13 Things You Didn't Know About Anzac Day

Every year on April 25th, those from Australia and New Zealand enter a minute silence to remember and reflect on the brave soldiers who lost their lives, and those who were wounded overseas fighting for their countries. 

In honour of this sacred day to both countries, here's 10 facts that you may not have known about Anzac Day and how it is commemorated. 

1. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. They landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula on April 25th, 1915, which is known today as Anzac Cove. 

2. Although the conflict at Gallipoli only lasted 8 months, more than 11,000 ANZACs lost their lives during the fighting, and another 23,500 were wounded during the battle. 

3. The Anzacs were all volunteers... There was no conscription. Men would travel from afar to sign up as they believed it to be a courageous and brave act to fight for your country. 

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4. The last suriving Anzac was a man named Alec Campbell, who passed away on May 16th, 2002. 

5. The 25th was officially named Anzac Day in 1916, but the first unofficial dawn service was not held until 1923. Dawn is believed to be the best time to attack in battle, and so this is the reasoning behind holding the services at that time of day.

6. The first official dawn ceremony was held in 1927 at the Sydney Cenotaph.

7. Other countries that celebrate Anzac Day because of their involvemenet in the Gallipoli campaign include Tonga, Samoa, Niue, and the Cook Islands, as well as some towns in France and England. 

8. The Gallipoli campaign ended in a stalemate, when the Anzacs slipped away quietly over two nights. 

9. Wives of Anzac soldiers made Anzac biscuits for their husbands to take with them. They had a long shelf life as they were not made with milk and eggs.

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10. People wear rosemary in honour of those who have not returned from war. 

11. The Last Post was played during the war to tell soldiers the day's fighting had finished. It is now played at memorial services to indicate the duty of the dead has finished, and they may rest in peace. 

12. Almost every town in Australia has a memorial of some sort to honour their veterans.  Some of these memorials list the names of those who died in combat, and some include all names of those who served and returned. 

13. Gallipoli is not a town, but a region. It is very near the famous ancient city of Troy.