World War 1 war correspondent and historian Charles Edwin Woodrow Bean believed that Anzac Day 1915 saw the birth of the Australian national consciousness maintaining that "The big thing in the war...was the discovery of the character of Australian men. It was a character which rushed the hills at Gallipoli and held on there during the long afternoon and night, when everything seemed to have gone wrong and there was only the barest hope at the end of success". Gallipoli also saw the birth of the 'Anzac Legend' or 'Anzac Spirit'. A term used to illustrate the characteristics of ANZAC soldiers which encompassed bravery, endurance, ingenuity, comradeship and what Australians call 'mateship'. The term developed as a central part of Australia's collective memory and national identity growing popular largely due to Bean's works.
The Gallipoli campaign had a major effect on Australia’s identity and the way the rest of the world saw Australia as a country. The Gallipoli campaign was a trial to test their nationhood. The campaign shown many qualities of the Australian soldiers including bravery, strength, courage, endurance and mateship. All of these qualities reflect on the nation that the troops came from. The involvement of Gallipoli was a major event that has shaped our country’s reputation and the sacrifices made by so many Australians shows the fortitude that many men had to fight for their nation.
World War One is regarded as a major turning point in history and modern warfare which has impacted Australia monumentally, scarring the nation’s history. Australia played a significant role in World War One and the Gallipoli campaign, which is considered the birthplace of the ANZAC legend. These events have immensely shaped Australia as the nation we know of today. World War One began in 1914 from the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and ended in 1918 on November the 11th which is now recognised as a day of mourning and a time given recognition to the lives taken on the battlefield. To a prominent extent, the ANZAC legend is significant to the concept of Australian identity and nationalism through the origins of the ANZAC legend, the key events that have helped form Australia as an independent nation, and in addition to how ANZAC day is commemorated today.
Australian had only just become a federated country when war broke out and the British command had asked for the Australian and New Zealanders to join them their military, this was Australia’s first war as an independant country. At the time Australia’s government saw this as a chance to show the world that they weren’t just a nation descended from convicts and deserved a place in Britain’s great military tradition (Darlington, 2012; wiliam, 2017). The Anzacs (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) were then established, with approximately 500 000 Australian men enlisted thinking they would be home by Christmas, 40% of these men were aged between 18 and 45 (Macmillan, 2012), more than 60,000 of
Let us acknowledge that we shall forever be in the debt of the ANZACs who unhesitatingly stepped forward to face the enemy, risking life and limb so that we could enjoy a life of freedom, our heads held high.
Yet, the amount of emphasis that is placed on the Anzac legend could be argued to be incorrectly placed and channelled by certain groups for their own gain. This essay will argue that the Anzac legacy of the Australians being the perfect soldier is highly embellished and are no more remarkable than any other soldier. Furthermore the importance and Australia’s involvement in the First World War has been grossly inflated. Additionally, this will analyse claims made by historians and other academics about how the Anzac legend has changed overtime, and Australia’s involvement in wars.
By the time the war was over in November 1918, more than 9 million soldiers had been killed. Those who survived Gallipoli would never again mistake war for adventure. Within 24 hours the plan had failed, leaving approximately 747 Australians dead on the first day. Gallipoli has become so important to Australia’s national identity because it was the first time Australian’s fought overseas. World War 1 has shaped the way Australia’s now lives as we grow to know, and respect the Anzac legend as we understand what the soldiers did for our nation. The ANZAC legend will always live on as the stories are passed through family, to family. Anzac Day is celebrated to ensured the campaign will never be forgotten.
The ANZAC spirit was born on the twenty-fifth of April 1915, on this day Australian soldiers landed upon the shores of Gallipoli to serve their country for the first time in war. Each year Australians celebrate the mateship, courage and heroism the ANZAC soldiers showed on that day. Although, people tend to depict these soldiers as victims of a catastrophic trauma, yet this passionate sacrifice is what gave Australia its name. Furthermore, there is word of discussion about the truth behind the accuracy of the ANZAC legend. Evidence demonstrates that the ANZAC legend is an accurate portrayal of what occurred the day the ANZAC’S landed in Gallipoli. The legend of mateship, heroism, courage and bravery is an accurate representation of the fighting Australian and New Zealand soldiers in world war one.
