A Centenary News summary of the major international commemorations taking place today (April 25th 2015) to remember the 100th anniversary of the Allied landings at Gallipoli in 1915.
Gallipoli
The Centenary Dawn service takes place at the Anzac Commemorative Site on Turkey’s Gallipoli peninsula.
This is followed by an Australian memorial service at Lone Pine, and a New Zealand memorial service at Chunuk Bair.
Anticipating record demand, Australia and New Zealand held ballots for members of the public wanting to travel to Gallipoli for the Anzac Day commemorations.
Numbers are limited to 10,500 because of restricted space.
The Australian and New Zealand Prime Ministers, Tony Abbott and John Key, will be representing their countries.
A remembrance service at the Cape Helles Memorial on April 24th opened the Commonwealth and Ireland commemorations of the Gallipoli centenary.
The Prince of Wales and Prince Harry are attending the ceremonies in Turkey on April 24th and 25th.
London
The Cenotaph, Whitehall: focus for the UK’s Gallipoli commemorations (Photo: Centenary News)
The centenary of the Gallipoli landings will be marked with a day of commemorations in London on April 25th, attended by members of the British Royal Family.
They start at 5am with the Dawn Service at Wellington Arch, Hyde Park Corner, where the Australian and New Zealand War Memorials are situated.
At 9am, the Gallipoli Association will hold a short service and wreath laying ceremony in the crypt of St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Descendants of those who fought in 1915 have been invited to take part in the national commemorative ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, starting at 11am.
The event will be attended by Queen Elizabeth, the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince William. It’s led by the UK Government, in collaboration with the Australian and New Zealand High Commissions.
Tickets for the service of commemoration and thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey at 1pm are fully subscribed.
Services will also held in towns and cities across the UK including Birmingham, Cambridge and Coventry; and also in Ireland at Dublin, Cork and Limerick. Visit the Gallipoli Association website for more details.
Canberra
The Australian War Memorial holds its Dawn Service, traditionally an informal event, at 5.30am.
The National Ceremony of Remembrance starts at 10.15am. The commemorative address will be delivered by Sir Peter Cosgrove, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia. Sir Peter will also review a march-past of Australian forces’ veterans.
More information from the Australian War Memorial.
Wellington
The New Zealand capital, Wellington, is hosting a week of Gallipoli Centenary commemorations.
They start on April 18th with the opening of the newly created Pukeahu National War Memorial Park. On April 25th the park will be the venue for the Dawn Service at 5.30am and the Anzac Day Service at 11am.
There will also be a wreath laying service at the Cenotaph at 9am.
More details available from Wellington City Council.
A Centenary News article about the Pukeahu National War Memorial Park project can be found here.
Auckland
.On April 25th, Auckland War Memorial Museum’s Anzac Day programme starts with the Dawn Service. Following events include: Performances from Auckland Choral, Auckland Youth Choir and Auckland Girls’ Choir and a performance by The New Zealand Dance Company.
From April 22nd, on the nights leading up to Anzac Day, Auckland War Memorial Musem will project free film screenings onto its northern facade. The projections will include rarely seen photographs of New Zealanders at Gallipoli from the Museum’s pictorial collections
For further information, visit the Auckland War Memorial Museum website.
Belgium
Anzac Day commemorations are held in Ypres and surrounding First World War sites.
6am: Dawn Service – Polygon Wood, Zonnebeke
9.35am: Commemoration Service – Tyne Cot Commonwealth Cemetery, Zonnebeke
11.10am: Procession and Menin Gate Service, Ypres
11.35 am: Wreath-laying at the Belgian War Memorial, Ypres
3.30pm: Ploegsteert Toronto Avenue Cemetery commemoration service, Comines-Warneton
8pm: Nightly Last Post ceremony, Menin Gate, Ypres
More information from the Australian Embassy in Belgium website.
France
Anzac Day commemorations include a Dawn Service at the Australian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, starting at 5.30am. A French service follows at 8.45am at the Monument aux Morts in the town centre.
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (the future Queen Mother) at the unveiling of the Australian National Memorial in 1938 (Photo: courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission)
There’s also a service at the Digger Memorial, on the outskirts of the village of Bullecourt, near Arras, at 2.45pm.
More details, including road closures and special access arrangements, on the Australian Department of Veterans’ Affairs website:
Many of the Gallipoli Centenary events are expected to attract large numbers of visitors, and people are advised to plan accordingly, and to check websites for updates.
Sources: The Gallipoli Association, Australian & New Zealand Governments, Auckland War Memorial Museum, the Australian War Memorial, Visitflanders
Images courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (Helles, Villers-Bretonneux); Auckland War Memorial Museum (Dawn Service); Centenary News (Cenotaph, Whitehall)
Posted by: Peter Alhadeff, Centenary News