ANZAC day

Tomorrow is the 25/04 and ANZAC day in New Zealand and Australia. The term ANZAC denotes Australia,New Zealand army corp (I think) and so the young men left the land of their birth to fight for king and glory in the shambles of WW1 and specifically Galliopoli.

Each country has its heroes, thanks to the stupidity of the "brass hats" who ordered the landing which was a catastrophe from beginning to end for those lads who had taken the king's shilling to travel to faraway lands.

My grandfather, born in Owaka, New Zealand had fled to Australia to be warm and dry as the place where he lived was neither of those. He joined up wanting to be in the Light Horse (the glamour boys) as they had an ostrich feather in their slouch hats, but was a foot soldier as Australia could not mount them all.

So he was in the 2nd landing, and saw trench warfare, mates ripped into pieces, and the bloke next to him lying on the beach waiting for evacuation have his head blown off by the bullets whizzing about.....pop said it was something he had trouble with as he had been talking to the chap.

He survived and married and saw grandchildren about him when he died. He was not religious, but he believed in a higher power. For him, the rest of his life after Gallipoli was to honour the memory of those who did not return. He stated many a time that he hoped the Turkish Government looked after Johnny Turk who had shot him as well as the Australian Government did him.

So much for the War to end all Wars......I intend to attend the Dawn Service tomorrow.

God bless all who serve their countries in good faith!