A weekend of events will be held in the port of Albany, Western Australia, marking the departure of the first Australian and New Zealand troops for the northern hemisphere 100 years ago.
As self-governing Dominions of the British Empire, Australia and New Zealand immediately joined Britain in entering the First World War against Germany in 1914.
The Anzac Albany Centenary commemorations formally open on the evening of October 31st 2014 with a traditional Royal Australian Navy sunset ceremony
On November 1st, seven warships from the Australian, New Zealand and Japanese navies will perform a sail past in King George Sound, from where the original convoy sailed.
Albany’s Mayor Dennis Wellington says: “The Symbolic Ship Departure will be a magnificent and moving spectacle which will take place 100 years to the day since the first convoy departed Albany.”
The Australian fleet will be joined by a Royal New Zealand Navy frigate and a Japanese destroyer. During the First World War, Japan was allied with Britain, France and Russia, playing an important role in protecting Allied shipping in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
There will also be a commemoration service on November 1st, and the official opening of the National Anzac Centre, a new museum described as a ‘showpiece for the Centenary.’
Overlooking King George Sound, it offers an interactive experience of the First World War as seen by Anzac soldiers. Within six months of sailing from Albany, they were in action at Gallipoli. Australians and New Zealanders also went on to fight with distinction in some of the biggest battles on the Western Front.
New Zealand is represented in Albany by the frigate, HMNZS Te Kaha, which sailed from Wellington after taking part in Centenary commemorations on October 16th 2014.
Full details of all the convoy commemorative events can be found on the Anzac Albany 1914-2014 website. Pre-booked tickets will be required to visit the National Anzac Centre from October 30th to November 2nd.
Source: Anzac Albany
Images courtesy of City of Albany
Posted by: Peter Alhadeff, Centenary News