Patriot Realm

It is the 25^th April, and a German man and his wife from Munich are taking a motoring holiday to the South of France. They pass through the northern French city of Amiens. They observe much gaiety among the populace and are wondering what it is all about. 

They pass through the city and 15kms down the road they approach a small town. On the outskirts, they pass a cemetery which has a sign “Adelaide Cemetery”. 

Says the man, " that is not a French name. What does it mean? " 

 The 25th of April is a very important day for Australians and New Zealanders. It is called ANZAC Day and stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.  It is the day that we stand still for a minute's silence at dawn and remember our fallen in times of war. 

Throughout our two countries, millions of people will stand in quiet contemplation remembering those in our past who we knew or never got to know.  It is about Courage and Patriotism and Unity. Many will march in solidarity for those who are worthy of honour to this day. 

It is a day of giving thanks and showing respect for our forbears. It is one of the most important days on our calendar. 

It has been truly said that Australia arrived in Gallipoli as six separate States and returned as a Nation with its own national identity. In achieving this, of the over 50,000 Australians who served at Gallipoli during a period of 260 days, there were 8,159 deaths in total, comprised of 5,482 killed in action, 2,012 deaths from wounds, and 665 deaths from disease.   

To the armchair Revisionists, these are merely numbers and not men who gave their lives for their country and are buried in a far-off land.  

More than a hundred years ago, in the fields of the Somme, a whole generation of young men who came from the other side of the world fought and fell   

Among them, out of a population of five million souls, 416,000 young Australians answered the call of duty under the banner of the Commonwealth and 295,000 served bravely on the Western Front in the mud and poppies of northern France where they paid a heavy price.   

What has happened to the  relationship between some Women , fortunately, a minority,  who seem to have  a very bad feeling about all men.   They feel they can say anything from calling all men rapists  and then wonder why a rather pointed comment comes back in reply. 

Or Racists and bigots. Or any other name that flies off their tongues with such hatred. 

The clandestine activities of our two most famous but unsung units of the Pacific war were the M & Z Units of the Australian Army commonly referred to as Commandos. The lack of knowledge about these units was due to the fact that they were clouded in secrecy by the sheer nature of their existence and The Official Secrets Act (OSA). Their most well-known exploits were the two raids made on shipping in Singapore Harbour. (See also my article named Heroes and Headhunters)

One was an outstanding success. The other was a tragic stuff up.