As dawn broke around the world today (April 25), Australians and New Zealanders attended dawn services on the anniversary of the ill-fated 1915 campaign of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzac) that left 11,500 of them dead in what is now Turkey during World War I.
In France, some 5,000 Australians attended a dawn service in northern France to honour their forebears who fought in the Battle of the Somme a century ago, reports AFP.
“It puts it all in perspective to come here,” said Peter Crowle, 69, whose grandfather died in the battle. “The conditions they were subjected to were hell on earth.”
The Governor-General of Australia, Sir Peter John Cosgrove, was among the dignitaries on hand for the ceremonies in the town of Villers-Bretonneux recalling the nearly five-month battle in 1916, which saw more than a million casualties on both the Allied and German sides.
It is “an opportunity to remember more than 102,000 who have given their lives for our nation,” Major General Dave Chalmers of Australia’s veterans affairs department.
In Thailand, Australian Ambassador Paul Robilliard described leading the dawn service at “Hellfire Pass” in Kanchanaburi “an honour”. The service is held at the site of the Burma Railway, also called the notorious “Death Railway”, where prisoners of war suffered immeasurably as forced labour under Japanese soldiers in World War II.
The dawn service at Hellfire Pass was also attended by Air Vice Marshal John McGarry from Australia and Thana Budsapawanich, Deputy Governor of Kanchanaburi.
Kanchanaburi Governor Sak Somboonto is to attend the Wreath Laying Service at Kanchanaburi Allied War Cemetery later today.
In Phuket, Harry and Susan Usher of Lady Pie bakery and restaurant in Cherng Talay (see map) will host an evening service.
Doors open at 5:30pm with the Dusk Service starting with a reading and prayer by Reg Macey at 6:15pm, followed by the Address by Geoff Tasker, wreath laying by a representative of the Australian Embassy, followed by the Ode, the Last Post, one-minute silence, then the Rouse.
As is custom, the event feature Australian food, including pavlovas and ANZAC biscuits, drinks and Aussie music.
For more information, call Harry Usher at 081-2731740.