ANZAC Day

[Rally]

ANZAC Day Wednesday. Gallipoli is worth remembering. 8 thousand dead in 8 months. The Western Front in the same war is also worth remembering. 8 thousand dead in 2 days. ending up with 62,000 dead in the Great War out of a total population of less than 5 million. 62,000 more dead from injuries and wounds within 10 years of the end of the war. Another 40,000 dead in the Second World War. Wars don't end when the fighting stops. They haunt us for generations. Please remember the dead, the injured and their families on Wednesday.

Thoughts also to our Kiwi brothers in arms. They are as much a part of ANZAC Day as it is for us- thoughts are with you for your losses as well. From my understanding, our Diggers were always relieved when they had the Kiwis on one flank and Canadians on the other- great soldiers they could always rely on.

To anyone on ORS who has been on active service or their family- be it the Second World War, Malaya, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Timor or Afghanistan- thanks and will be thinking of you.

 

[mr turbo]

Well said Rally

LEST WE FORGET

Regards
Mr Turbo

 

[Ratbag]

Well said Rally

LEST WE FORGET

Regards
Mr Turbo

+1 * 100

From my Batphone.

 

[taza]

Well said Rally

LEST WE FORGET

+2

Taza

 

[El_Freddo]

I'm looking forward to a "wooly" dawn memorial service tomorrow on top of Mt Macedon at the Cross.

Lest We Forget

Bennie

 

[Rally]

A bit of a list- by no means conclusive:
Sudan

Boer War
Boxer Rebellion

First World War
Galipolli
Fromelles
Bullecourt
Pozieres
Hamel
Battle of the Somme
Menin Road
Broodseinde
Villers Bretonneux
Paschendale
Messines
Montbrehain
Beersheba
Palestine
Gaza
Damascus
Amiens (8th August)
Mont St Quentin
Peronne
Polygon Wood
Mouquet Farm

2nd World War
Damascus
Middle East
Tobruk
Western Desert
Greece
Crete
Singapore
European
Lebanon
El Alamein
Tunisia
Sicily
Italy
Berlin
Battle of Britain
Battle of the Atlantic
Battle of the Coral Sea
Kokoda
Rabaul
Burna
Borneo
Battle of Okinawa
Gona

Korean War
Kapyong
Han River
Maryong San

Malaya

Indonesia

Vietnam War
Long Tan
Tet
Coral
Balmoral

Timor

Iraq

Afghanistan

 

[subyroo]

Borneo

Rwanda

Somalia

Kuwait (GW 1)

to add a couple more and I'm sure I've forgotten others too.

 

[Rally]

I can't believe I left out Milne Bay! The first time anywhere in the world the Japanese had been defeated on land! When you think of all the countries in Asia Japan had defeated- a sparsely populated nation was the first to beat them. It gave the free world hope that the Japanese could be defeated. It was the same when the Australians became the first to defeat the Germans after they had conquered so much of Europe. Hold your heads high- we have much to be proud of. And then there was the incredible work done in the Great War, where we turned the tide of war into victory, Korea- where we held back a massive Chinese advance with a mere handful of men and Vietnam where we emerged victorious and the only army the Vietnamese respected.

 

[pezimm]

Proud to observe my first ANZAC Day as an Australian citizen!

 

[Rally]

Welcome- great you could observe our most sacred day as one of us

 

[eden]

LEST WE FORGET. We should never forget what our diggers did for us and our way of life. Freedom does not come free! cheers to every democraric soldier! Thankyou

 

[Rally]

A great day it was too. We should thank our Turkish friends- our former enemies- for allowing us to commemorate our day on their land which we invaded. They are an incredible people worthy of much respect and thanks. Ataturk- one of the greatest statesmen of all time.

 

[El_Freddo]

Proud to observe my first ANZAC Day as an Australian citizen!

Mate, that's awesome - you know how I feel about your citizenship, we've discussed it before! I'm proud to call you a fellow Australian (not Orstralian like our PM).

Here's my dawn service at Mt Macedon, Victoria. First wet and wild one in about 14 years!

No flash photography!

My favourite one - turn up your screen brightness to see it, I might have to play with this one (should have "baked" it longer):

^ This one reminds me of how glearie and glum the digger's outlook must have been at times. I don't know why but it speaks to me.

If anyone saw the The Age on Thursday 26APR12, you would have seen this cross on the front page with a very soft looking glow about it - that was the cloud we were in. Another great photo too.

Cheers

Bennie