Watching the ceremonies at Gallipoli and Villers-Bretonneux on Tuesday, it was encouraging to see so many young people at both. Despite their school “education”, growing numbers of young Australians are learning some of our history for themselves.
As you note, speakers in both places referred to the dead of ANZAC and other wars, although none as yet made any reference to colonial times. But in both places didgeridoos were played at the opening and a couple of NZ officers wore capes of Māori feathers, which struck me as anachronistic virtue-signalling.
At the ANZAC Cove ceremony, a Turkish officer gave a short speech in which he quoted the words attributed to Kemal Atatürk:
“ Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives ... You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours ... You, the mothers who sent their sons from faraway countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.”
There is controversy about whether these words were spoken by Mustafa Kemal, but they have been quoted in many ANZAC Day ceremonies and, when delivered by a Turkish soldier, are to me an appropriate and generous sentiment.
At Villers-Bretonneux, the best speaker was the French Secretary of State. for Veterans Affairs, Patricia Mirallès, who spoke convincingly of the gratitude the French still have for the Australians who fought and died on the Western Front. She also spoke about the recent discovery of the wreck of the Japanese ship Montevideo Maru, which sank off the Philippines with 1,000 Australian prisoners of war aboard, for whom their final resting place is now known. Her choosing to mention those lost Australians, so far away in time and place from France, was respectful and moving.
We must keep vigilant against the erosion of the remaining symbols of our nationhood.
First, thank you for referring to it as ANZAC Day and not Anzac day.
Second, I am concerned at Aboriginal and Maori groups are now having their own ANZAC Day ceremonies ((in Perth and Canberra at least) separate from the main non-racial ceremonies organised by the RSL. Another attempt to divide Australia on the basis of race?
There were others similar. Hugo may well have known another hero Colonel Arthur Graham Butler the author of The Medical History of the first world war. He was awarded high military honours. His men thought he should have won a VC. He was lucky given what he did to avoid Hugo's wounds. He was also lucky to be born into a family which accepted that he had a right to become an active leading communist even though most were and still are horrified of his choice.
He died much praised in Canberra in 1948.
Like Hugo he lived and died serving his country.
His story is written up by his grandson Richard Hancock and I think self published in "Such a noble man was he"
Thanks for the comment, Robin. I'm not aware of poor treatment of Aboriginal war heroes by the Australian people. Can you refer me to some sources of such claims so I can inform myself? Thanks.
John,
Watching the ceremonies at Gallipoli and Villers-Bretonneux on Tuesday, it was encouraging to see so many young people at both. Despite their school “education”, growing numbers of young Australians are learning some of our history for themselves.
As you note, speakers in both places referred to the dead of ANZAC and other wars, although none as yet made any reference to colonial times. But in both places didgeridoos were played at the opening and a couple of NZ officers wore capes of Māori feathers, which struck me as anachronistic virtue-signalling.
At the ANZAC Cove ceremony, a Turkish officer gave a short speech in which he quoted the words attributed to Kemal Atatürk:
“ Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives ... You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours ... You, the mothers who sent their sons from faraway countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.”
There is controversy about whether these words were spoken by Mustafa Kemal, but they have been quoted in many ANZAC Day ceremonies and, when delivered by a Turkish soldier, are to me an appropriate and generous sentiment.
At Villers-Bretonneux, the best speaker was the French Secretary of State. for Veterans Affairs, Patricia Mirallès, who spoke convincingly of the gratitude the French still have for the Australians who fought and died on the Western Front. She also spoke about the recent discovery of the wreck of the Japanese ship Montevideo Maru, which sank off the Philippines with 1,000 Australian prisoners of war aboard, for whom their final resting place is now known. Her choosing to mention those lost Australians, so far away in time and place from France, was respectful and moving.
We must keep vigilant against the erosion of the remaining symbols of our nationhood.
First, thank you for referring to it as ANZAC Day and not Anzac day.
Second, I am concerned at Aboriginal and Maori groups are now having their own ANZAC Day ceremonies ((in Perth and Canberra at least) separate from the main non-racial ceremonies organised by the RSL. Another attempt to divide Australia on the basis of race?
Thanks John. Beautiful story.
There were others similar. Hugo may well have known another hero Colonel Arthur Graham Butler the author of The Medical History of the first world war. He was awarded high military honours. His men thought he should have won a VC. He was lucky given what he did to avoid Hugo's wounds. He was also lucky to be born into a family which accepted that he had a right to become an active leading communist even though most were and still are horrified of his choice.
He died much praised in Canberra in 1948.
Like Hugo he lived and died serving his country.
His story is written up by his grandson Richard Hancock and I think self published in "Such a noble man was he"
Thanks for the comment, Robin. I'm not aware of poor treatment of Aboriginal war heroes by the Australian people. Can you refer me to some sources of such claims so I can inform myself? Thanks.