# Anzac Day 100th



## CQB (Apr 24, 2015)

A beautiful dawn service at Bondi Beach, followed by the march. In the interim, a semi-formal ceremony in Martin Place at the Commando cairn. Xanana Gusmao, ex president of East Timor gave a speech and personally thanked all the diggers there, moving through the ranks and shaking each mans hand in turn. An acknowledgment of the shared history with the 2/2 & 2/4 Independant Rifle Companies who fought a guerrilla campaign in his country in 1942.


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## x SF med (Apr 25, 2015)

CQB said:


> A beautiful dawn service at Bondi Beach, followed by the march. In the interim, a semi-formal ceremony in Martin Place at the Commando cairn. Xanana Gusmao, ex president of East Timor gave a speech and personally thanked all the diggers there, moving through the ranks and shaking each mans hand in turn. An acknowledgment of the shared history with the 2/2 & 2/4 Independant Rifle Companies who fought a guerrilla campaign in his country in 1942.



Nice Pic I.   Is that you in the red coat?  We forgot to send Pardus his AnZac Biscuits this year....  we keep Golden Syrup on hand just for that reason.

To all the fallen ANZ soldiers, may you rest easy and feast in Valhalla.


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## CQB (Apr 25, 2015)

Ha! Golden Syrup, you're good! 2/2 & 2/4 fought for two years in Timor & no-one knew they were there as they had no Comms. Their holding out led to the formation of M&Z Forces and later post WW2 to the Australian commando companies.


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## digrar (Apr 25, 2015)

CQB said:


> 2/2 & 2/4 fought for two years in Timor & no-one knew they were there as they had no Comms.



They eventually scrounged up enough radio parts to make a radio. The guy who made it was family to a mate of mine who I served in Timor with.
They called the radio, Winnie the war winner.



> The first communication between Sparrow Force and Northern Force Headquarters in Darwin was:
> 
> Sparrow Force: "Sparrow Force Timor calling Northern Force Headquarters Darwin. Anyone there, over?"
> Northern Force Headquarters: "Who are you?"
> ...


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## CQB (Apr 25, 2015)

A bit of footage.


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## x SF med (Apr 25, 2015)

@CQB - I, great film...  amazing bit of UW/FID/GW by the Sparrows...  Now you know why we put an SFA Chapter in Oz....  although it is mostly you unintelligible Southern Hemispherians manning it for us....


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## CQB (Apr 25, 2015)

Fukn A (hoik spit)


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## pardus (Apr 25, 2015)

I wish I was in New Zealand for this one...

We Will Remember Them.


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## CQB (Apr 25, 2015)

I saw the ANZAC address live here & thought John Keys' speech the standout. Maybe it was the delivery, command voice, command presence and all that.
Again, Attaturks words were spoken, this time by a Turkish officer, this time I genuinely shed a tear. It's still the most moving thing I've ever read.

_“Those heroes that shed their blood_

_And lost their lives._

_You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country._

_Therefore, rest in peace._

_There is no difference between the Johnnies_

_And the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side_

_Here in this country of ours,_

_You, the mothers,_

_Who sent their sons from far away countries_

_Wipe away your tears,_

_Your sons are now lying in our bosom_

_And are in peace_

_After having lost their lives on this land they have_

_Become our sons as well”._


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## pardus (Apr 25, 2015)

I've always thought that was a beautiful piece.


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## Red Flag 1 (Apr 25, 2015)

Best wishes on ANZAC Day!


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## SpitfireV (Apr 25, 2015)

Unfortunately due to a shift change I didn't manage to get in the dawn parade. I was originally scheduled to go with work.  I wanted to hit the Attaturk Memorial service (which is a Turkish service I understand) but again, no bueno thanks to work schedule. :/

Spoke to the Aussie soldiers leaving this morning and they said it was a really good service. Good drinks too going by the look of them ha ha ha ha


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## digrar (Apr 26, 2015)

Finished up yesterday by watching the last third of this mini series. It's still pretty good 30 years down the track.


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## x SF med (Apr 26, 2015)

I need to dig out Gallipoli and watch it.  In honor of you diggers and kiwis.


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## pardus (Apr 26, 2015)

digrar said:


> Finished up yesterday by watching the last third of this mini series. It's still pretty good 30 years down the track.



That really is an excellent mini series. I couldn't get a DVD to play here, but thankfully I found it on youtube and got to watch it again recently.


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## Red Flag 1 (Apr 26, 2015)

x SF med said:


> I need to dig out Gallipoli and watch it.  In honor of you diggers and kiwis.



Another one I have always liked has been,"Breaker Morant".


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## pardus (Apr 26, 2015)

Red Flag 1 said:


> Another one I have alswys liked has been,"Breaker Morant".



I haven't seen that movie for years now. That's going on the list.

I actually have an original New Zealand Army, Boer war issued Lee Metford rifle, and a 7mm Mauser (not Boer issue) that opposed it in that war.


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## SpitfireV (Apr 26, 2015)

Now that's fucking cool!