“The driving need to celebrate the deeds of past serviceman and promote conceptions of national identity wrapped in the imagery of war have come to dominate our national discourse” (Stockings, n.d.) Professor Craig Stockings of ACSACS (Australian Centre for the Study of Armed Conflict and Society) states on the topic of the ANZAC myth. This quote is simply stating that WWI changed Australia’s views on war - in the way that we celebrate it as if it was the countries biggest victory. In truth, Australia’s outlook on war didn’t change in this perspective; our idea of the bronzed, larrikin soldier still stands strong. However, when World War II (WWII) rolled around, men didn’t want to enlis; they’d seen the detrimental health effects on soldiers and the many lives lost. War, in short, was no longer a celebratory thing then (Rush to enlist, n.d.). However, this year, the government spent millions of dollars on ANZAC celebration to fuel the, essentially, trivialisation of war - the ANZAC legend. (AWM, n.d.) Australia’s view on war changed in that we thought of it as a celebratory act in modern times - this proves, it was not justified because of the trivialisation that goes on in
Australia day commemorates the anniversary of the arrival of the first fleet on the 26th of January 1788. To some people, it means invasion day, but to others it was the birth of our great nation, and a time to celebrate a fair go.The issue of whether the date of Australia day should be changed has divided the Australian and Aboriginal community, which has caused a matter of intense debate over the years. Calla Wahlquist’s opinion piece, “Australia day: A guide to changing minds without ruining the barbecue” was written in The Guardian newspaper on the 25th of January 2018 Wahlquist argues that the date of Australia day should be changed, calling upon the general public (AUDIENCE). Wahlquist employs an assertive tone throughout her piece, through the use of positive, strong- willed words such as fair and inclusive, shows the reader that the author values her writing as well as exhibits confidence while maintaining respect.
Over the course of the war, the government enacted the ‘War Precautions Act’ to prevent newspapers, the primary source of public information, from publishing anything considered ‘unpatriotic’ (Simpson 2010). This meant that newspapers were forced to publish war propaganda and as the only source of information the public were only able to access what the government wanted them to. On May 8 1915, just two weeks after the landing at Gallipoli, it was British war correspondent Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett famously reported that ‘Australians rose to the occasion…. They knew that they had been tried for the first time and not been found wanting’ (Simpson 2010). This single story had a great impact on the Australian identity, especially among the public
Last year, on the 26th of April, your sports presenter Scott McIntyre was sacked from his job due to his controversial comments on Twitter concerning the Anzac Day. The Anzac Day, celebrated on the 25th of April of every year, is one of the most important national occasions in Australia and New Zealand. It is a commemoration of all Australians and New Zealanders killed in WWI. Its social and political value makes any comment or discussion related to that day subject to dispute. Scott McIntyre’s tweets about the Anzac Day stimulated conflicting views from the public.
The Royal Australian Navy helicopter frigate HMAS Anzac represented Australia at the Centenary of Anzac commemorative events at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli.
The concept was well received and highlighted a pressing need in this area and approval was given to build a production system early in 2014. With funds tight the decision was made to use the pilot site as the basis for the production system instead of re-imagining the system in a modern context with help from all the stakeholders. Being the centenary of ANZAC, it was also important that the WW1 data was as complete as possible and that the WW1 nominal roll had to be imported before production release.
The Anzacs, Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, forged Australia’s national identity when on 25 April 1915, they sacrificed their lives gallantly in Gallipoli (Black 1990:33). Many of the values and virtues characteristic of this troop, are embodied in the sacredness of Australia’s civil religion (eds. Robbins & Robertson 1987:244). Mateship, egalitarian individualism, and hostility to formal bureaucracy and hierarchy are hallmark of the beliefs the nation holds sacred, in conjunction with elaborate war memorials that serve as architectural reminders, totems, of comradeship, ruggedness and sacrifice (eds. Robbins & Robertson 1987:244). RSL, Returned Servicemen’s League, clubs established throughout the nation are temples where fellowship and communion are enjoyed and tradition is perpetuated through the transmission of legend and folklore (Alpert 1993:200-1; eds. Robbins & Robertson 1987:244). The establishment of Australia’s civil religion was solidified when on 20 October 1916, the War Precautions Act was proclaimed, forbidding the use of the word Anzac in the profane and penalising any person who did so with a fine of one hundred pounds or six months imprisonment (Seal 2007:136-7). Enshrining the term ‘Anzac’ in law and imbuing it with a special status, further established it as sacred, resulting in Anzac Day being accepted in 1930 as a