What is ANZAC Day?

ANZAC Day is one of the most important remembrance events in Australia and New Zealand. Learn more about this special day and how CWGC commemorates ANZAC war dead.

At a Glance: What is on this page

• What ANZAC Day means and why it is marked on 25 April
• What ANZAC stands for
• Why Gallipoli is central to the day’s history
• How ANZAC Day is commemorated today
• How CWGC commemorates Australian and New Zealand war dead worldwide
• Where to find ANZAC cemeteries and memorials
• How to explore ANZAC casualty records and stories
• Frequently asked questions about ANZAC Day

ANZAC Day

What is ANZAC Day?

Image: Veterans parade through the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial to mark ANZAC Day, 2022 (© The Last Post Association)

25 April each year is ANZAC Day.

It is one of the most important dates in the national calendars of Australia and New Zealand.

25 April marks the start of the Gallipoli Campaign in 1915. It was the first major action fought by Australia and New Zealand during the First World War.

ANZAC Day was first marked in April 1916 on the first anniversary of Gallipoli. It has been observed every April 25 ever since and has grown to encompass remembrance of all Australian and New Zealand victims of war.

What does ANZAC stand for?

Image: An ANZAC posting the Corps' performance and newfound status following its trial by fire at Gallipoli (public domain)

ANZAC stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.

The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps was originally under the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force in 1914. The original ANZAC unit was reorganised into the I and II Australian and New Zealand Army Corps in 1916, following Gallipoli. 

ANZAC soldiers would continue to fight on the Western Front, including at the momentous Battles of the Somme and Passchendaele and the war-winning Hundred Days Offensive.

The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps was reformed in the Second World War, before it was once again reorganised, and troops were sent to theatres around the world.

In the Second World War, Aussie and Kiwi troops fought in some of the conflict’s toughest campaigns, such as Greece and Crete, Italy, the Pacific, and North Africa.

In both wars, the ANZACs were made up of a mix of cultures and ethnicities from around Australasia. Those of Aboriginal, Māori, Torres Strait, and Pacific Island heritage served alongside comrades of European descent.

Around 416,000 Australians served in some military capacity during the First World War. That’s roughly 39% of the country's male population of military age. 222,000 New Zealand, Māori and Pacific Island troops had either been conscripted or enlisted during World War One.

The Second World War saw one million Australians enlist to serve. Around half of these were sent overseas. 10% of Australia’s entire population served in the Australian Army alone during the war. Approximately 120,000 New Zealanders served in the Armed Forces in the Second World War out of a population of 2.1 million.

Why is ANZAC Day important for Australia and New Zealand?

The story of ANZAC Day begins at Gallipoli.

The Gallipoli Campaign was fought between April 1915 and January 1916 in Gallipoli, a peninsula in the Dardanelles region of modern-day Turkey.

The Allies landed at Gallipoli on April 25, with the landing zone of the Australian and New Zealand troops dubbed ANZAC Cove. 

Expecting a quick, decisive campaign, Gallipoli descended into a lengthy, costly stalemate. Well organised and led, the Ottoman Army manning the peninsula’s clifftops and high ground proved a tough opponent. Allied attempts to break through were repulsed at great cost, time and time again. 

After eight months of bitter fighting, the decision was made to evacuate Gallipoli in December 1915. The final Allied troops left the peninsula in January 1916.

Image: Australian infantry dig in at Gallipoli (© IWM (HU 50622))

Over 55,000 Allied servicemen were killed during the Gallipoli Campaign.

The ANZACs alone lost 12,000 soldiers killed.

ANZAC Day and National Identity

Though the campaign ultimately ended in defeat, the ANZACs' experience at Gallipoli had far-reaching consequences at home in Australia and New Zealand. The actions of their soldiers, especially those who lost their lives, stirred nationalist, patriotic feelings in the public.

At the start of the First World War, Australia and New Zealand were Dominions of the British Empire, obliged to aid Great Britain its global war effort. This was also the case at the start of the Second World War. 

What started at Gallipoli was the formation of Australia and New Zealand as distinct, independent nations, with Aussies and Kiwis coming together to work through incredible hardships. 

The "ANZAC Spirit", emphasising bravery, companionship, and resilience, is something that characterises the national psyche and identity of both nations to this day.

