Friday, April 25, 2008

Anzac Day

Funny thing. In the Northern hemisphere, the commemoration of military sacrifice is a late autumnal thing: Armistice Day in some countries, Veterans' Day in the United States.

In the southern hemisphere, it's also a late autumn day. Today, April 25, is Anzac Day in Australia and New Zealand, based on the first day of the 1915 landings at Gallipoli.

Late update: My peripatetic friend Gib, who was at Gallipoli recently, reminds me that the battle may be important to the Aussies and Kiwis, but it was really important to the Turks. Turkey's success in compelling the Allied invasion to withdraw really became the foundation of the new Turkish nation postwar.
 
Follow @CmedMoore