Gallipoli

Gallipoli Campaign - ANZAC Day

Australia was a young nation and the courage and character shown by Australians at Gallipoli was quickly recognised and honored back home.

The Battle of Gallipoli, during WW1, resonated profoundly among all nations involved.

ANZAC Day (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) is commemorated in Australia and New Zealand each year on April 25 (8,159 Australian soldiers and 2,721 New Zealand soldiers died at Gallipoli).

The battle is often considered to mark the birth of the national consciousness of each nation, replacing their former collectivised identity under the British Empire.

The background photograph on this page was taken by Peter Barnes at the National War Memorial  in Adelaide, South Australia.

The Australian war heroes song on the video below is timeless and honours the memory of those who have died in the service and defence of Australia in war. The marching theme of the song is especially powerful.

All sheet music for the song are free.  Go to the download page to download free pdf files of the sheet music.  Also, you can download the backing track mp3 for the song and a mastered recording mp3 of the song for free.

“Last Sunday, the Brisbane Broncos played the Penrith Panthers at Suncorp Stadium in a round 7 NRL match. The match including the ceremony was shown live on Fox Sports. At 2.25pm there was a special Anzac tribute and your wonderful song was played as the special guests, match officials and both teams entered the stadium. They walked on in staggered starts escorted by Army service personnel to the music and it was absolutely wonderful. They all lined up in one line and the ‘toss’ was performed by an 85 yr old POW veteran. The Qld Premier with match referee and both team captains. The Qld President of the RSL read the Ode and a Navy bugler played the Last Post. It was a very moving few minutes and everyone loved it. You should be very proud of your song. Thanks again for permitting us to use the song. I have played it probably 30 times over the last month. It moves me every time, the words are reflective of our appreciation for these men & women.” Brian McGrath – Operations Manager – Brisbane Broncos Football Club

The song’s author (Peter Barnes), has family history with regard to Gallipoli.   His  Grandmother on his father’s side of the family, had a brother, Cedric Charles Newey, who landed on Gallipoli on the 25th of April, 1915 (ANZAC Day).
 
He was there to the 9th of September 1915, with the 2nd Field Ambulance and then went onto the Western Front with the 14th Field Ambulance.
 
He joined up in August 1914. He sustained gas burns in June 1918. He survived WW1 to return home to Australia.
 
His younger brother, Norman Cecil Newey, was Killed in Action on the Western Front on the 3rd of July 1918. His place of burial is Le Grand Hasard Military Cemetery (Plot 4, Row F, Grave No. 7), Morbecque, France.
 
He was only 18 years old when he first enlisted in July 1915. Before his death, he was wounded in action in Belgium on the 30th September 1917. He recovered to re-join the 8th Battalion in November 1917.

The song has been used for commemorative purposes across Australia by schools, churches, choirs, bands, councils, retirement homes, military services, RSL branches and ANZAC tributes at NRL & AFL matches. The video below has the instrumental music for the song.