While the process of both Australia and New Zealand establishing their own identities was an ongoing process, Gallipoli and the further experiences of the First and Second World Wars provided a catalyst for each nation's independence and identity.

ANZAC Day as a time of reflection 

As well as the above sentiment, ANZAC Day is also an important opportunity to reflect and remember the sacrifices made by Australians and New Zealanders of all backgrounds in all conflicts past, present, and future.

Since the World Wars, Australia and New Zealand has participated in wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations across the globe. ANZAC Day may have its roots in the World Wars, but it remains an important date for both national pride and remembrance.

At the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, we know that commemoration and remembrance are not just one-day remembrance. While ANZAC Day is marked on 25 April each year, via our cemeteries and memorials, the servicemen and women of the World Wars are commemorated in perpetuity.

How is ANZAC Day commemorated?

Image: The Dawn Service at Buttes New British Cemetery, home to the Buttes New British (New Zealand) Memorial, 2022 (© Eric Compernolle)

ANZAC Day is marked by ceremonies and parades across Australia, New Zealand and locations closely linked to the nations’ World War experience globally.

The most famous ANZAC Day event is the Dawn Service. Held at dawn, usually around 4:30 am, at ANZAC war memorials and cemeteries, Dawn Services usually include readings, wreath layings, dedications and the familiar sounding of the Last Post on the Bugle.

Dawn holds special significance on ANZAC Day. It was at this time that ANZAC soldiers first went ashore on 25 April 1915, starting several months of bloody combat on the Gallipoli Peninsula.

Dawn services are held by Commonwealth War Graves alongside the Australian and New Zealand armed forces at cemeteries and memorials around the world. The services in Gallipoli are some of the most well-attended outside of Australia and New Zealand.

There is some debate as to when the first Dawn Service was held. Evidence suggests it may have been as early as 1923, but Australia’s first official Dawn Service took place at the Sydney Cenotaph in 1928.

New Zealand’s first dawn service came in 1939 following the declaration of ANZAC Day as a national public holiday.

ANZAC Day Beyond Gallipoli

While Gallipoli is integral to the ANZAC experience, it does not tell the whole story. 

ANZACs in the First World War

Even in the First World War, Australian and New Zealand troops served in theatres around the world. In fact, some of the earliest engagements of the British Imperial forces in the First World War were small New Zealand engagements in German Samoa in August 1914.

Beyond Gallipoli, the Great War saw Australians and New Zealanders serve alongside their Commonwealth compatriots in theatres such as the Western Front, including the Somme and Ypres Salient, and the Middle Eastern Theatre, clashing with the Ottoman Empire in Egypt, Syria, and Palestine.

The Battle of the Somme was the first time the ANZACs went into action on the Western Front. At Fromelles, Pozieres, and Mouquet Farm, the Australian Imperial Force scored some impressive successes but paid a terrible cost. In just 42 days on the Somme, the Aussies lost some 42,000 men killed, missing or wounded.

The Battle of Flers-Courcelette proved to be the Kiwis' Western Front baptism of fire, and the New Zealand Division was instrumental in the capture of high ground around Longueval, High Wood, and Delville Wood. Again, the cost was high. In just three weeks of fighting, the New Zealand Division took 2,100 casualties.

At the Third Battle of Ypres, the ANZACs went into action again, alongside British and Canadian divisions.

The Australians were at the forefront of the battle's latter stages, pushing through the thick, sucking mud around Passchendaele to capture the village.

Did you know CWGC Tyne Cot Cemetery, our largest war cemetery in the world, marks the farthest point of the Allied advance? Australian units reached the site before their advance was halted by appalling weather.

Image: Men of the 2nd Auckland Battalion, New Zealand Division, occupying a slit trench at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette (© IWM (Q 194))

The Third Battle of Ypres, sadly, was the site of the blackest day in New Zealand's military history. The attack on Bellvue Spur was a failure, with Kiwis advancing over waterlogged terrain before being blocked by German barbed wire. The attack's preceding artillery barrage failed to break German obstacles, leaving the beleaguered New Zealanders at the mercy of withering enemy fire.

Over 840 New Zealanders perished at Bellvue Spar, the single loss of life experienced by the New Zealand armed forces in a single day.

Australian troops and their leader, General Sir John Monash, were at the forefront of the 100 Days Offensive, the final stages of the war on the Western Front. 

