Northland Age Anzac Day feature - April 2023

ANZACDAY APRIL 25th

Thedateitselfmarkstheanniversary ofthelandingofNewZealandand Australiansoldiers–theAnzacs–on theGallipoliPeninsulain1915.Theaimwas tocapturetheDardanelles,thegatewaytothe BosphorusandtheBlackSea.Attheendofthe campaign,GallipoliwasstillheldbyitsTurkish defenders

NewZealandershavemarkedthelandings atGallipolisincenewsoftheeventfirst reachedthiscountry,andAnzacDayhasbeen apublicholidaysince1921.Onthisday,the peopleofNewZealandhaveacknowledged thesacrificeofallthosewhohavediedin warfare,andthecontributionandsufferingof allthosewhohaveserved.

Overtimetherehavebeenchangesinthe waythatthedayhasbeencommemorated, reflectingthechangingfeaturesandconcerns ofoursociety.DuringtheSecondWorldWar, forexample,therewasincreasedinterestand aheightenedsenseoftherelevanceofAnzac Day;inthe1960sanddecadesfollowingitwas fromtimetotimeusedasaplatformforantiwarandothersocialprotest

Today,atatimewhenitseemsNew Zealandersareincreasinglykeentoassertand celebrateauniqueidentity,werecogniseAnzac Dayasacentralmarkerofournationhood.

ThenumberofNewZealandersattending

AnzacDayeventsinNewZealand,andat Gallipoli,isincreasing.Forsomeyounger people,thesombrefocusofthedayreceives lessemphasisthandothemorecelebratory aspectsofanationalholiday.Formost,though, thedayisanoccasiononwhichtoformallypay tributeandtoremember

AnzacDaynowpromotesasenseofunity Peoplewhosepolitics,beliefsandaspirations arewidelydifferentcanshareagenuinesorrow atthelossofsomanylivesinwar,andareal respectforthosewhohaveenduredwarfareon behalfofthecountrywelivein.

HospitalShips

The Maheno and Marama weretheposter shipsofNewZealand’sFirstWorldWar effort.Until1915thesesteamershadcarried passengersacrosstheTasmanfortheUnion SteamShipCompany,butascasualties mountedatGallipoli,thegovernmentpressed themintoserviceashospitalships.

WiththeencouragementoftheGovernor, LordLiverpool,amassivepublicfundraising efforthelpedensuretheshipswerefittedout ingoodtimeandtothehigheststandards.

OfficiallyknownasHisMajesty’sNewZealand HospitalShip(HMNZHS)No.1andNo.2,these state-of-the-artfloatinghospitalswerecrewed byamixtureofcivilianseafarersandarmy medicalstaff,includingnurses.

DuringtheGallipoliCampaignthe Maheno carriedthousandsofwoundedsoldiersfrom AnzacCovetothenearbyGreekislandsof LemnosandImbros.The Marama entered servicejustaftertheAlliedevacuationfrom Gallipoli.Fortherestofthewar-apartfrom aseriesoffranticdashesacrosstheEnglish

ChannelduringtheBattleoftheSomme-both shipsweretaskedwithcarryingincapacitated menbacktoNewZealand.

Bythewar’sendthesedistinctivelymarked ‘whiteships’hadtransported47,000patients.

Source:Ministry forCultureand Heritage

RememberingDolly,Beauty,BessandDigger

TheWarHorsesthatreturned

Alotofreadersmaybe unawareofPurplePoppy day andwhatitrepresents. ThisyearIwroteaboutitasIfelt itwasimportanttorememberall theanimalsthathadservedin wars.Infactwestillhaveanimals thatareservingtothisday

Beingfromafamilythathashad alifelongailiationwithhorses,I feltastrongsenseofsadnessin knowingthatoutofthe10,000 horsesthatleforWorldWar1,to carrytroopsandsuppliesinto battle,onlyfourreturnedtoNew Zealand.

