Sydney--Record numbers of Australians and New Zealanders turned out Saturday to mark the centenary of the Gallipoli landings amid tight security, a formative event that helped forge their identities as independent nations.
Dawn services were held across the two countries on the anniversary of the ill-fated 1915 campaign of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps that left 11,500 of them dead in what is now Turkey during World War I.
"They loved and were loved in return, were prepared to fight for their beliefs, were, like us, prey to fears and human despair," said Chief of Army David Morrison in an emotive address in Canberra at the Australian War Memorial.
"It makes their sacrifice and their capacity to endure real despite the passage of time."
A record crowd of 120,000 people were on hand to view the solemn service, up more than 80,000 from last year, official figures showed.
In New Zealand, more than 20,000 people attended a ceremony at the national war memorial in Wellington, where Governor-General Jerry Mateparae was joined by Australian counterpart Peter Cosgrove.
Anzac Day affirmed "the qualities we prize: courage, compassion and comradeship, qualities which were displayed by our troops on the Gallipoli Peninsula and by our armed forces in subsequent conflicts," Mateparae said.
He added that Gallipoli was "the beginning of an eight-month ordeal, an experience which was to be a turning point in the history of this nation."
The battle to open the Dardanelles in 1915 met fierce resistance from the Ottoman Turkish defenders and the Allies lost at least 45,000 soldiers. An estimated 86,000 died on the Ottoman side.
Many view the bloodshed at Gallipoli as the foundation moment for both of the former British colonies, who were eager to establish their individual reputations.
It was the first time they had fought on such a scale as Australia and New Zealand, with Anzac troops hailed for their comradeship and courage.
AFP
