ANZAC Day was celebrated on 25^th April last, as part of the commemorations for the centenary of the First World War (1914-1918). One hundred years after the Battle of Gallipoli (1915 – 1916), the conflict between the Allies and the Axis forces on Turkish territory is now remembered as one of the bloodiest days in modern history. You can see a gallery of historic stamps commemorating the Great War on Gabinet Postal’s Pinterest page.

The Dardanelles campaign (as this historical period is also known) was a joint operation between Great Britain and France to open up a new eastern front against the Ottoman Empire, which was an ally of the Central Powers, and to occupy its capital, Constantinople (now Istanbul). To achieve this, the Allied forces had to disembark at the Gallipoli peninsula, in the Dardanelles Straits, and then make their way towards Constantinople. The operation (much of which was overseen by Winston Churchill) was a complete failure; the figures speak for themselves: 250,000 British Empire soldiers died in the campaign, along with 47,000 Frenchmen. And even though the Ottoman Empire emerged as the victors, their casualty figures were equally high: 250,000.

During the commemorative events for 2015, Tony Abbott and John Key, the prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand, respectively, presided over various ceremonies together with the Turkish president. The presence of the Australian and New Zealand leaders was significant, given that many of the 250,000 British Empire troops who died in the battle were from Commonwealth countries such as Australia and New Zealand. In fact, the area has become a place of pilgrimage for the family members of victims from these countries. Every year on 25^th April, Anzac Day becomes a day of remembrance to recall the “bravery, sacrifice and comradeship of those men”.

april 29,  2015