Lest We Forget…

The Anzac tradition was established during World War I when the ANZACS landed at Gallipoli in Turkey on 25th April, 1915. This place is now called ANZAC Cove, and there are Dawn services held in Gallipoli each year to commemorate the landing of the ANZACS.

Rosemary was believed to make the memories stronger by the Ancient Greeks, and this idea continues today as people remember those who have died in war. Red Poppies were the first signs of life in northern France and Belgium after World War I, and the poppy has been adopted as a part of the ANZAC tradition, for it shows that the thousands of servicemen and women are not forgotten.

The name “Digger” originated during World War I and is the slang term used for Australian and New Zealand soldiers. The Diggers were especially good at digging tunnels which provided them with shelter from enemy attack.

Another ANZAC tradition is the ANZAC Biscuit, which is made from rolled oats, plain flour, sugar, dessicated coconut, butter, golden syrup, boiling water and bicarbonate of soda. These biscuits were made as a bread substitute for soldiers fighting in hostile conditions, and they kept for a long time. They were very hard, although there are now recipes that make them more palatable and softer on the palate.

The Dawn Service is held at dawn on the 25th April each year, and this has its traditions in routine within the Australian Army even today. The time just before dawn was the time when the enemy was most likely to attack, so the soldiers were woken before dawn so that they could be in position and alert, and this is known as stand-to. It is common for a minute’s silence to be held during these dawn services to reflect on what these brave soldiers did when they fought, and in many cases  died for us, and as a sign of respect.

The Last Post is played during the Dawn services to serve as a tribute to the soldiers who so valiantly gave their lives for us.The Ode (in bold below) is the fourth stanza of the poem, “For the Fallen” which was written by Laurence Binyon in 1914 to honour the many British troops who lost their lives on the Western front of World War I.

For the Fallen

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children
England mourns for her dead across the sea,
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,
There is music in the midst of desolation
And glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow,
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again,
They sit no more at familiar tables of home,
They have no lot in our labour of the daytime,
They sleep beyond England’s foam.

But where our desires and hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the night.

As the stars shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,
As the stars that are stary in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

It Appears that We are not Quite Finished – Yet

Coal Miner’s Daughter?

Today we have been flat out cleaning out cupboards and washing all of the crockery, cutlery and plastic ware before replacing it all in the sparkling clean cupboards. I washed the dishes while our children dried all of the dishes without murmurings and disputings (Philippians 2: 14-15). These days I also look for complete, quiet and quick obedience from our children, and today they were very keen to obey. My husband also cleaned the sunroom windows near the lounge room.

Following this, my daughter and I cleaned and washed the silver service cutlery set that my mum gave us a couple of months ago. What a messy job that was, even though we used the silver polishing cloth included with the cutlery set! By the end of the time, I looked like a ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’, or maybe that should have been a coal miner.

My son also cleaned out the laundry sink cupboard, and my daughter was happy to replace all of the toiletries in the bathroom vanity unit after we had cleaned this cupboard out. My son and daughter also cleaned out the medicine cupboard, and it was lovely to see them work together in an attitude of harmony and cooperation.