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## pardus (Apr 26, 2015)

SpitfireV said:


> Now that's fucking cool!



I'll post some pictures soon. I'm not quite sure where I put the Metford right now... :-/


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## pardus (Apr 27, 2015)

Drone footage of Gallipoli today.


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## pardus (Apr 27, 2015)

People don't realise that the Gallipoli landings were the largest amphibious landing in modern warfare up until that point. 
Steam and oar powered landing craft, think about that, rowing a wooden boat into enemy machine gun fire.


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## CQB (Apr 28, 2015)

One stat that was brought up during the week: 96% or so of Kiwis where either killed or wounded. That. Is. Profoundly. Sad.


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## Red Flag 1 (Apr 28, 2015)

pardus said:


> People don't realise that the Gallipoli landings were the largest amphibious landing in modern warfare up until that point.
> Steam and oar powered landing craft, think about that, rowing a wooden boat into enemy machine gun fire.



Rather similar thinking about pre D-Day in WW II. The plan to attack thru Italy, "The soft under-belly of Europe".  Granted, the WW I plan included control of the water route, and put more cards on the table. Second, the locals, Italians, were not taking up arms in the same manner of "Johnny Turk" did in The Great War.


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## pardus (Apr 29, 2015)

CQB said:


> One stat that was brought up during the week: 96% or so of Kiwis where either killed or wounded. That. Is. Profoundly. Sad.



Hmm, not quite accurate from my understanding. The usual quote based off of Gen Hamilton's figures of Kiwi troops on Gallipoli has the casualty rate at about 87%.



> Hamilton wrote that a total of 8556 New Zealanders landed on the peninsula – of whom 7447 were killed or wounded, a staggering casualty rate of 87%.



However Hamilton's figure was just the initial 8.5K Kiwi troops landed and didn't add the thousands of reinforcements to the total number.
New number and stats are far from perfect as they don't account for the Kiwis who were evacuated and sent back to Gallipoli (sometimes several times) which would detract from the final figure and also some small units were not added for reasons I know not why.
So, the revised figure according to the 2005 book *Bloody Gallipoli *(which I just ordered) is 13,977.



> In 2005, Richard Stowers published _Bloody Gallipoli_, a meticulous account of the human cost of New Zealand’s involvement. Stowers calculated that about 14,000 Kiwis served on Gallipoli – his precise number was 13,977, 63% higher than the accepted figure.



This brings the revised casualty rate to 53%.



> reducing the New Zealand casualty rate to 53%, similar to that of the Australians whom they fought alongside.



This comes from David Green - Historian at the Ministry for Culture & Heritage, New Zealand.

The discrepancy in numbers could be confusion with the casualty figures from the Wellington Infantry BN who during the defensive battle on Chunuk Bair.     

During this battle the Wellingtons who started the battle with 760 men, were relieved with only 70 men unhurt. A casualty figure of roughly 91% if my shoddy calculations are correct.
Chunuk Bair was the ultimate goal of the ANZAC landings, and the Kiwi's finest hour during the campaign. The taking of Chunuk Bair was the reason why the Aussies were sent to successfully attack Lone Pine and were needlessly slaughtered at the Nek (as depicted in the movie Gallipoli), this was all done as a diversion to allow the Kiwis to take Chunuk Bair, which was the highest point in the area.

A couple of photos from my private collection, taken on ANZAC day 2001 in Gallipoli.

Turk trench on Chunuk Bair that the Kiwi's occupied and defended, looking back towards Suvla bay if I'm not mistaken. So that means while 91% of the Kiwis on this point were being slaughtered, they could look down and watch the British troops (who had just landed in order to take advantage of the taking of the high ground), stop, make tea, have a swim and rest because they were "tired"...   (Brit commander's fault, not the troops).


Modern day Turk Soldier standing on the heights of Chunuk Bair as his ancestors had done all those years ago.


Pardus in a Turk covered trench that the Aussies captured on Lone Pine.


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## policemedic (Apr 29, 2015)

pardus said:


> I haven't seen that movie for years now. That's going on the list.
> 
> I actually have an original New Zealand Army, Boer war issued Lee Metford rifle, and a 7mm Mauser (not Boer issue) that opposed it in that war.



That's awesome.


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## pardus (Apr 29, 2015)

policemedic said:


> That's awesome.



I found the Lee Metford, pics will taken very soon.

I just realized that I "NEED" a WW1 Turkish Mauser now, as I have the rifle the ANZACs carried on Gallipoli already.


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## CQB (Apr 29, 2015)

Cheers, thanks for the clarification.


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## Brill (Apr 25, 2016)

My apologies for the tardiness.

Never forgotten.

The Anzac Day tradition | Australian War Memorial


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## Marine0311 (Apr 25, 2016)

lindy said:


> My apologies for the tardiness.
> 
> Never forgotten.
> 
> The Anzac Day tradition | Australian War Memorial



Rest in Peace to the fallen.


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## pardus (Nov 24, 2022)




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## pardus (Nov 26, 2022)




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