army.mil.nz

RSA – Remembrance
These pages from the RSA website give a full history of Anzac Day, Poppy Day and Armistice Day as well as information about the Unknown Warrior.
http://www.rsa.org.nz/remem/index.html

Anzac Day

The ANZACs
This page from the NZHistory website explains the origin and meaning of the word ANZAC – an acronym for Australia and New Zealand Army Corps. It also includes a link to information about Gallipoli.
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/Gallery/Anzac/ANZACes.htm

Lice 'n' Latrines: New Zealanders at Gallipoli
In this level 5 unit, intended for years 9-10, students use a variety of web-based resources to inquire into past events at Gallipoli and explain why this is such a significant place for many New Zealanders.
http://www.tki.org.nz/r/socialscience/curriculum/SSOL/gallipoli/index_e.php

ANZAC Discoveries
This is an online resource from Brainway, designed as a learning adventure for students to discover why it is important to "remember" on Anzac Day. Created and trialled by New Zealand teachers, it has activities based around Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences, with topics including Anzac biscuits, ceremonies, Gallipoli, poppies, songs and poems.
http://www.brainways.co.nz/Anzac/default.htm

ANZAC Biscuits
This web page provides the history behind the creation of ANZAC biscuits.The recipe is included and there are links to more information about the history of the ANZACs. Suitable resource for primary and secondary level.
http://www.anzacday.org.au/history/ww1/anecdotes/bikkies.html

Gallipoli

Gallipoli Webquest
In this webquest, students learn out about being a soldier at Gallipoli in in World War I. They find out how they lived, survived or died, and the impact this had on their families in New Zealand.
http://socialstudies.unitecnology.ac.nz/gallipoli_webquest/index.htm

Bitter Medicine
This article describes the conditions under which medical staff worked at Gallipoli during World War I.
http://www.anzacday.org.au/miscellaneous/medicine.html

Battle at Gallipoli, 1915
This "Eye Witness to History" website provides a description of the Battle at Gallipoli in 1915. A soldier tells of his experiences of the assault.
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/gallipoli.htm

WWI

BBC – World War One
This BBC History website examines the experiences of those who lived through World War One (WWI). It features a WWI timeline, a multimedia zone with movies, photos and interviews with veterans.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/wwone

WWII

New Zealand in the Second World War
This entry from the Oxford Companion to New Zealand Military History outlines New Zealand's involvement in the Second World War.
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/ww2/history/index.html

Khaki All Blacks: Study Guide
This study guide supports the viewing of the Television New Zealand documentary Khaki All Blacks. It includes curriculum links and teaching ideas. The documentary traces the links between war (primarily the Khaki All Blacks of the Second World War) and rugby. Suitable for lower and upper secondary levels.
http://images.tvnz.co.nz/tvnz_images/tvone/study_guides/khaki_all_blacks.pdf

People

National War Memorial – Tomb of the Unknown Warrior
In 2004, the body of an unknown warrior was returned to New Zealand for burial in the new Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Wellington. This website gives background to the project, information, media releases, sound files, and images relating to the event.
http://www.unknownwarrior.govt.nz/unknown/index.html

Bernard Cyril Freyberg (1889-1963)
Read a biography of Bernard Cyril Freyberg – New Zealand dentist, military leader, and governor general. It includes a sound file of a speech given by Freyberg at a parliamentary farewell to him as Governor General in 1952.
http://www.dnzb.govt.nz/dnzb/Essay_Body.asp?PersonEssay=5F14&QuickSearch=true

Charles Hazlitt Upham (1908-1994)
Charles Hazlitt Upham was a New Zealand farmer, soldier, and prisoner of war. He is best known for his gallantry in World War II. This web page features a sound file of Upham talking about his 1941 Victoria Cross award.
http://www.dnzb.govt.nz/dnzb/Essay_Body.asp?PersonEssay=5U2&QuickSearch=true

Please note: These links were valid when this page was posted. However the Web is very volatile, and TKI has no control over outside websites. Please let us know if you find anything inappropriate, if you find a broken link, or if you have an update for a link by emailing links@tki.org.nz. Te Kete Ipurangi recommends that teachers view all websites we link to before using them with students.

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