Monash is widely regarded as one of the finest Allied commanders of the Great War. An engineer by trade, he approached warfare as a series of problems to be overcome, combining engineering, artillery, infantry, and aircraft into a cohesive whole.

Following the stopping of the German spring offensive at Villers-Bretonneux, the Australians were in the frontlines at some of the most decisive battles of the 100 Days. With the capture of Mont St. Quentin and the St. Quentin Canal, the Australians opened a path for further advances, ultimately leading to Germany's defeat in France and Belgium.

As part of the British Third Army, the New Zealand Division's primary role during the 100 Days was to exploit gaps in the line created by leading divisions. 

The New Zealanders were heavily involved in the actions leading to the Second Battle of Bapaume, notably taking the town back from the Germans on August 29, 1918.

In a culminating action on November 4, 1918, the division captured the fortress town of Le Quesnoy in a daring assault, scaling the walls with ladders. This was considered their most successful operation of the war, resulting in 2,000 German prisoners.

ANZACs in the Second World War

With the world plunged into the fires of warfare once again, the ANZACs served in multiple theatres worldwide during the Second World War.

East and North Africa saw Australian and New Zealand forces clash with Wehrmacht General Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps and the Italian Army in battles that raged back and forth. Notable engagements include the Siege of Tobruk and the climactic Second Battle of El Alamein.

The ANZACs also served in the disastrous defence of Crete. Despite a spirited, tenacious defence, especially by the 28th Māori Battalion, the island was captured by an audacious paratrooper-led German assault. Over 600 Australians died in the defence of Crete alone.

Italy, the tough old gut, was one of the most cosmopolitan theatres of the war, with regard to Allied forces. The New Zealand Division was an integral part of the multinational force assembled to crush Fascism in Italy, involved in the climatic Battle for Monte Cassino in early 1944 and the subsequent breaching of the Gustav Line and capture of Trieste.

Aussies and Kiwis of the Royal Australian and Royal New Zealand Air Forces also served alongside their British and Canadian counterparts in the air war over Europe and North Africa. At times, they fought as members of British squadrons, or otherwise flew in RAAF or RNAF squadrons in support of RAF and RCAF operations.

Likewise, the Royal Australian Navy and Royal New Zealand Navy supported the Royal Navy on its operations, particularly in the Pacific as the war expanded.

With the entry of Japan into the Second World War, attention shifted to the Pacific and Far East theatres. For Australia, places like Port Moresby, Ambon, Timor, and New Guinea hold special significance.

Image: A Bren gun team of 2/8th Australian Infantry Battalion support an attack on Mount Shiburangu, near Wewak in Papua New Guinea (© IWM (HU 69098))

One of the most important locations for Australia in the Second World War, symbolic of its troops' dogged determination and resilience, is the Kokoda Trail, Papua New Guinea.

Imperial Japanese armies aimed to capture Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea's capital and chief port, to isolate Australia. Securing the Kokoda Trail, a 60-mile mountainous path, was critical to protecting the port and ultimately the Australian mainland.

The Australian 39th Battalion, later joined by the 21st and 30th Brigades, fought with the Papuan Infantry Battalion against superior Japanese numbers in difficult terrain. Troops endured disease (malaria, dysentery), torrential rain, deep mud, steep mountains (6,000 feet), and severe supply shortages.

Ultimately, they endured and, following American success at Guadalcanal drawing away Japanese forces, the Aussies were able to clear the Japanese from the trail. Ultimately, Port Moresby was secured.

But the war against Japan brought horrors beyond combat. More than 21,000 ANZAC servicemen were taken prisoner by the Imperial Japanese during the Second World War. Forced to toil in work camps or on major infrastructure projects, such as the infamous Burma-Siam Railway, they suffered brutality at the hands of their captors, starvation, and sickness on a grand scale.

As many as 9,000 ANZACs died as Japanese POWs in the Second World War.

How are ANZAC servicemen commemorated by Commonwealth War Graves?

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission commemorates all fallen ANZAC service men and women of the First and Second World Wars, including Aboriginal, Māori, Torres Strait, and Pacific Island personnel.

