10 facts about the ANZACs

1. ANZAC is an abbreviation of The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.

2. April 25, 1915, was the day the ANZACs landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula, now known as ANZAC Cove (see photo above) to battle the Turkish army during WWI.

3. More than 11,000 ANZACs died on the Gallipoli Peninsula, despite only being there for 8 months.

4. The original ANZAC biscuit was known as an ANZAC wafer or tile and was part of the rations given to ANZAC soldiers during World War I. They were included instead of bread because they had a much longer shelf life. Recipe for ANZAC biscuits

5. ANZAC was originally named the Australasian Army Corps. However protests from New Zealand led to the adoption of Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Administration clerks found the title too long and adopted the abbreviation of ANZAC.

6. Despite being affiliated with Australia and New Zealand, ANZAC included officers from Britain, Ireland, India, Zion, Ceylon and the Pacific islands.

7. “Lest We Forget” is a phrase popularised in 1897 by Rudyard Kipling, which was adopted as the final line of The Recitation along with the "Ode of Remembrance", taken from Laurence Binyon's "For the Fallen".

8. The last surviving ANZAC, Alec Campbell, died on May 16, 2002.

9. The ANZAC Bridge was given its name on Remembrance Day in 1998 to honour the memory of the ANZACS. An Australian Flag flies atop the eastern pylon and a New Zealand Flag flies atop the western pylon.

10. Today, the ANZAC Battle Group is an active battle group of Australian and New Zealand units.

Find more information at http://www.anzacsite.gov.au/ and http://www.awm.gov.au/