Anzac Day - April 25th, is celebrated with great enthusiasm each year - and getting larger each year. The first commemoration in Queensland was in 1916!!
My parents were both in the armed forces, but much later. My fater was born in 1919, and my mother in 1915.
They were in the Army around 1942 - 45, although my mother left earlier than my father.
I have no recollection of attending Anzac Day events when I was a child, in fact my father didn't until his latter years. He had bad memories of his days in the Army, though it was not because of his "war experiences". He never left Australia. He had wanted to but was not considered healthy enough.
There had been an episode when he was working in Alice Springs during his Army days. Apparently he was working at a US Army project, and he explained that the food was shipped in on trucks that brought the food in. Several of the soldiers, including Dad ended up with "food poisoning", and they were sent to Melbourne to Heidelberg Hospital which was THE hospital for the military in those days, and continues to treat veterans.
Anyway, Dad was discharged as medically unfit, claiming he had a stomach ulcer or similar. He re-enlisted the following day, but due to his "medical condition" he was not allowed to leave Australia for the services.
Although he continued in the Army for a few years later, he was always angry about the way he was treated, but he did attend Anzac services in the last few years before his death.
I like to go to the big march in the city (Brisbane), but for the last couple of years have attended the service at Beachmere, which I will do this year.
These days with radio and television there is a lot of publicity about the many events, and these days many folk go to Gallipoli for the service. How wonderful!
Here is something written about my father by the RSL.
Here i
They were in the Army around 1942 - 45, although my mother left earlier than my father.
I have no recollection of attending Anzac Day events when I was a child, in fact my father didn't until his latter years. He had bad memories of his days in the Army, though it was not because of his "war experiences". He never left Australia. He had wanted to but was not considered healthy enough.
There had been an episode when he was working in Alice Springs during his Army days. Apparently he was working at a US Army project, and he explained that the food was shipped in on trucks that brought the food in. Several of the soldiers, including Dad ended up with "food poisoning", and they were sent to Melbourne to Heidelberg Hospital which was THE hospital for the military in those days, and continues to treat veterans.
Anyway, Dad was discharged as medically unfit, claiming he had a stomach ulcer or similar. He re-enlisted the following day, but due to his "medical condition" he was not allowed to leave Australia for the services.
Although he continued in the Army for a few years later, he was always angry about the way he was treated, but he did attend Anzac services in the last few years before his death.
I like to go to the big march in the city (Brisbane), but for the last couple of years have attended the service at Beachmere, which I will do this year.
These days with radio and television there is a lot of publicity about the many events, and these days many folk go to Gallipoli for the service. How wonderful!
Here is something written about my father by the RSL.
Here i
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