The total number of Australian and New Zealand troops commemorated by Commonwealth War Graves is:

Australia 

• World War One: 62,335
• World War Two: 40,696
• Total casualties: 103,031

New Zealand

• World War One: 18,070
• World War Two: 11,926
• Total Casualties: 29,996

Where possible, each soldier will have an individual war grave bearing their name. Those with no known war grave are commemorated by name on Commonwealth War Graves war memorials around the world.

Unidentified soldiers may be buried in war graves but will be commemorated by name on a war memorial until such times as they can be identified and given a named headstone.

The locations where ANZAC troops are commemorated vary, but they help the story of the ANZACs at war. Commonwealth War Graves sites are unique in that the men are commemorated close to or on the places where they fell decades ago.

In the case of ANZAC troops, CWGC sites are found at places like Villers-Bretonneux where the Australians fought an incredible defensive action in early 1918 during the German Spring Offensive. 

Gallipoli is probably the best example of this. The former battlefields are studded with CWGC cemeteries and memorials, such as Lone Pine or Chunuk Bair, standing in perpetual commemoration of the men who fought and died there.

How to Find ANZAC Graves, Memorials and Records

If ANZAC Day has inspired you to search for the 130,000 or so Australian and New Zealand servicemen and women we commemorate, here's how you can find them.

• Search our Records - Our records contain the details of all 1.7 million people commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. You can search our Find War Dead tool and filter by nationality to discover ANZAC servicemen and their final resting places or points of commemoration.
• Visit a cemetery or memorial - ANZAC personnel are commemorated by us at over 1,000 locations around the world, ranging from monumental war memorials to individual graves in local churchyards. Use our Find War Dead tool to locate individual casualties and their final resting places, and our Find Cemeteries and Memorials tool to get more information on locations, visiting hours, and historical information.
• Browse our online stories archive - For Evermore: Stories of the Fallen is our digital stories archive. So far, relatives, researchers, and organisations have all kindly shared over 400 Australian and 150 New Zealand servicemen. Read on to learn moving, inspirational and fascinating stories from the World Wars. If you have your own story to share, we encourage you to upload it to For Evermore so it can be shared and preserved for future generations.

ANZAC Cemeteries & Memorials

You can use our Find Cemeteries and Memorials tool to find all the sites around the world commemorating ANZAC servicemen. 

Here is a quick look at some of them.

Visiting ANZAC Cemeteries

Visit our Find Cemeteries and Memorials page to discover the locations of all cemeteries and memorials commemorating Australian and New Zealand war dead of the two World Wars.

Approaching ANZAC cemeteries & memorials with respect

Our cemeteries and memorials are places of peaceful contemplation and reflection where visitors can pay their respects to their relatives and the servicemen who fell in the World Wars. 

If you're visiting a CWGC ANZAC site, here are some general hints on how to approach them with care and respect:

• Be wary of your surroundings - Many of our sites sit on or close to former battlefields, places of deep historic meaning and tied to the national identities of New Zealand. Be mindful that these spaces are places of reflection on the loss of life and the cost of warfare.
• Check conditions before you arrive - ANZAC commemorative sites are located in a variety of different locations around the world. Ensure you've checked ahead of time the local conditions and wear appropriate clothing. SOme of our sites on the Western Front can get muddy in the winter, for example, while those located in hot countries may necessitate bringing plenty to drink and finding shade to keep comfortable
• Do not climb or lean on our memorials or headstones - We would ask you to please not lean or climb on our cemeteries or memorials. At our larger sites, shelter and seating are available. Please do not also leave items on top of our headstones. Small tributes left at the base of headstones are fine, likewise there are spaces to lay wreaths and other such tributes at our ANZAC Memorials. You can purchase biodegradable wreaths at our Ieper and Beurains Visitors Centres.
• Photography is allowed but please be respectful of others - We encourage visitors to take photos of our sites as mementos, particularly of their relatives' final resting places or points of commemoration. Please be respectful of others when taking your photographs. 

What can you expect when visitng a CWGC ANZAC war cemetery or memorial?

That depends on which war cemetery or memorial you visit, its location, its purpose and who it commemorates.

For instance, the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial is a vast memorial to the missing, with over 50,000 names, including Australian War Dead. Its central vault is lined with memorial name panels, carefully commemorating the missing by name. It sits within the heart of one of Belgium's most historic towns and places richly linked with the ANZAC experience.

