ANZAC DAY 2022

During the Great War Australia and New Zealand 

provided a great many men for the war.  

 

Some 60,284 Australian men died.

Around 18,000 New Zealand men died. 

Add to this Australian wounded: 155,133.

New Zealand wounded: 41,000.

 

Several thousand others became POWs. 

 

 

Sunday Sunshine

The weekend is almost over, that is, I am running out of football! 

On Saturday,as expected, the Heart of Midlothian sauntered past Inverness Caley, ths upsetting their manger who was sent to the stand.   Suggesting he would 'Knock our managers block off,' is not really the done thing these days.

The Scottish Cup, played at odd hours for the sake of TV money, is played this weekend, without ,as we considered we had won the trophy often enough in recent years and felt lesser teams ought to have a go.  

Two games down, two to go, one about to start and one on Monday evening.

 

While the sunshine is worth having around I was freezing after church.  We could only gather, at a distance, outside and the cold wind was chilling my back something awful as I listened to one of my women's woes.  It is good to have a few minutes with people, just to remember what they look like!

Not much time to talk mind you.

 

Today, 25th April, is ANZAC Day, when we commemorate the Australian and New Zealand forces in the Great War. For some this was the event that made both individual nations, seperate from the Mother Country.  Their adventures during the conflict have not been forgotten.

We see here an astonishing picture I think.  An off side portrait, the view behind, the face of a man who may well be happy to be alive, and I think it makes a striking picture.  "Alsatian prisoner of war captured by New Zealand troops. Photograph taken probably near Colincamps 15 April 1918 by Henry Armytage Sanders."

Thursday Tattle

Last night I sauntered out to attend a church AGM type meeting.  You expect such meetings to be endless but this one went through with no complaints, no objections, few queries and satisfaction all round.  This does not always occur in such meetings, some churches have great debates and arguments, we are just doing very well at the moment.  Well led, well behaved and all, mostly, pulling in the same direction.  
The late night sky reminded me of the Edinburgh sky in late autumn, that sky is never quite black and dawn arises before the blue has disappeared.  That is one thing I miss from Edinburgh.  The rain which is more constant I miss not.  I was happy walking back last night as I was feeling so much better than I have for months.  Who knows I might even get fit and get back on the bike soon(ish).

 
On this day in 1599 as you know Oliver Cromwell came into the world.  He became famous as a war leader and imitation king some time later.  His attempt to amend the nation was well intentioned in some ways however you cannot run a nation by dictatorship as when you die this collapses and folks run back to the lowest common denominator.  You cannot remove one despotic king and replace him with your despotic self unless the whole nation benefits, sadly Oliver failed there.  He might be more popular today if he could take over...
On this day also in 1719 'Robinson Crusoe' was published.  Daniel Defoe operated as a spy for the English government and while he sneaked his way about Scotland he came upon the tale of Alexander Selkirk a young lad who ran away to sea from Wemyss on the Fife coast and good riddance to him said the populace.  He had been a bit of a brat so at 12 he boarded ship and by the time he was 21 he had been dumped alone on a deserted island in the pacific.  I think it took three years before another ship rescued him.  He returned home but was never the same after this.
ANZACs: on this day also the ANZACs, the Australian and New Zealand troops of the 29th Division landed on the Gallipoli peninsula.  Their actions there over the rest of the year is lauded as the beginning of Australia and also New Zealand as an independent nation, and rightly so.  Today Australia commemorates ANZAC Day to remember their men.
On this day also in 2012 the Scots hamlet of 'Dull' was paired with a town in Oregon called 'Boring.'  This appeals to me as that sounds like a hamlet or small town that suits me perfectly.

 

Not to be Forgotten Colonials

 

The ANZACs

Much of this morning was taken up with watching the ceremony at the Cenotaph for the ANZAC Day commemorations.  The next few years will see many centenaries from the war and this was probably one of the most significant.  The combined forces of the Australian and New Zealand armies not only partook in an unglamorous conflict but by doing so they forged two new nations.
Until this operation there was a tendency to see themselves as an extension of the 'mother country' something that has occurred time and again down through the centuries.  The British Isles sent many to these to land masses, sometimes unwillingly, and it was the war of 1914 that brought the realisation that these two nations were just that, nations, not an extension of anyone else.
The Anzacs had a tough and difficult time at Gallipoli and later played a part in operation in the Sinai desert.  In 1916 they were transferred to the harder still fighting in France serving at Poziers on the Somme.  
The contribution to the war effort by the Australians, New Zealanders, Canadians, Indian and many other nations cannot be overlooked.  Too often however that is what happens.  Today the ceremony brought them to the fore and also added contributions from their former enemies the Turks!  They too cannot be ignored.  
Fighting soldiers are usually the first to be pacifists when war threatens but the first into battle when peace breaks down.  Those who know war are the first to avoid it!  These men are also the first to welcome gatherings like this where former enemies meet to commemorate and live new lives.

   
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