The day dawned cold at the National War Memorial on the morning of the 25th of April – it was -6 with the wind chill at 5:30 in the morning. It was the 100th Anniversary of Anzac Day, the day the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZACs) stormed the beach on the Gallipoli Peninsula to try and take the Dardenelles Strait from the Ottoman forces (now Turkey). It was an eight month long battle which after the Allies left, accounted for approximately 175,000 Turkish dead and wounded and 190,00 dead and wounded between Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, France, India, and Newfoundland. Some estimates put the numbers as high as 250,000 per side.
To commemorate, the Australians and New Zealanders have two ceremonies, one at dawn, and a more traditional ceremony later. This year, in Ottawa, the dawn ceremony was held at the National War Memorial at 05:45 am where approximately 300 people showed up to pay tribute and watch as wreaths were laid at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It should be noted that although enemies at the time, the Aussies and the Kiwis now consider the Turkish people as friends and vice versa and the Turkish Ambassador was part of the official party laying wreaths.
The second ceremony was held at the LeBreton Gallery at the Canadian War Museum at 0900 hours and was attended, by my guess, by between 400 and 500 people. The Gallery was packed to standing room only and, among the notables in attendance, was the Governor-General and the Chief of the Defence Staff, as well as ranking members of the Embassies participating.
The Gallipoli campaign is to Australia, New Zealand, and Turkey as Vimy Ridge is to Canada as was noted by the Governor-General who said that “Gallipoli is considered a nation defining event for Australia, New Zealand, and what is today known as Turkey.”. But the most heartfelt remarks came from the Ambassador of Turkey, His Excellencey Mr. Seçuk Unal who read Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s Tribute to the ANZACs (Ottoman Commander for the Turks and first President of Turkey):
"Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives .. You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehments to us where they lie side by side now here is this country of ours... You, the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries wipe away your tears: your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land. They have become our sons as well."
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