But visiting ANZAC sites in Gallipoli will be an entirely different experience. The Gallipoli Peninsula is a landscape rich in meaning and memory, not just for Australians and New Zealanders, but British, French, and Indian people too.

A variety of CWGC sites are dotted across the peninsula, ranging from the vast Lone Pine Memorial to the smaller, contemplative sites like the Nek Cemetery. Each is lovingly maintained and cared for by our maintenance and horticultural teams working across the region.

The same is said for all our sites hosting ANZAC burials. These sites commemorate Australia and New Zealand's war dead in perpetuity, but also provide platforms to tell the stories of the real people behind the names.

ANZAC casualty stories

ANZAC Day allows us to think and reflect on all Australian and New Zealand servicemen and women’s sacrifice during the World Wars, no matter their heritage. 

Here is a small selection of ANZAC stories taken from our online archive For Evermore to read on this and each ANZAC Day.

Corporal Alexander Burton VC

Image: Alexander Burton VC (Australian War Memorial)

Alexander Burton was born in Kyneton, Victoria, on 20 January 1893. Prior to the war, Alexander worked at the same department store as his father in the ironmongery department.

Alexander enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in August 1914, shortly after the outbreak of the First World War, joining the 7^th Battalion.

Although he was present at the 1915 Gallipoli landings, Alexander did not take part in the fighting. He was being treated for a throat infection so watched the troops come ashore from the deck of a hospital ship.

Soon, though, Alexander was in the trenches, fighting across the Gallipoli Peninsula with the 7^th Battalion.

Early on the morning of the 9 August, the Ottoman forces defending the peninsula launched a fierce counterattack on a trench newly captured by the 7^th Battalion.

Alexander, along with Lieutenant Frederick Tubb and Corporal William Dunstan, were holding the trench.

The advancing Ottoman Turks managed to advance up the trench and blew up the sandbag barricade erected by the Aussies. Together with Tubb and Dunstan, Alexander repaired the barricade.

Twice more the barricade was destroyed; twice more the attacks were driven off and the barricade rebuilt.

Alexander was killed by an enemy bomb while rebuilding the barricade parapet. He has no known grave and so is commemorated on the Lone Pine Memorial.

Alexander was awarded a Victoria Cross for his bravery at Lone Pine. His medal citation reads:

“For most conspicuous bravery at Lone Pine Trenches on the 9th August, 1915.

“In the early morning the enemy made a determined counter-attack on the centre of the newly captured trench held by Lieutenant Tubb, Corporals Burton and Dunstan and a few men. They [the enemy] advanced up a sap and blew in a sandbag barricade, leaving only one foot of it standing, but Lieutenant Tubb with the two Corporals repulsed the enemy and rebuilt the barricade.

“Supported by strong bombing parties the enemy twice again succeeded in blowing the barricade, but on each occasion they were repulsed and the barricade rebuilt, although Lieutenant Tubb was wounded in the head and arm and Corporal Burton was killed by a bomb while most gallantly building up the parapet under a hail of bombs.”

Lieutenant Tubb and Corporal Dunstan were both awarded VCs. Tubb later earned a promotion to Major and later killed in action on the Western Front.

Brigadier James Hargest CBE MC DSO**

Image: Brigadier James Hargest (public domain)

Brigadier James Hargest had a remarkable military career spanning both World Wars.

Born on 4 September 1891 in Gore, Southville, New Zealand, James had served with the local militia before enlisting in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in August 1914.

Quickly commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, James rapidly rose through the ranks. He was a brave, conscientious officer who led from the front. Throughout his career, James could be found at the front, leading his men through courage and example.

He was severely wounded at the Battle of Chunuk Bair in August 1915 at Gallipoli, leading to a long period of convalescence.

In September 1916, during the Battle of the Somme, James, by this time a Major, earned the Military Cross. He ended the war a Lieutenant-Colonel and awarded a Distinguished Service Order for his conduct and leadership.

 In the interwar years, James settled in New Zealand with wife Mary. The pair owned a farm near Invercargill and raised four children there. James got involved in local politics, becoming MP for Awarua.

Come the Second World War, James volunteered his services again. He was initially declared only fit for home guard service, but, after appealing to New Zealand Prime Minister Peter Fraser, he was made Brigadier of the 5^th Brigade, New Zealand 2^nd Division.