Allfourhorsesthatmadeithome belongedtoofficers. Beauty tothelateCaptainRichard Riddiford,BesstoCaptainCharles Powles,DollytoMajorGeneral SirAndrewRussell,andDigger tothelateLieutenantColonel GeorgeKing,whowaskilledat Passchendaele.

Theinitiativetobringhomethe fourhorsescamefromMajor GeneralSirAndrewRussell. Beauty,Bess,andDolly,hadleft thecountrywiththemainbody oftheNZEFin1914.

Diggerhadleftin1915or1916. Thehorsesarrivedoffthe passengerfreighter,theSS Westmeath.

Thetriphadbeentraumatic. Firehadbrokenoutinthehold whentheshipwassixdaysout fromPanama,destroyingallthe horses’feedandmanyofthe soldiers’possessions

Thesoldiersfedtheirbread rationstotheanimalstokeep themaliveuntiltheyreached NewZealand.

BessandBeautyheadedonto BullsandFeilding,whileDolly andDiggerweretransportedto TunaNuiintheHawke’sBay

Dollythewarhorsewhocame homewithhighlydecorated MajorGeneralSirAndrewRussell, knownas“TheGeneral”,ofTuna NuiStation,wasabletoliveout therestofheryearsenjoyingthe beautifulpasturesofSherenden inHawke’sBay,untilshediedin 1932.

WhileAnzacsoldiersare rememberedandcelebratedon AnzacDayandArmisticeDay, theirhorseshavehadno recognitionotherthanone statue,TeUtu,inHamilton.

So,aDollytheWarHorse TrusthasbeensetupinHawke’s Baytofundraiseforalife-size remembrancestatueinbronze,of Dolly,toeventuallybeexhibited nexttoMajorGeneralSirAndrew Russell.

Foranyonepassingthrough Hastings,alife-sizebronzestatue ofTheGeneralstandsinthe HastingsCivicSquarenearthe cenotaph.

Thestatuedepictshimin uniform,holdingaswaggerstick AndrewRussellleNewZealand in1914ascommanderofthe MountedRiflesBrigade.

AfterbeingmadeaKnight CommanderoftheMost DistinguishedOrderofStMichael andStGeorge(KCMG.),hewas promotedtoMajorGeneral andledtheNewZealandand AustralianDivisionduringitslast weeksontheGallipoliPeninsula. RussellcommandedtheNew ZealandDivisioninFranceand BelgiumfromMay1916untilthe endofthewar.

Ifyouarewishingtoseefurther informationaboutDolly,theWar HouseTrustcheckout www.dollythewarhorse.co.nz

Photos supplied from dollythewarhorse.co.nz

Writes Kem Ormond

Major General Sir Andrew Russell and Dolly

TheGallipolicampaign

Whatthesoldiersexperienced

Extremeweatherandprimitiveliving conditionswaswhatlifewasfortheNew ZealandsoldieronGallipoli.Tosumit up,itwastough!

Theyspenteightmonths enduringextreme weatherconditions.JunetoAugustwas summerandthetemperaturessoaredand thewintermonths(NovembertoJanuary) broughttherain,chillingwindsandsnow,it wasmiserable.

Itonlytookafewmonthsoflivingin crampedconditionsonthepeninsula,before thesoldiersbegantoenduredysentryand typhoid.Conditionswereunsanitary,there wereunburiedbodiesandswarmsofflies.

Ashortageofwaterandpoorfood,along withextremeexhaustion,reducedthemen’s resistancetodisease.

TheareaoccupiedbyNewZealandersand AustraliansatAnzacwaslessthansixsquare kilometers.Withnonaturalwatersource,water shortageswereacommonthing.Theonlyway togetsuppliestoAnzacwasbyshipthatwere landedonthebeachwithgreatdifficulty

Oldsalvagedoilsheetswereusedtomake aroofthatwouldkeepthesunoutduringthe dayanddewoffthemenatnight.Sandbags andoldovercoatsweretheonlyonlyavailable

furnishings,alongwithacutdownpetroltin forabath.

