Personal connections and emotion at Gallipoli
As the sun rose on another Anzac Day at Anzac Cove, Türkiye, the members of Australia’s Federation Guard and the RAAF Band were ready to highlight their hard work.
Upon arriving in Çanakkale, Türkiye, in the lead-up to Anzac Day, the contingent visited the battlefields of Lone Pine, Chunuk Bair and Anzac Cove, as well as the Çanakkale Martyrs’ Memorial.
This 42-metre-tall monument commemorates the Turkish ‘Mehmets’ who lost their lives in the Dardanelles between 1914 and 1915, looking like an ‘M’ when seen from a distance.
After a busy week of historical immersion and rehearsals, on April 25 the team “stepped off” at Anzac Cove at 1.30am.
The day featured the dawn service at Anzac Cove, followed by a service at Lone Pine, and ended by supporting the NZDF’s service at Chunuk Bair.
AB Grace McCarter, a member of Australia’s Federation Guard, was moved to find the graves of two soldiers from her home town of Yass, New South Wales – PTE George Grieves and LCPL Harold Williamson.
“Putting those flowers on their graves, running my hands over their names, walking in the very trenches they fought in – it’s hard to put into words just how special that is for me,” AB McCarter said.
‘Putting those flowers on their graves, running my hands over their names, walking in the very trenches they fought in – it’s hard to put into words just how special that is for me.'
Contingent commander CAPT Lachlan Fletcher reflected on how much the team invested in the Anzac Day commemoration.
“Not only are they balancing their professional commitments and ceremonial responsibility, but a lot of them have a very close family connection with Gallipoli and Anzac Day,” CAPT Fletcher said.
“Remaining professional, but also allowing themselves to experience some pretty challenging and deep emotions that come with being here, has been something I’ve really admired about them.
“We’ve engaged with a number of people within and outside Defence which has really opened my eyes, in particular to just how passionate people are around ensuring Anzac Day is one of remembrance and paying tribute to the people that gave their lives so we can be where we are today.
“I look around at the same ground they [the Anzacs] would have seen, as young as 14, and it’s quite a humbling experience.
“Anzac Day, for me, is about humility, but also perspective.
“To understand what they went through in a young nation at the time, in 1915 – to sail across to the other side of the world to go fight an unknown enemy.”
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