The ANZAC Legend Essay - 509 Words

The ANZAC Legend ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers in those forces quickly became known as ANZACS, and the pride they soon took in that name endures to this day. The ANZAC legend began with the landing at Gallipoli on April 25 1915, signaling the start of the disastrous Dardanelles campaign on the Turk Peninsula. This campaign saw thousands of ANZAC fatalities before its conclusion in January 1916. Significantly, the ANZAC legend is the result of a devastating loss, rather than a great victory. The soldiers are remembered for maintaining courage and determination under hopeless conditions. The ANZAC legend owes much to wartime correspondents who used the†¦show more content†¦In wartime propaganda, the ANZAC forces were portrayed as the loyal sons of the British Empire, fighting as much for the mother country as for their own. Beyond the military campaign, the ANZAC soldiers represented the ethos of their rural Australian background. The values of equality, good humor and mateship were transplanted to the situation in Turkey. It is easy to understand why the ANZAC legend became so popular. The Gallipoli campaign was described as the baptism of the newly federated Australia, and a chance for Australian soldiers to prove themselves to the world. They were not ultimately victorious, but the soldiers came to represent the character traits of the new country: fit and healthy, duty bound and courageous, good humored and egalitarian. The ANZAC image allowed Australians to both demonstrate loyalty to Britain, and claim an identity of their own. There is much to challenge the factual accuracy of the ANZAC image. The idea that Australians were loyal Britons was questionable even in 1915. At the time, over 80% of Australians were Australian born, not English. Archbishop Mannix expressed the discrepancies in the ANZAC image in a wartime statement that England is not my motherland ... indeed it is my stepsister. Publications in existence from the nineteenth century, such as The Bulletin, rejectedShow MoreRelatedEssay about Gallipoli - The Anzac Legend726 Words   |  3 PagesGallipoli - The Anzac Legend The Anzac Legend is the source of the Aussie Fight and bravery that will live on for future generations to understand and to acknowledge their courage and bravery. Some would say The Anzac Legend all began when Britain declared they were in need of help and it was Australia’s duty to go to their aid. Australia tossed aside experience and opted for youth. There were big incentives to go. To travel and visit foreign places, economic reasons, to be withRead MoreMost Important Qualities Of The ANZAC Legend1382 Words   |  6 PagesThe ANZAC Legend is said to contain some of the most important qualities of Australians and New Zealanders today. Sir John Monash, Commander of the Australian forces on the Western Front, later wrote of the Australians as â€Å"intelligent, physically superior, independent, resourceful, brave and easy to lead but difficult to drive† (Cameron, Young, Lawless, 2002, pg 49). Even though Australians display these qualities, this Legend is no longer relevant in society today due to the fact that it excludesRead MoreThe Anzac Legend : An Important Aspect Of Our Identity Essay1737 Words   |  7 Pages The Anzac legend is an important aspect of our identity as a New Zealander. We have every reason to be proud of this historical event. In saying this, many New Zealanders died for us (as New Zealanders) and for our country, in order to give us a chance for a good life and be able to make a success of it. This essay will examine reasons of the Anzac legend and how it has been incorporated into the New Zealand identity. One aspect that this legend evaluates its place in our national identity is ourRead MoreEssay about Anzac Sprit669 Words   |  3 PagesThe ANZAC legend is many things to many people, to me the legend is as relevant today as it was 95 years ago, it is who we are as a people. The Anzac Legend is the Australian Spirit. This Anzac spirit has changed little over the past 95 years, the fundamental appeal and Spirit of the ANZAC legend is as relevant and strong today as it was on the day it was born, 25th April 1915, they were united under a common flag, a common emblem and a common outlook. Over the ensuing 8 months of fighting at GallipoliRead MoreDulce Et Decorum Est and Ninety Years Ago952 Words   |  4 Pageswritten by Rupert McCall in 2005 about the legend of the ANZACs. The poem was written to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign. Dulce Est Decorum Et was written by Owen Wilfred in 1917 about Owens experiences in WW1. Owen wrote this poem as an antiwar message describing the horrors that he went through. The two poems were written for very different reasons and this gives them their unique tones. McCall’s commemorative poem celebrates the ANZAC spirit which was an identity of mateshipRead MoreThe Anzac Legacy Of The Australian World War1778 Words   |  8 Pagesplaced on the Anzac legend could be argued to be incorrectly placed and channelled by certain groups for their own gain. This essay will argue that the Anzac legacy of the Australians being the perfect soldier is highly embellished and are no more remarkable than any other soldier. Furthermore the importance and Australia’s involvement in the First World War has been grossly inflated. Additionally, this will analyse claims made by historians and other academics about how the Anzac legend has changedRead MoreThe Importance Of Women During The Gallipoli Campaign1555 Words   |  7 PagesPage 1 title page Chapter 3 THE ANZACS IN WW1 2 index page Page Number What Is On The Page 1 Title Page 2 Index Page 3 Why did Australia go go to Gallipoli? What was the aim of the Dardanelles campaign? 4 Describe the landing on 25th April 1915. 5 Explain the conditions at Gallipoli for the Anzacs 6 Describe the role of women during the Gallipoli campaign. 7 Describe one battle in depth - eg Lone Pine or the Nek 8 How and why did Australians evacuate? 9 How has Gallipoli helped shape AustraliaRead MoreAlbany Essay1617 Words   |  7 Pagesconnections with the ANZAC story being the location where troops last departed Australian shores for the World War One battles at Gallipoli in 1914, and where the ï ¬ rst Australian dawn service was conducted by Padre White in 1932 in St John’s Church. Albany’s unique Aboriginal history position as the ï ¬ rst European settlement in Western Australia, and its role in facilitating establishment of a unifying national identity for Australians through association with the ANZAC legend has been adopted as theRead MoreAustralia s Involvement During The Second World War1100 Words   |  5 PagesJapanese army invaded the British Malaya on December 8, 1941. The Japanese army was outnumbered by the British army. Regardless, the Japanese were capable of pushing their enemies back. The British defence was unable to stop the Japanese army. The ANZAC were deployed to Malaya to support Lieutenant General Arthur Percival’s British forces because the troops were shocked about the lack of defence on the island. Soldiers were exhausted from the battle and Australia has lost roughly 700 men and hundredsRead MorePeter Weir’s film Gallipoli1722 Words   |  7 Pagessense of the phrase be called an ‘Australian classic†™. The impact and effect this film has had upon the psyche and perspective of several generations of Australians has been significant. Whilst it can be argued that every Australian is aware of the ANZAC legend, and the events that occurred on the Turkish beaches in 1915, Weir’s film encapsulates and embodies a cultural myth which is now propagated as fact and embraced as part of the contemporary Australian identity. The film projects a sense of Australian