Onesie - Anzac Day

Posted on: 25/04/2015

Onesie Anzac Day

Onesie - Anzac Day Anzac Day is one of Australia's most important national commemorative occasions. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. One of our top Australian customers, Phillip, has written a blog in celebration of the occasion. On the morning of April 25, 1915, soldiers from Australia and New Zealand landed on the beaches of Gallipoli. Boys seeking adventure, a thrill, a trip away.  Our young nations in our duties to the British Empire willingly signed up to help out Britain. Australia, who had only became a nation in 1901 was only young. Men from the cities, the regions and the mountains signed up to join the Australian Imperial Force, formally known as The Australian Expeditionary Force. They all met up in the Western Australian port of Albany to meet the troop carrying ships to the war so far away. It wasn't just Gallipoli of course. That was the beginning of our activity in the Great War. The Battle of Flanders, The Battle of Fromelles, The Battle of Villiers-Bretonneux to name but a few. Gallipoli, famous for the birth of the ANZAC legend was not as it was supposed to be. What is now known as "Anzac Cove", our brave boys alighted the ships, into small row boats and ran ashore. This all under a rain of bullets from the enemy perched high up on the cliffs. Despite the tirade of bullets and grenades from the turks, our ANZAC boys did not retreat. By nightfall, a small fortification was made on the beachhead. The Gallipoli campaign was not a victory for The Allies at this stage of the war. Heavy casualties were suffered on both sides in one of the bloodiest battles in world history. Over 8,700 Australian troops were killed and over 2,700 New Zealand troops also did not make it home from Gallipoli. The legend of "Simpson and his donkey" was born at Anzac Cove. John Simpson was a stretcher bearer with the Australian & New Zealand Army Corps. While on the beach, Simpson acquired a donkey who for just shy of 4 weeks, carried wounded British soldiers from the beach to a point of evacuation. Simpson never left the battlefield. He was killed in action during the Third Attack on Anzac Cove. Simpson, born in South Shields, Tyneside in England, emigrated to Newcastle, New South Wales in 1910 taking on various jobs from cane cutting in Queensland to coal mining in the Illawarra south of Sydney. Simpson, was originally known as John Kirkpatrick, however he dropped Kirkpatrick for Simpson. This was to avoid being found as a deserter from Great Britian. For acts of bravery, Simpson was awarded the Victoria Cross. ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand is held on the same day in each country. In each country the remembrance is strong. All generations get together at Dawn Services around the countries to remember those who gave their lives for us. Thousands of people gather with family and friends to give thanks to our diggers. There are now no more Gallipoli veterans alive in Australia, however their memory lives strong and their legend is always alive. Modern day ANZAC Day in Australia is celebrated with great fanfare. ANZAC Day parades fill our towns and cities nationwide. RSL Clubs are full of Veterans, families and friends, the beer flows and the customary game of "2 Up" is played across this land. Football games are played. In Melbourne, Essendon and Collingwood play in the annual ANZAC Day Australian Rules clash at the MCG in front of a full house. Both teams rivals on the football field, come together at the beginning of the game to run through a joint banner marking the occasion. In Sydney, the National Rugby League celebrate with the traditional Sydney Roosters v St George Illawarra Dragons go head to head in front of a packed house at the Sydney Football Stadium. Our Diggers are becoming frail in numbers and age, but their legend will live on forever. They march as strong today as they did 100 years ago when they went to fight on a foreign land. The ANZAC’s did not only fight in World War 1 on the beaches of Gallipoli and the Western Front, but in theatres of War right up to recent times in Iraq and Afghanistan. World War 2 was the next big event for our armed forces. Australians and our Kiwi cousins were called upon again by the Motherland to fight along side British, French, Canadian and American forces defending and reclaiming Europe from the Germans. One of our most famous battles occurred in Tobruk during 1941. Approximately 14,000 Australian troops were entrapped by Axis forces. Germans and Italians had held the Libyan port of Tobruk under the command of Erwin Rommel. Its believed the Australian’s gave themselves the name “Rats of Tobruk” after it was said on German radio “The Australians were caught like rats in a trap”. The Australians dug supply tunnels between trenches to ferry supplies for the troops during the battle. The Rats of Tobruk greatly assisted and succeeded in the evacuation of Tobruk and the saving of many lives. To this day, the Rats of Tobruk are one of our most famous battalions ever to don the uniform of The Royal Australian Defence Force. World War 2 also saw the war come to our home shores. With the Japanese rampaging through the pacific, it was over to Australians, New Zealanders and our friends from The United States of America to defend and liberate Asia and the Pacific. After the Japanese had swept through the Philippines, Malaya and Indonesia, the next objective for them was Australia. 19 Feburary 1942, 242 Japanese aircraft bombed Darwin, our most northern city. Darwin a small town at the time was with limited defences and was heavily bombed inflicting casualties on defence force personnel and civilians alike. Bombing raids also occurred on the northern tip of Western Australia. The Battle for Australia was also fought on our eastern shores with the Battle of The Coral Sea. This was the turning point of the War in the pacific. The first battle the Japanese had lost to the Allies. With help from the United States Navy, Australia was successfully defended from the pending invasion. Not only were we defended, but it crashed Japanese hopes of a land invasion of Port Moresby. The battle only lasted a short while in May, 1942, but this was the defining point of the war and the hopes of many rested on the outcome of this battle. So when peace was declared in Europe (VE Day) and peace declared in the Pacific (VP Day), our nation, our livelihood, our freedom, our way of life, our culture was saved from tyranny. Alliances were formed and to this day they remain strong. Of course our alliance with Britain will continue forever, but importantly, the ANZUS Alliance (Australia, New Zealand & United States) remains strong today with leaders from all countries as committed to the Alliance as they were at the conclusion of World War 2. The men and women who served during this war and indeed in wars subsequent served in the traditions and honour of those who fought before them. Those young men who ran the beach at Gallipoli in the name of adventure. Those young men who fought the Germans toe to toe and beat them. We must give eternal thanks to these men, who sadly their numbers are dwindling as each year passes. Their numbers may dwindle, but their legacy will remain with us as a nation for ever to come. "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."