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http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/?t=130
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260
days of the Gallipoli Campaign
8556 NZ forces landed
4852
NZ forces wounded
2721
NZ forces fatalities
8709 Australian forces fatalities |
33,072 fatalities from all British
forces
10,000* French fatalities
87,000* Turkish fatalities
20,000* Total number attending 2005 Anzac Day
commemorations at Gallipoli. * Estimated number |
Significance of Anzac Day
On 25 April 1915,
eight months into the First World War, Allied soldiers landed on the
shores of the Gallipoli peninsula. This was Turkish territory that
formed part of Germany's ally, the Ottoman Empire. The troops were
there as part of a plan to open the Dardanelles Strait to the Allied
fleets, allowing them to threaten the Ottoman capital Constantinople
(now Istanbul) and, it was hoped, force a Turkish surrender. The
Allied forces encountered unexpectedly strong resistance from the
Turks, and both sides suffered enormous loss of life.
The forces from New
Zealand and Australia, fighting as part of the ANZAC (Australian and
New Zealand Army Corps), played an important part in the Gallipoli
campaign. At its beginning, people at home greeted with excitement
the news that our soldiers were at last fully engaged in the war.
New Zealand soldiers distinguished themselves with their courage and
skill, establishing an enduring bond with the Australians they
fought alongside.
The Gallipoli
campaign was, however, a costly failure for the Allies, who after
nine months abandoned it and evacuated their surviving troops.
Almost a third of the New Zealanders taking part had been killed;
the communities they came from had counted the cost in the lengthy
casualty lists that appeared in their newspapers. And the sacrifice
seemed to have been in vain, for the under-resourced and
poorly-conducted campaign did not have any significant influence on
the outcome of the war.
Although Anzac Day,
the anniversary of the first day of conflict, does not mark a
military triumph, it does remind us of a very important episode in
New Zealand's history. Great suffering was caused to a small country
by the loss of so many of its young men. But the Gallipoli campaign
showcased attitudes and attributes - bravery, tenacity,
practicality, ingenuity, loyalty to King and comrades - that helped
New Zealand define itself as a nation, even as it fought
unquestioningly on the other side of the world in the name of the
British Empire.
After Gallipoli,
New Zealand had a greater confidence in its distinct identity, and a
greater pride in the international contribution it could make. And
the mutual respect earned during the fighting formed the basis of
the close ties with Australia that continue today.
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