ANZAC DAY TRIBUTE

A poem my son, a Registered Nurse, posted on Facebook recently, a fitting tribute to ANZAC Day  on 25th April in Australia and New Zealand.

I have not heard of him writing anything before.


An old man died in a Nursing Home the other night
Alone in his room, nobody was there
The carers found him in the morning, all cold and white
They closed his eyes and combed his hair
And placed the sheet gently over his head
And put his pitiful belongings at the foot of the bed.

The old photo of Mary that he kissed every night
They threw in the bin, but it didn’t feel right.
They didn’t pause to reflect on his life
He was nothing special, not famous at all.
But he was a boy once, riding to school on his horse
At 16 for the Mother country joined the Imperial Force.

Not once would he mention the horrors he saw
But the German soldier he killed was a burden he bore
And then in the trench on a fine summers day
A big shell came over, blew his six mates away.
The shrapnel in his leg he would carry for life
It played up Old Harry gave him nothing but strife.

So they sent him home and they gave him some land
Sixty acres of rocks, lantana and sand
So he laid down pipes and watered his farm
Lived on tea, damper and rabbit, it did him no harm
He met Mary at church on another fine summers day
Married her quickly, five kids came their way.

Two daughters died early, buried up on the hill
His boys on Kokoda are lying there still
And Molly left early, as soon as she could
He awaited her return, but she never would.
Mary died young too, just faded away
From a broken heart he always would say.

So rest in peace digger, you’ve earnt that for sure
When your country asked you went to the fore.
Say hello to Mary, your boys and your mates
When you are whisked through those heavenly gates.

 

ANZAC Day 25th April is a national public holiday commemorating all who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations throughout the years. It is a very solemn day to many Australians. Services are held at dawn and 11am, and Marches by surviving veterans and current serving members, service groups and school children, in cities and towns nationwide. The Anzac Day Parade from each state capital is televised live with commentary. These events are generally followed by reunions at the RSL club. A traditional Australian gambling game two-up which was a popular pastime with ANZAC soldiers is allowed in the afternoon, being illegal at other times.

In 1915, Australian and New Zealander soldiers formed part of an Allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula, according to a plan by Winston Churchill to open the way to the Black Sea for the Allied navies. The objective was to capture Constantinople. The ANZAC force landed at Gallipoli on 25 April and many were killed on an exposed beach landing. At the end of 1915, the Allied forces were evacuated after both sides had suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. The Allied casualities included 21,255 from the UK, an estimated 10,000 from France, 8,709 from Australia, 2,721 from New Zealand, and 1,358 from British India. News of the landing at Gallipoli made a profound impact on Australians and New Zealanders at home and 25 April quickly became the day on which they remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in war. The fourth stanza or verse of a well known poem, known as The Ode, is read aloud at many ceremonies. The poem is called "For The Fallen" and was written by Laurence Binyon in 1914. It commemorates those who died and can never grow old.

Here is the fourth stanza:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them.

Lest we forget.