The Kiwis and James served in several Mediterranean theatres, including Greece, Crete, and Libya. All three campaigns ended in defeat for the British Empire forces.

In November 1941, during Operation Crusader, the operation to relieve the important Libyan port city of Tobruk, James, his command staff, and 700 men were taken prisoner of war.

James was taken to Italy to Campo 12: a POW camp specifically for officers of Brigadier or higher rank.

James was held in captivity until March 1943 when he and a group of six officers daringly broke out of the prison. James was one of only two escapees to make it out of Italy. With the help of the French Resistance, he was able to make is way through Occupied France to Spain and finally to England.

Despite his captivity, James was determined to get back out in the field, eschewing a desk job. He was appointed New Zealand’s Military Observer for the D-Day Landings, attached to the 50^th British Division.

Going ashore on D-Day itself, James was wounded in action in Normandy in June 1944.

With the Allies now pushing into the Normandy countryside, James was given a new role. He was appointed commander of the 2NZEF Reception Group, a unit set up to help rehabilitate liberated Kiwi prisoners of war.

Sadly, James was killed on 12 August 1944. He was struck by shellfire while on a farewell visit to the 50^th British Division. He is buried at at Hottot-les-Bagues War Cemetery.

The Rev Guy Spencer Bryan-Brown

Image: The Rev Guy Spencer Bryan-Brown (public domain)

Guy Spencer Bryan-Brown was born the son of the Rev. Willoughby Brown and his wife Grace on 3^rd July 1885.

He was born in Gloucestershire and was educated at St Andrew/s School in Southborough. Guy moved onto Tonbridge School before going up to university at Downing College, Cambridge.

Guy was a keen sportsman in his youth. He captained the Downing cricket and hockey teams and tennis club, earning a Cambridge blue for his hockey prowess.

At Cambridge, Guy later moved to Ridley Hall, studying theology, reading for Holy Orders and qualifying for a teaching diploma. In 1908, he was appointed

In 1908 he was appointed to a Mastership at Trinity College, Glenalmond, and was ordained in 1909 before proceeding in 1913 to Christ’s College, Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand, as Chaplain-Master. There, he continued his sporting interests, including representing Canterbury in cricket.

In 1913, the now Reverend Bryan-Brown became Chaplain to Christ’s College Cadet Corps, and Chaplain to the Forces (4th Class) with the New Zealand Chaplains Department in March 1914. In the Christmas holidays of 1916-17, he was at Trentham Training Camp and was assigned as a Temporary Army Chaplain (and Captain) with the 21st New Zealand Expeditionary Force 21st Reinforcements and later with the 3rd Canterbury Battalion.

Originally, Guy declined the position but reapplied in January 1917. He sailed to England on 14th February 1917 as a temporary chaplain with the 21st Reinforcements and served with the Expeditionary Force from 29th May onwards.

On 4th October 1917, he was killed in action at an aid post near Ypres, during the ANZAC advance towards Passchendaele. A Staff Captain wrote: "The doctors who were with him say that he rendered invaluable assistance during the day in bringing in and dressing the wounded, and I am sure, from what I know of him, that he never spared himself or thought for one moment of the risk he was running, so long as he could help those who were in need”.

There are various reports surrounding the circumstances of his death. However, a fellow Chaplain stated that he was "bust blocking up a window of a dressing station from the outside, when three shells came in quick succession. I saw him fall staggering sideways, and I rushed to him at once, but he was dead… If ever a man gave his life away for others, that man was G. Bryan-Brown".

As he has no known grave, Guy is commemorated today on the Tyne Cot Memorial.

Got an ANZAC story to tell? Share it on For Evermore

For Evermore: Stories of the Fallen is our online resource for sharing the memories of the Commonwealth’s war dead.

It’s open to the public to share their family histories and the tales of the service people commemorated by Commonwealth War Graves so that we may preserve their legacies beyond just a name on a headstone or a memorial.

If you have a story of someone who served with the ANZACs to tell, we’d love to hear it! Head to For Evermore to upload and share it for all the world to see so we can remember them on this ANZAC Day and all to come.

Author acknowledgements

Alec Malloy is a CWGC Digital Content Executive. He has worked at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission since February 2022. During that time, he has written extensively about the World Wars, including major battles, casualty stories, and the Commission's work commemorating 1.7 million war dead worldwide.