Licebecamefulltimeresidents,infact bodylicebecameanepidemic,plustherewas alwaysplentyofcentipedes.Troopslivedona stapledietoftinnedbullybeef,armybiscuits andjam,withnofruitorvegetablestobeseen.

With25,000menpackedintosucha crampedspace,latrinesfilledupfastand therewaslimitedspaceforanynewonesto beerected.

Swarmsoffliestormentedthemen turning whatshouldhavebeensimpletasks,suchas preparingfoodintohorribleordeals.

Poorplanningandthesharescaleof thecasultiesoverwhelmedthemedical resources.Theadvanceddressingstations wereofteninexposedpostionsandtheyoften cameunderfire.

Thewoundedmenwerethentransported fromthefieldambulancesandclearing stations andtakenbyboattohospitalships waitingoffshore.Duetopoorcoordination andmismanagementmanymenwereleftfar toolongonthebeach andonceonboard theboatsfoundthattheconditionswere appalling.

ANZACDAY APRIL 25th

Horses,ArtilleryandAnzacbiscuits

Writes Kem Ormond

Horses and mules played alarge part in World War1 and they also played avital part in New Zealand ‘s Field Artillery.

In fact the artillerywerethe second largest component of the New Zealand ExpeditionaryForce,after the infantry. Those horses must have come from tough stock ,ashorses and mules wereused to towvehicles stacked with shells and this wasno light feat

They transported them from shell dumps behind the lines to the gun positions.

Gunners, as theywerecalled, were the young men that played avital role in the First World War, working in teams on field guns, usually grouped in batteries, to deliver aconcentrated barrage. It wasadangerous and demanding job.Not only werethey being targetedbyenemy batteries, the work wasphysically punishing, and theywerealso at risk of shells exploding prematurely in the barrels of their guns.

Soldiersinthe trenches were always in constant danger and the prolonged bombardment really shook the nerves of these young

men. Theyoften emergedfromthe trenches numbed and hardly able to be audible from fear of imminent death by shattered shell fragments or from being buried alive.

The artileryunits used wheeled cannons,known as field guns to destroy enemy forces. The New Zealand forces on Gallipoli initially included asingle artillerybrigade, with asecond added in July 1915. Each brigade comprised three or four batteries,each of which had around 185 men operating three or four field guns.

In early 1916 the artilleryexpanded to four brigades,including by the addition of three trench mortar batteries.

Cloth patches wereworn by by the NewZealand Fields Artillery’s divisional ammunition column. The cloth patches weresewnonthe back of the uniform jacketsand this commenced in October 1916 as away of identifying which unit or part of a unit an individual belonged to.

The Anzac Biscuit “Biscuits! Army Biscuits! Consider the hardness of them. Remember the cracking of your dental plate, the breaking of this tooth, the splintering of that.”

(From“Army biscuits” by Ormond Burton in “The ANZAC book”)

Does this bring to mind images of our troops at Gallipoli eating the Anzac biscuits we know and love today? Contrarytowidespreadbelief therewerenoAnzac biscuits at Gallipoli. The standardArmy biscuit at this time wasarock-hardtooth breakeralso called aship’s biscuit

Although it is amyth that Anzac biscuits weresent and eatenby troops in Gallipoli, some evidence suggests arolled oat-based

APRIL25th2023

biscuit wassent to troops on the Western Front,although this is not widespread.

The majority of rolled oats biscuits wereinfact sold and consumed at fetes, galas, parades, and other public events at home, to raise funds forthe wareffort. This connection to the troops serving overseas led to them being referred to as “soldier’sbiscuits.”Fundraising was coordinated by local Patriotic Funds, raising 6.5 million pounds forthe New Zealand wareffort.

The basic ingredients forarolled oatbiscuit wererolled oats, sugar, flour,butter with golden syrup,not eggs, used as abinding agent.This made them not only nutritious and full of energy but also long lasting. After WWI, the most popular rolled oatbiscuit had the name and association of Anzac applied to it and thus the legend of the Anzac biscuit began.

SOURCE: NZ Army Museum https://www.armymuseum.co.nz