Princess Royal remembers brave Anzacs in their own words at Gallipoli
Anne attended a service at Anzac Cove on the 110th anniversary of the ill-fated assault by Australian and New Zealand troops.
The Princess Royal has remembered “brave Anzacs” in their own words during a dawn service in north-west Turkey where thousands fell 110 years ago.
On a day when the sacrifice of Australian and New Zealand forces who were killed in the Gallipoli landings in 1915 was recognised in services across the world, the Princess Royal laid wreaths on that fateful coastline.
Troops of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps – shortened to Anzac – landed on the western shore of the Gallipoli peninsula on April 25 1915 as part of the failed campaign that lasted into 1916.
Anne attended a number of ceremonies in Gallipoli on Friday, starting at dawn with a service at Anzac Cove before later attending services for Australian troops at Lone Pine and for the New Zealand troops at Chunuk Bair Cemetery which ended with a performance of a haka.
Earlier, in a message on social media Charles, who attended the dawn service in Gallipoli on Anzac Day in 2005 and 2015, said he wanted to pay a special tribute to Australian and New Zealand veterans, and those who are on active service today.
“Through the generations, you have continued to enact the indomitable spirit of Anzac – forged in terrible conflict and preserved in peace – of courage, mateship and sacrifice,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Duchess of Edinburgh took part in the annual Anzac Day commemorations held in London, joining Australians and New Zealanders for a dawn service at the Australian War Memorial at Hyde Park Corner, a wreath-laying ceremony at the Cenotaph and later a Westminster Abbey service of commemoration and thanksgiving.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia Sam Mostyn were among crowds who travelled from the southern hemisphere for the dawn service.
During the service at Anzac Cove, Anne reflected on the words of three men who were involved in the assault, including one of the first to land on the beach, and described the “pluck” that “our boys” had shown, while another described the “terrible sight of hundreds of dead and wounded lying all along the beach – I shall never forget it”.
She described an eight month long campaign which cost and changed the lives of tens of thousands of Australian, New Zealand, British and French soldiers.
“Their words have helped us understand and support families left behind,” she said.
“110 years later, we stand here at dawn to commemorate the Anzacs, remembering their bravery, courage and sacrifice.
“We also remember all Australian and New Zealand men and women who since that day have served their country in wars, conflicts and peace missions. Their service is not forgotten, we will remember them.”
In his address, Mr Luxon described Gallipoli as a name “etched into New Zealand’s national identity”.
“It represents not only this shore and these hills, but the valour that was shown here on both sides, the terrible sacrifice and the utter tragedy of war,” he said.
“Some 16,000 Kiwis served here. At that time we were a nation of just a million people. Our contribution as a small nation at the bottom of the world was disproportionate.
“What happened here scarred generations of New Zealanders. While we remain proud of those who serve, we do not glorify what happened here, we know too much to do that, instead we acknowledge the courage and the tenacity of the Anzacs, and we respect of the valour of the Ottoman Turks who resisted them.”
More than 100,000 troops died in the Gallipoli campaign during the First World War by the UK and allies to capture the Dardanelles Strait.
The assault in 1915 was intended to wound the then Ottoman Empire and cut off a key connecting water route between the Aegean Sea and the Black Sea, a move which would have also aided Russia.
Anne attended services across Gallipoli on Thursday and laid wreaths for the fallen of several nationalities, including the UK and Ireland, France and Turkey.
Later she met Mr Luxon as well as senior political figures and diplomats during a reception at the Kolin Hotel in Canakkale.
During speeches, Anne hailed Turkish friends and emphasised the importance of passing on the tradition of remembering those who have fallen in war.
She quoted Turkish hero Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, saying: “There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side in 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 island, they have become our sons as well.”
Anne described words such as these as having “paved the way for ferocious battles that took place on this land to be replaced by long-lasting friendships and strong alliances that we must take forward to the future”.
