ANZAC Day Eve
- 24 avril
25 April, day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand
In the nineteen twenties, 25 April became a day of remembrance dedicated to the 60,000 Australians and 18,500 New Zealanders who fell during the First World War. Marking the anniversary of the Gallipoli landing in 1915, ANZAC Day has become a joint event for the two nations and at World War I memorial sites abroad.
Anzac Day Eve commemorations in Comines-Warneton
Every 24 April, a commemorative ceremony is held at Toronto Avenue Cemetery, where 78 Australian soldiers are buried, and at Berks Cemetery Extension, where 80 young New Zealanders rest.
The ANZAC legend
In 1915, Australian and New Zealand forces took part in the Allied expedition whose goal was to secure a sea route for allied ships through the Strait of Gallipoli. But they were met with fierce Turkish resistance. The allied expeditionary force suffered enormous losses and eventually withdrew in December 1915. The commemoration of this heavy human sacrifice became a founding event for Australia and New Zealand, shaping the ANZAC legend. Soldiers from the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) later fought in the Somme in 1916 and arrived in Flanders in 1917, where a new Allied offensive was under preparation in the Warneton-Ploegsteert sector. In June 1917, II ANZAC Corps captured the Messines-Wijtschate ridge. The Third Battle of Ypres was about to begin…
Visitor info
Date
- 24 April
Location
- Toronto Avenue Cemetery • 7782 Ploegsteert
- Berks Cemetery Extension • 7782 Ploegsteert
Address and contact
Entente des Associations Patriotiques de Comines-Warneton
- +32(0)56 55 80 81 ou +33(0)6 81 20 51 16
- f.maekelberg@gmail.com
