ANZAC Day – 25 April marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War.

ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers in those forces quickly became known as ANZACs, and the pride they took in that name endures to this day.

When war broke out in 1914, Australia had been a federal commonwealth for only 13 years. The new national government was eager to establish its reputation among the nations of the world. In 1915 Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of the Allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula in order to open the Dardanelles to the Allied navies. The ultimate objective was to capture Constantinople (now Istanbul in Turkey), the capital of the Ottoman Empire, an ally of Germany.

The Australian and New Zealand forces landed on Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Ottoman Turkish defenders. What had been planned as a bold stroke to knock Turkey out of the war quickly became a stalemate, and the campaign dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915 the allied forces were evacuated, after both sides had suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. Over 8,000 Australian soldiers had been killed. News of the landing on Gallipoli had made a profound impact on Australians at home, and 25 April soon became the day on which Australians remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in the war.

Although the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives, the Australian and New Zealand actions during the campaign left a powerful legacy. The creation of what became known as the “Anzac legend” became an important part of the identity of both nations, shaping the ways they viewed both their past and their future.

The word “ANZAC” was first coined in 1914 by Lt Gen Sir William Birdwood, commander of the Australian and New Zealand forces, which landed a year later at Gallipoli.

He chose the word when he took over command of the joint Army Corps in Egypt, and was asked to select a telegraphic code address for the troops.

He adopted the word “ANZAC”.

The first remembrance of Gallipoli was held in Melbourne exactly a year after the first landing, when about 380 returned ANZACS marched from near Princes Bridge to a service at St Paul’s Cathedral.

Learn more about the history of ANZAC Day