Gallipoli - Anzac Day

Essay by araguri88Junior High, 9th grade March 2004

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When Australians visit the shores of Gallipoli, where their forefathers landed all those years ago, a spirit entangles them, as they shed a tear. But these tears are not just drops of salty water, they are something much stronger. They are pools of courage, ingenuity, pride, enthusiasm, and above all, mateship. Each pool is a different story, the story of an ANZAC who fought for what he believed was right, regardless of the consequences. But despite the soldier, each story has one thing in common - the ANZAC spirit. The particular characteristics that make every ANZAC stand out from the rest have shaped Australia into what it is today. One hundred years ago, in 1901, the nation of Australia was formed. At this time, the British Empire dominated Australia, as it was referred to by many as 'The Motherland' declared war on Germany and its allies, Australia followed suit soon after.

The Australian Imperial Forces were created and men in every city, town and village signed up, willing to die for the cause they felt was just.

Throughout the eight-month Gallipoli campaign, thousands of ANZACs were killed, maimed or missing in action. Although the statistics of the campaign were horrific, there is another side to the story. The acts of mateship, ingenuity, enthusiasm and bravery in the ace of danger, tell the story that forged a nation. Since landing at Gallipoli, the Diggers were constantly under threat by sniper, machine and artillery fire from the Turkish trenches. There were long periods of inactivity from both sides of no-man's-land, times when the enemies called a truce to bury their dead. There were also times, such as the battle of Lone Pine and the Nek, when the true ANZAC spirit emerged.

"The one law no self-respecting Australian would break was loyalty...